The Pittsburgh Steelers have been owned by the Rooney family for decades. The franchise is as mom-and-pop as a multi-billion-dollar corporation can be in 2023. The Steelers and Mike Tomlin believe in family and have done their best to foster it by bringing in multiple brother tandems in recent years like Trey Edmunds and Terrell Edmunds and of course, two-thirds of the Watt family with brothers TJ Watt and Derek Watt.
Photo Credit: Steelers.com
Steelers players Derek and TJ Watt pose for a photo while their brother, JJ, missed out on the family reunion.
In 2023, the Steelers added another dimension to building the black and gold family. They drafted Joey Porter Jr. from Penn State University to follow in his father Joey Porter Sr.’s footsteps on the Steelers defense. Porter has been a camp standout in 2023, despite a tough afternoon on Tuesday against George Pickens. The confident rookie was beaten by the standout wide receiver but bounced back nicely with an interception later in practice.
Who says Joey Porter Jr. can’t create turnovers? He just picked off Mitch Trubisky in team.
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) August 1, 2023
Steelers Icon Jerome Bettis Rips NFL Over Current State Of RB Treatment
Another former Steelers son is about to follow in his father’s footsteps. Jerome Bettis Jr., who will be eligible to play his freshman season in 2025, is spending a lot of time at his Hall of Fame father Jerome Bettis's alma mater. Bettis recently joined The Dan Patrick Show and said he had encouraged his son to play wide receiver instead of running back. That is the exact position he is going to play when he reaches college.
AP Photo Gene Puskar
Pittsburgh Steelers Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis, right, shows his son, Jerome Jr., his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring after having it presented to him on the sideline of then-Heinz Field after it was presented by former Head Coach Bill Cowher.
Bettis Jr. has visited Notre Dame several times and has not formally committed to the Fighting Irish, but it seems like they have the inside track. Bettis Jr., who currently attends Woodward Academy in Atlanta, GA, has become a regular in South Bend, IN. Nothing is ever certain in college football, but it seems like he is leaning heavily in their favor based on his most recent visit.
“It was fun,” Bettis Jr. said. “I was able to interact with other recruits and play some games with them. I had a great time. I was able to experience what Notre Dame would be like if I was there. It was awesome.”
His father starred at Notre Dame capping it off with a huge performance against the undefeated Texas A&M Aggies in the 1993 Cotton Bowl. Bettis scored three of Notre Dame’s four touchdowns in the upset victory. The performance resulted in the Los Angeles Rams tapping him in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft.
Bettis won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1993 and followed it up with another 1,000-yard season in 1994 under Chuck Knox. The Rams hired Rich Brooks in 1995. He was not happy with his new role in the offense and became even unhappier when he was told he would be a fullback in 1996. The team offered him the opportunity to go to Pittsburgh and he took it.
Bettis and Pittsburgh were a match made in heaven. He starred for the Steelers for a decade and capped a brilliant Hall of Fame career with a Super Bowl XL victory. Arguably, no living player in Steelers history is more beloved than Bettis in Pittsburgh.
Photo by Matt Freeman
Steelers RB Jerome Bettis's son Jerome Bettis Jr. visits Notre Dame.
Bettis Jr. has not played a down of football in college, but like the Porter father/son tandem, he plays a different position on the same side of the ball. He will only be a freshman in 2025, so under the current rules of the NFL, he will not be eligible for the NFL Draft until at least 2028. Steelers fans will be rooting for Bettis Jr. to take the same "Bus" from South Bend to Pittsburgh as his father when it is time.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Would you love to see another Super Bowl XL legacy on the Steelers roster? Let me know what you think. Please comment below or on my TwitterX @thebubbasq.
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