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Snoop Dogg is a Steeler for life. Growing up in Long Beach in the 70s, he had two choices: either support the Oakland Raiders or run with the Pittsburgh Steelers. In an interview from 2009, he said he chose the Steelers because “everyone was choosing the Raiders and I just couldn’t go with what everyone was going with.” Snoop said he loved the Steelers’ attitude, fell in love with it in the 70s, and has “been riding with them ever since.”

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Where things get complicated is that he also shares a deep friendship with former Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis. That friendship once landed Snoop in an uncomfortable position, when the Steel City branded Snoop as a traitor.

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Steelers’ veteran DT Cam Heyward recently shared a clip on his Not Just Football X handle from Snoop’s interview on Cam’s podcast from eight months ago. In the clip, Snoop detailed how costly his showing up at the Ravens facility actually was.

“I got a show in Baltimore on the DMV area, Ray Lewis called. ‘Hey man, players want Snoop to come down to the facility,’” Snoop said on the podcast. “I’m like, ‘All right, I’ll slide by.’ Why the f*** did I do that? I did not know that that is public enemy number one. I go in the locker room, they playing Snoop Dogg music. They filming everything. I’m so naive, I’m just like, ‘Hey, I’m with Ray Lewis and the Ravens.’ Ed Reed (former Ravens safety) gave me his red 20 captain’s jersey, and they put it on me. Now they got me outside with the team. ‘Snoop, lead the break.’ I’m leading the break, and media just filming all this.

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“I go to a Steeler game, I walk in the stands, it’s a dude over here. ‘F*** you Snoop Dogg, you’re not a f****** Steeler fan. You’re a traitor. I seen you with the Ravens. F*** you.’ And another one, ‘You’re a f****** traitor. You went to the f****** Ravens camp.’ I’m like, ‘Oh man!’ Then I seen Mike Tomlin after the game. He said, ‘N****, you can go f*** with anybody. You never f*** with the motherf****** Ravens.”

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Now, Snoop didn’t say exactly which concert this was, but he did perform in one at the CFG Bank Arena in July 2000. Over the years, he has shown up at the Ravens facility multiple times. Being a youth football coach, he even worked with some of the Ravens’ defensive backs in 2009. But, in his own words, he “didn’t know that that rivalry was real.”

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This rivalry, going back decades, has only picked up more steam in recent years. Last season, ahead of their regular season finale clash, Baltimore’s Mayor Brandon Scott went on his Instagram and notably took a shot at the Steelers by making a crude gesture with a Terrible Towel.

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But he was rendered speechless when the Steelers ousted Baltimore to advance to the Wild Card round. Cut to 2026, with the NFL Draft happening in Pittsburgh, Steelers owner Art Rooney II saw “Ravens fans were sitting in front of the Steelers fans in one section of the draft theater.” He asked the league to move them back, and the league agreed.

Snoop Dogg celebrated when the Steelers made the playoffs last season. But in the 2015 season’s Week 16, when he called out the Ravens after they defeated the visiting Steelers 20-17, the Ravens Flock responded by sharing pictures from the time he visited the facility with Ray Lewis.

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Now, going by what he told Cam on the podcast, Snoop Dogg may visit some other team facility in the future, but the Ravens don’t stand another chance.

“I went to the Browns facility catching passes, kicking the ball, nobody said nothing. I go to the Ravens. The Steelers fanbase killed me,” Snoop said. “So, hey, Lamar Jackson, I love you, but I cannot hand out with ya’ll. I will not lose my Steeler pass ever again.”

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Utsav Jain

1,468 Articles

Utsav Jain is an NFL GameDay Features Writer at EssentiallySports, specializing in delivering engaging, in-depth coverage from the ES Social SportsCenter Desk. With a background in Journalism and Mass Communication and extensive experience in digital media, he skillfully combines sharp insights with compelling storytelling to bring readers closer to the game. Utsav excels at capturing the nuances of locker room dynamics, game-day plays, and the deeper meanings behind the moments that define NFL seasons. Known for his creative approach, Utsav believes that in today’s sports world, even a single emoji by a player can tell a powerful story. His work goes beyond traditional reporting to decode these subtle signals, offering fans a richer, more connected experience.

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Antra Koul

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