Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle, Cam Heyward's job on the field is to terrorize opponents and make life difficult for them. Off the field however, the 12-year NFL veteran is committed to trying to improve the lives of people in his community.
Steelers' Cameron Heyward (#97) leads the defensive line through drills in Pittsburgh, PA. | Credit: Karl Roser/Pittsburgh Steelers
The Ohio State alumnus was recently recognized for his efforts to better his community with his fifth nomination for the league's Walter Payton Man of the Year Award.
"The thing for me is the totality," Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin said about the recognition of Heyward's work in his weekly press cconference . "I know this award acknowledges the work that's done in 2022, but much like his playing career man, his work in the community whether it's Pittsburgh or Atlanta, where he is from, or Columbus, where he went to school, or any community he cares about. He contributes in a positive way in the way he has as a player. The totality of his resume in that area is indisputable. It's over a decade of service."
The Heyward House, Cam's charity foundation that was founded in 2015 to serve youth in the Pittsburgh community, debuted Cam's Kindness Week during the final week of September this year. With the help of his mother Charlotte, the organization's executive director, the week included a number of different activities like hospital visits and helping to set up another location for Craig Closet at Pittsburgh's Barack Obama Academy of International Studies.
Steelers DT Cam Heyward at the opening of the newest location of Craig's Closet during Cam's Kindness Week in September 2022. (Abigail Dean/Pittsburgh Steelers)
The program offers free dress clothes for young men in the Pittsburgh area to go to job interviews, internships or any other function requiring it. The idea for the initiative was born from the experience of the namesake, and father of Cam and Connor, Craig Heyward who went to the University of Pittsburgh with just one suit to wear on game day.
On the day he was announced as the #Steelers nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, @CamHeyward & @97HeywardHouse opened up a new Craig’s Closet at the Pittsburgh Science and Technology Academy. #WPMOYChallenge pic.twitter.com/BUlujTilyt
— Steelers Community Relations (@SteelersCR) December 6, 2022
A Steelers Leader On and Off the Field
Heyward learned of his latest nomination from Steelers great and 2001 award winner Jerome Bettis during a team meeting and the Hall of Fame running back, like Tomlin, highlighted the 33-year-old's continued commitment to his charitable work.
"He's genuinely intertwined in his foundation. He is committed to it," Bettis said via Teresa Varley of Steelers.com. "He gets his teammates involved, and everybody wants to support what he's doing. That's a great sign of a leader, that he wants to step up in the community, but he also asks his teammates to step up as well, showing them the way."
The three-time All-Pro is clearly a leader for the organization, not just at team facilities, but also away from them. Earlier this season, he showed his leadership and accountability putting it upon himself to be better following the loss of the 2021 AP Defensive Player of the Year, TJ Watt.
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive captains, TJ Watt (#90) and Cam Heyward (#97) participate during 2022 training camp in Latrobe, PA. | Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (Twitter: @JSKO_PHOTO)
In classic Tomlin fashion, he let the media know Heyward needed no seal of approval from his head coach for his hard work.
"How he conducts his life, how he cares about people and how he utilizes his platform in a positive way is all the endorsement that he needs," Tomlin said on Tuesday.
So, Steeler Nation, do you think Heyward can bring home his first win? How important is it for players to be involved in the community?
Let us know either in the comment section down below or on our social media feeds.
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