Steelers' Former Tight End Offer Targeted Attack On Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson Over Player Safety Rules

The Pittsburgh Steelers are not fans of rule changes that limit the defense. It started with the Mel Blount rule, arguably the catalyst for an angry Steelers defense to help win the second pair of Super Bowls in the 1970s. Jack Lambert and Terry Bradshaw were filmed disparaging the roughing-the-passer rule decades ago. James Harrison's repeated fines during the last Pittsburgh Super Bowl run were a big reason why the team refused to ratify the 2011 collective bargaining agreement. 

It turns out that complaining about rule changes is not limited to Steelers defenders or the NFL. On Saturday, former Steelers tight end Jace Sternberger debuted in the UFL for the Birmingham Stallions against the Arlington Renegades. The former Steelers tight end caught two passes for 32 yards and endured what he thought was a dirty hit. On social media, he decided to rip the face of the UFL and WWE Superstar Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who will appear at WrestleMania 40 on April 6th. 

"Imagine if I would of got hurt because of this bs," Sternberger responded on X. "C'mon now @TheRock."

Sternberger remarked on a particularly egregious hit that looked like a blatant attempt to injure him. Renegades cornerback Steven Jones Jr. made an unnecessary low hit and compounded the incident by leading with his helmet into Sternberger's lower leg. The tight end's forward progress had been stopped, and to compound matters even more, the play was not flagged as a personal foul.

Sternberger spent two seasons with the Green Bay Packers in 2019 and 2020 and was released after he returned from a two-game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy in 2021. The Steelers signed him to their practice squad in November 2021, but released him near the end of training camp the following season on August 30th, 2022. He did not play a regular season game in Pittsburgh and later joined the 2023 USFL Champions, the Stallions. 

Kurt Benkert, a former XFL player and Packers quarterback who was a teammate of Sternberger in Green Bay, voiced his concern about the UFL's safety policies. He indicated that he refused to participate in the UFL because of his previous experiences in spring leagues.

"Straight up, that's why I didn't want to play again. Broken ribs on a deliberate hit in my first start," Benkert replied to Sternberger. "There aren't any fines or anything, so there's zero incentive not to take people out."

Benkert spent time with the San Antonio Brahmas, one of the XFL teams that moved to the UFL when the USFL and XFL united to make spring football more viable. The former University of Virginia quarterback also spent time in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Packers and was on the San Francisco 49ers practice squad for part of 2022. 

Giving up on your NFL dreams is difficult, but Benkert is no longer interested in risking his health. The Stallions tight end was a 2018 All-American tight end for the Texas A&M Aggies and is still fighting to get back to the NFL. Sternberger's hit will be a big test for the league, and he pointed out what the NFL would do in a similar situation.

Sternberger was not a Steelers player for long, but he learned one Pittsburgh tradition during his time with the team: calling out league leadership and officials. It wasn't the NFL, but the league should take note. The NFL recently banned the hip-drop tackle, and while there is no question Jones' hit was unnecessary and dirty, the suggestion that players will have to dive at offensive players' legs to bring them down has been floated by some as a viable alternative to the now-banned tackle. 

Steelers Defenders Will Have To Navigate Murky Waters Of New Rule NFLPA Opposed

The hip-drop tackle that the league alleges occurs only once per game has the potential to be abused by officials. The league did not clearly define the play and foisted it on part-time employees to make judgment calls. Outlawing what the league points to as a dangerous play that occurs roughly once a game, directly defied the NFLPA and banned the tackle over their objections. 

The NFL is a multi-billion dollar business and cannot be bothered to hire full-time officials. Sternberger and other spring football players might be upset, but a spring league that the NFL hopes will take hold as a potential minor league feeder system cannot be concerned with enforcing blatant personal fouls, fining players, or enforcing vague player safety policies. UFL players will have to protect themselves at all times until they find their way back into the NFL. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Will Pittsburgh fall victim to indecisive officials who will be forced into another judgment call that could affect games in 2024? Please comment below or on my X: @thebubbasq.

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