Steelers Devlin "Duck" Hodges And Lainey Wilson Confess To 2+ Year Relationship And An Epic Troll Of Fans

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Devlin “Duck” Hodges had a fleeting but special moment in 2019. The Steelers had lost Ben Roethlisberger for the season and appeared to be going nowhere fast with Mason Rudolph at the helm. The undrafted free agent from Samford started the season as a practice squad player but was elevated out of necessity after the Roethlisberger injury.

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Last month when Luke Combs came to Pittsburgh, Lainey Wilson opened up for him wearing a Hodges jersey. The jersey choice set the internet and specifically Twitter ablaze. Wilson is a popular country singer but is better known for her role on the mega-hit Yellowstone as Abby. Wilson and Hodges were all too eager to use the opportunity to have a little fun with the public when multiple people alerted Hodges about Wilson’s chosen attire.

Hodges is no stranger to the spotlight and knows how to capitalize on an opportunity. During the first meeting with the Baltimore Ravens in 2019, Rudolph endured one of the most brutal hits you will ever see on an NFL field. Hodges stepped into the game and after helping to force overtime, watched helplessly as JuJu Smith-Schuster fumbled the ball away. Hodges stepped in as the starter and helped the Steelers win four crucial games in a row and creep back into the AFC playoff picture.

According to Wilson, she and her band played in Pittsburgh a few weeks before the Combs concert and she and the whole band wore the number six Hodges' jerseys. Rumors swirled but after Hodges responded to her to reach out on Twitter, Wilson decided to play along with the charade.

Wilson and Hodges attended the American Country Music Awards together and then pretended they had only been dating a short time. Wilson spilled the beans on the Bobby Bones Show on Friday that she had actually been dating Hodges for over two years.

“He’s been around for a while,” Wilson confessed. “I just decided to make him wait for two and a half years. He knows what it is like chasing a dream because he’s done that for himself. He tried out literally for the Steelers and made it and had a really great run with them. He is good as gold. Supports me, would never come in between anything I’m trying to do.”

The couple met through mutual friends in Nashville, according to Wilson. According to the rising country music superstar during a Tik Tok interview with Katie and Company, Hodges is very special to her. Nashville and Hollywood are two different places but they are both epicenters in the entertainment industry. Keeping a relationship secret in that environment is very challenging and the two should be commended for ensuring that they had a solid bond before going public. 

Hodges spent 2020 on the Steelers practice squad and was released after the season. He signed with the Los Angeles Rams but was cut during training camp. A month later he signed with the Ottawa Redbacks in the CFL hoping to keep his football dreams alive. The former Steelers signal caller struggled in the CFL and after the 2021 season, he chose to hang up his cleats in April of 2022. 

Fans who suffered through the 2019 season recall the tremendous lift Hodges provided for a depressed fan base. His magical run only lasted a month but it is a fond memory in what turned out to be a lost season. Hodges seems to have landed on his feet and is genuinely enjoying the success of what we now know is his long-time girlfriend. It probably wasn't what Mike Tomlin was thinking when he stopped his quarterback in the locker room in 2019. 

"Duck," Tomlin said according to Hodges. "You are going to win in life."

It is 2023 and Hodges might be out of football but based on the ever-present smile on his face, it looks like Tomlin was right. 

What do you think Steeler Nation? Are you surprised that Wilson and Hodges put one over on the Three Rivers crowd? Please comment below or on my Twitter @thebubbasq. 

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