October 21st 2024.
On a crisp Sunday evening, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made his way to Acrisure Stadium as the guest of an unidentified suite holder. The game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets was in full swing and Trump arrived around the middle of the first quarter. As he walked in, he was greeted by a small crowd of supporters wearing Steelers jerseys, proudly displaying a banner that read "Trump Nation." With a wave to the crowd, he made his way to the suite, while some fans chanted "USA" in support.
This visit marked the end of a whirlwind weekend for Trump's campaign in Pennsylvania, a crucial state in the upcoming election. And at this final stop, it seemed to create some conflicting loyalties. As a New Yorker and personal friend of New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, who had briefly served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom during Trump's administration, it was interesting to see him attending a Steelers game. After all, the Steelers had been owned by the Rooney family for over 90 years, and late president and chairman Dan Rooney had served as the U.S. ambassador to Ireland during Barack Obama's presidency.
The Steelers, however, made it clear that they were not taking any sides on Trump's attendance. Club spokesman Burt Lauten clarified that Trump was the guest of a suite holder and not the team itself. While Trump did receive support from a few former Steelers, including wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le'Veon Bell, both of whom have a complicated relationship with their former team, his presence at the game also garnered endorsements from franchise icons and Hall of Famers Joe Greene and Jerome Bettis, as well as the family of late Hall of Fame running back Franco Harris. These individuals, in contrast, had endorsed Vice President and Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
It was an interesting decision for Trump to align himself with Brown and Bell, considering their past controversies. Brown, a star player during his nine seasons in Pittsburgh, had forced a trade in 2019 after a series of public missteps, including not showing up for the team's season finale. Similarly, Bell had sat out the entire 2018 season in a contract dispute before signing with the Jets in 2019. However, his performance with the Jets did not live up to his previous Pro Bowl standards, and he has since been out of the league, turning to celebrity boxing instead.
The choice to align with these former players may have seemed out of step with the region, especially considering Brown's volatile exit from the team. But Trump seemed to be drawn to Brown's success on the field, despite his off-field behavior. Brown had risen from a sixth-round draft pick to a perennial All-Pro during his time in Pittsburgh, but his career had been derailed due to his increasingly volatile off-field behavior. He was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 2019, but was cut before ever playing a game due to a verbal altercation with the team's general manager. He then signed with the New England Patriots, only to be released a few weeks later following allegations of sexual misconduct. Brown later resurfaced on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where he won a Super Bowl, but was once again let go due to a series of incidents, including serving a suspension for violating COVID-19 protocols and quitting in the middle of a game.
Despite these issues, Trump was asked about appearing with Brown and seemed to have little knowledge of the allegations against him. When told about the sexual assault allegations, Trump simply stated that he did not know anything about it and that Brown was a great football player. With the election just two weeks away and tensions running high, this game between the Steelers and Jets provided a brief respite from the chaos of the campaign trail.
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