If Pittsburgh Steelers are angry about Mason Rudolph attending a political rally, wait until they get a load of Aaron Rodgers.
The future Hall of Famer last year at this time was flirting with a run at The White House as the Vice Presidential running mate to Robert F. Kennedy Jr. After returning from a vacation to Egypt during New York Jets minicamp, Rodgers ultimately decided to put off politics for pigskin.
But you get the point. If and when Rodgers signs to become the starter for Pittsburgh the team will have two quarterbacks passionate about their politics.
Rudolph, who is taking first-team reps at OTAs this offseason, last week attended Donald Trump’s rally with several players and appeared on stage with the controversial President. Special teams captain Miles Killebrew also attended, and was joined by Steelers’ past Super Bowl hero Rocky Bleier who proclaimed Trump as an “honorary Steeler” and presented him with a customized team jersey.
Being that Pennsylvania is a swing state – of almost seven million votes Trump won by only 120,000 – not all Steelers fans are happy to see the Steelers or their players seeming injecting politics into their sport.
In response to angry fans and season-ticket holders, the team – according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – sent an email.
“We understand that a recent rally in Pittsburgh has generated a range of reactions from our fan base,” the letter from the team reads. “Our alumni and current players make their own individual decisions that reflect their views, and they do not necessarily represent the view of the entire Pittsburgh Steelers organization. Thank you again for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your passion and your continued support of the team.”
Interestingly, Steelers ownership has deep ties to the Democratic party. Late owner Dan Rooney was appointed by President Barack Obama as the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland in 2009.