Despite a dominant 28-9 win against the Green Bay Packers in their preseason opener on Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers had a major loss of intra-team harmony over the weekend. Tempers flared during the Steelers’ penultimate NFL practice at Saint Vincent, with the offense and defense at loggerheads. And the spark, you ask? An aggressive play by rookie safety Robert Spears-Jennings.
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Towards the end of practice, the 22-year-old hammered receiver Max Hurleman, who had caught a ball and charged a few yards, in the dirt near the sideline. Their helmets also made contact, and Hurleman wasn’t impressed. Per ESPN reporter Brooke Pryor, tight end Lance Mason, who the Steelers got last week after he was waived by the Seattle Seahawks, ‘yelled’ at Spears-Jennings for the hit, and hell broke loose after that.
Hurleman shoved the rookie, and TE Jaheim Bell got involved, putting himself between the angry duo. Per Alan Saunders of Steelers Now, safety DeShon Elliott also came rushing to the scene, and a separate altercation broke out between him and Bell, who also landed punches on Elliott. Almost the entire 90-man roster was now at the scene, and the brawl had spilled over to the media area.
FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano shared on X that the brawl was “one of the wildest” he has ever seen and that he couldn’t record it because he was ‘too busy running for his life.’ The coaching staff and some veteran players had to get involved to separate the ones trying to knock each other out. After the tension settled, coach Mike McCarthy ran another play before calling it a day.
The surprising part is that the foundation for this skirmish had seemingly been laid earlier by newly signed Elandon Roberts. The linebacker got too physical with his tackles, which the offense did not appreciate, especially after his hard contact with rookie Levi Wentz, which sent the latter to the ground.
Roberts was taunting the offense and also got some spicy words back from starter Mason McCormick, who called him “fresh legs.” The former teammates weren’t sour over this trash talk, but the tension that it created seemingly led to the eventual brawl. McCormick, however, was chirpy about his relationship with Roberts post-practice.
“I love having E-Rob around,” McCormick told Steelers Now beat reporter Alan Saunders. “He likes to bring the juice, get things going, and I like to talk shit to him.”
It’s not the first time Roberts has instigated (intentionally or unintentionally) a training camp fight. In 2024, he hit Justin Fields during a play, prompting McCormick to charge at him, and a similar fight ensued. But not all were sour after Sunday’s incident.
Jaquan Brisker after Steelers brawl: “You want some dogs out there”
The Pittsburgh Steelers ended the rain-affected practice on a low note, courtesy of the tension brewed after the fight. But starting safety Jaquan Brisker wasn’t too bothered by the aftermath.
“Yeah, I mean, it’s football. It’s physical, it’s part of the game,” Brisker told DK Pittsburgh Sports post-practice. “You know, you can’t take that away from the game even if it happens on game day. At the same time, you gotta refocus to get back to be playing football.”
Brisker, in fact, was even slightly upbeat about the intensity that the squad brought. When asked if he’d want anybody to instigate such a fight in particular, the 27-year-old jokingly said,
“Yeah, maybe me. I’d maybe turn my guys up, but it’s all good. You know, you want some dogs out there. You’d rather have a dog rather than tell somebody to keep going or whatever, you know, the bite. But guys are out there, ready to play, ready to go. So I got some dogs out there, for sure.”
If you have been following the Steelers’ training camp even intermittently, you would know this wasn’t the first brawl to break out this month. Earlier in August, some fans got into a fight in the stands in the middle of practice. It was Pat Freiermuth who made headlines back then for saving a child from among the crowd of fighting adults.
On the actual playing front, the Steelers have a 10-7 record to match from last season, but many starters are out with injuries. Per Steelers Now, wide receivers DK Metcalf, Brandon Smith, and Michael Pittman Jr., defensive tackle Sebastian Joseph-Day, safetys Jaquan Brisker and Israel Mukuamu, cornerback Brandin Echols, and offensive tackle Max Iheanachor did not take part in practice.
Including cornerback Joey Porter Jr. and defensive back Jalen Ramsey, five starters are out so far. Nonetheless, Friday’s preseason opener against the Packers saw the Steelers take an emphatic 28-9 win. Mike McCarthy will need to keep his players’ aggression in check and prevent further infighting to sustain the positive momentum into their next preseason matchup against the New York Jets this Friday.