When the Pittsburgh Steelers walked off the field at Arrowhead following their loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the Wild Card round of the 2021 playoffs, they knew life was about to change. That was the final time the Pittsburgh faithful would see their two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, strap on a helmet for them. But little did they know all of the other changes that were soon to transpire.
Photo Credit: Rich Walsh/KDKA
From there Pittsburgh would lose long time Defensive assistant Keith Butler to retirement. He was replaced by secondary coach Teryl Austin. Next it was time for General Manager Kevin Colbert to step down. Colbert was replaced by his good friend and right-hand man, Omar Khan.
Now it appears that the last domino has fallen. Pittsburgh will no longer be playing at Heinz Field, instead the stadium has been re-named Acrisure Stadium. The news of the Kraft Heinz not being renewed broke quickly on Sunday night with 93.7 The fan host Andrew Fillipponi tweeting out that the name was changing and to expect an announcement soon.
Well, that announcement came less than 12 hours later from the Steelers.
We’re excited to announce that our home has been renamed Acrisure Stadium! @AcrisureLLC https://t.co/YzjP9Ap10j
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) July 11, 2022
From there it was colossal disaster. Steelers fans, NFL fans, and even people who don't watch sports laughed at the name. But then a statement came from Roethlisberger himself.
I can't believe it, it doesn't seem right or real! Home will always be Heinz Field! I will never forget the last game, and all the amazing fans at FOREVER HEINZ! -- Ben said via Twitter
It doesn't sound like Roethlisberger is going to be calling his stadium anything other than Heinz Field. He made that pretty clear there.
Roethlisberger is correct. It doesn't seem right at all. It also is wild to consider that the day Roethlisberger walked off that Heinz Field turf in January it would be the last time the Steelers played at "Heinz Field."
Steelers.com
The last person to score a touchdown at Heinz Field? Najee Harris. The last person to intercept a pass? Tre Norwood. And the last person to take a snap? Roethlisberger.
If you're bored today and you want to check out all of the outrage, then I suggest you visit this tweet from Pat McAfee. McAfee of course is a native of Pittsburgh growing up in the Plum borough. Be careful though, a lot of it is rated R.
Yinzers… thoughts? pic.twitter.com/nMGClLlhqe
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) July 11, 2022
The name change caused former Steelers lineman Trai Essex to rip off a series of comical tweets.
Why don’t you love us anymore @KraftHeinzCo?! I’ve been faithful to you since 2005. No other ketchup has touched these lips! And then you are just going to up and leave after 17 years?! Your loss! 😤
— Trai Essex (@TraiDay79) July 11, 2022
And then his reaction to the new name.
Acrisure Stadium?!!! It’s going to take a longgggggg time to get used to that. If ever..
— Trai Essex (@TraiDay79) July 11, 2022
Without a doubt it's going to take a long time for everyone to get used to. It's also going to take a long time for most of us to figure out how to say it. Especially a 6 pack of IC Light deep.
