Steelers' Ramon Foster Assured That Santonio Holmes Is Now Involved In The Organization

With the 25th pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers took Santonio Homes, a wide receiver from Ohio State. He left school a year early to go to the NFL and was given a job on special teams instantly for the Steelers. He seemed to be a very versatile player who could do a bit of everything. Each year he continued to grow and would eventually help take his team to the Super Bowl in 2008. This is where he made his name known.

Super Bowl XLIII was one of the greatest football games ever played. It had everything from James Harrison taking an interception the full length of the field, to Larry Fitzgerald looking like prime Jerry Rice. But the best play of the game came from Holmes and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. 

The ball was set at around the 16-yard line and the Steelers were looking to score. There were :43 seconds left in the fourth quarter and Pittsburgh was down to the Arizona Cardinals, 23-20. Roethlisberger took the snap and seemed to have all the time in the world. He looked to his right in the top corner and threw the ball to Holmes. It seemed to be one of the most perfect passes ever as it was placed right into his hands. Holmes drug his two feet across the endzone and secured the touchdown.

Holmes finished the game having 131 receiving yards and this one touchdown that put him in the history books. He was even named the Super Bowl MVP after this performance. Everything in his career was trending upward. In the season following, he had his best season yet. He scored five touchdowns and gained 1,248 receiving yards in 2009. Holmes looked like he was on pace to be a Hall of Fame player until he got into legal trouble.

Steelers Had Enough And Decided To Trade Him

In 2006, Holmes was arrested for domestic violence and assault in which he paid fines to drop the charges. This was just the first offense of his career. In 2008 he was caught with possession of marijuana and had to miss a game because of this. Then in the 2010 offseason after two more different charges, the Steelers had enough and decided to trade him. He was sent to the New York Jets in exchange for a fifth-round pick.

In his first two seasons with the team, he seemed to be doing alright, but in 2012, he suffered a foot injury that derailed him for the rest of his career. He barely played the rest of his time with the Jets and was cut in 2014. Holmes ended his career with the Chicago Bears where he had just a total of eight receptions there. It seemed like all hope was lost for him.

In 2017, Holmes returned to Pittsburgh to finish his career with the Steelers. Although fans may not have been happy with the way that he went out, they have come to respect him for what he has done for the team. Holmes even made it known how honored he was to finish his career with the black and gold during his retirement speech.

"It’s an honor and a privilege to retire as a Pittsburgh Steeler and to leave a legacy that would be forever remembered."

Recently, Holmes has spent more time with the Steelers and has come to accept them as his team. He has become involved with them by showing up to practices, hosting fan events during games, and other things of that nature. His former teammate Ramon Foster gave a testament to him changing his life around recently on his podcast The Ramon Foster Show. He noted how he is a great guy and even went and got his degree. Holmes has attempted to show everyone that you can change your life around.

"Tone [Holmes] is such a great dude. I will say this, the guy has gone back and got his degree, he's involved, he's a great dad from all I've seen so far, and he's made himself back." Foster would then say, "I know he probably rubbed some people the wrong way in Pittsburgh for a little while, but that is not him anymore."

So, what do you think, Steeler Nation? What do you remember best about Holmes? Let me know in the comments below!

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