The Pittsburgh Steelers have had a lot of drama in their locker room in recent memory. There was the holdout from Le'Veon Bell back in 2018, as well as the entire Antonio Brown saga before he was traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. It seems the Steelers organization dodged some more locker room drama by trading Chase Claypool in the middle of the 2022 NFL season, as he has been making headlines with the Chicago Bears, and not for good reasons.
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Former Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool celebrates after getting a huge first down.
Claypool was a healthy inactive for the Bears' Week 4 contest against the Denver Broncos. He was asked by the media whether or not he thought the team was using him correctly, he paused and thought for a second before saying no. It was also reported Claypool was asked not to show up to the game at all, and that his time with the team is likely done as the Bears try to find a trade partner.
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Former Steelers wide receiver Chase Claypool.
Steelers' Cam Heyward Defends Claypool
The news of Claypool and the Bears likely parting ways has been circulating around the internet, and many have since said that it will be hard for the Bears to find someone to trade Claypool to because he is a bad locker room presence. On a recent episode of his podcast, Not Just Football With Cam Heyward, Steelers defensive lineman, Cam Heyward, came to Claypool's defense about his comments to the media and expressed that he just needs leaders to show him the way.
"It was kind of unfortunate. I feel like he got asked the question and what was he supposed to say? Yes, they're using me properly? I don't think it was really a selfish thing."
Heyward insinuated that the media put Claypool in an unfair spot, and he was kind of forced into responding the way that he did. However, we see professional athletes constantly stay on their toes with media, and always think through their answers before blurting them out. After Sunday Night Football in Week 4, Rodney Harrison tried to bait Kansas City Chiefs star Chris Jones into saying something bad about Zach Wilson. Jones didn't take the bait, and actually praised Wilson. That's what professionals are supposed to be able to do.
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Chase Claypool (#10) drops a pass against the Miami Dolphins in Chicago, IL.
Claypool is once again inactive for the Bears Week 5 game, and Chicago has had no luck finding a trade partner. They might look to release Claypool if they cannot get a deal done soon. Heyward continued to defend Claypool, saying the Bears are doing the wrong thing by pushing him away from the team.
"When a player is going through a rough time, it's up to the team to rally around him. It's up to everybody to bring him along and have their back. Is it always going to be perfect? No. This game is humbling. This game has produced diamonds in the rough, but it has also produced hard times for a lot of people."
Heyward continued his defense of Claypool. It sounded like if Claypool was still a Steeler, Heyward would be personally helping him through his issues as the team captain. Unfortunately for Claypool, he doesn't have any strong veteran leadership in Chicago and it even seems like there is some turmoil amongst the coaching staff.
"To say that because he answered that question he should be benched, man teach the guy. Teach him how to be better. It's not always going to be roses all the time. Chase is trying to get back and be a contributor. We'll see what happens."
Steelers fans are likely all thankful the Steelers were able to trade Claypool prior to all of this off-the-field drama he has brought to the Bears locker room. Especially since they were able to turn him into the 32nd overall pick of the 2023 NFL Draft which turned into Joey Porter Jr. However, Heyward clearly wishes Claypool had better leadership in Chicago that could help steer him in the right direction.
What do you think of Heyward's defense of Claypool? Let us know in the comments below!
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