Pittsburgh Steelers superfan, Joe Manganiello recently appeared on defensive captain Cam Heyward's podcast. While on Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, Manganiello candidly shared several stories of being both a Steelers fan and some of the encounters he's had, including one with new Assistant GM Andy Weidl.
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Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis poses for a picture at a game with actor and superfan Joe Manganiello.
Manganiello is a Pittsburgh native. He attended Mt. Lebanon High School and went on to become an actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his breakout role as Alcide the werewolf in the series True Blood. Since his time on True Blood, he has also appeared in the Magic Mike films and has been making his own documentaries.
Steelers Assistant GM Andy Weidl and Manganiello Have History
The Steelers' new Assistant GM Weidl got his start in Pittsburgh. He is also a Mt. Lebanon native that attended that high school just like Manganiello. In fact, their paths crossed while at Mt. Lebabon, with Weidl graduating in 1992 and Manganiello graduating in 1995. They both played football for the Blue Devils in the 1990's.
Weidl didn't just grow up in Pittsburgh, he got his first NFL job with the Steelers. He started as a player personnel assistant under Tom Donahue and Bill Nunn. Since then, he has also been with the New Orleans Saints and the Baltimore Ravens. Most recently, he was with the Philadelphia Eagles, where he is credited with helping to build a Super Bowl-contending team. Weidl will be an integral part of the 2023 NFL Draft, as new GM Omar Khan does not have the scouting background.
Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers Assistant GM Andy Weidl
Manganiello told Heyward and his co-host Hayden Walsh that he was not too happy to see Weidl working for the "enemy" in Baltimore and relates the story of running into him at a game:
"I remember Andy Weidl. Weidl went to Mt. Lebanon High School where I went. We were coming out of the back hallway, I was coming out with Thomas Tull, you know one of the co-owners [of the Steelers]. We were coming out of the owner's box and they made us stop at the elevators to bring the Ravens coaching staff out after they had won the game at like the last second. So we were all really salty. They're like, 'Hold on, we're salty' and we're like, 'Why do we have to wait? What's going on?' And the Ravens staff comes by and it's Andy. It's Andy in this Ravens jacket."
At this point, they are all laughing and Manganiello said he was so bitter about the last-second loss, he got furious when he saw Weidl, a Pittsburgh guy, supporting a rival, and a rival that just beat his beloved Steelers:
"I was like, 'Oh no!' I won't go into the details, but we got into it verbally. To the point where I didn't know like I kind of took my hands out of my pockets, you know, I was like I don't know if we're going back to the bouncer days at Heaven (former nightclub in Pittsburgh) if you know what I mean. I was like, 'Let's go!'"
Manganiello said once he calmed down a bit, he felt he owed apologies to the Steelers front office staff and owners that were present for his outburst.
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Steelers superfan and Pittsburgh native, Joe Manganiello, brings his wife, Sofia Vergara to a game.
"It didn't go there, but I did apologize to the Rooney's and to Thomas. I was like, 'I am so sorry, I didn't mean to come off as aggressive or as a jerk in your presence.' They're like, 'No, we thought it was awesome!' You know when you stand for something, then there's also the opposing force, which you know in this case was members of the Ravens coaching staff. So I haven't seen Andy since, so Andy if you're out there, let's grab a cup of coffee and let's put this all to bed. I'm glad you're back home."
What do you think about celebrities as superfans? Do you enjoy hearing their stories and takes on the team? Are you at all surprised that Manganiello had that kind of reaction to seeing an old friend in a Ravens jacket? Click to comment below.
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