The Pittsburgh Steelers of the 2000s had teams that directly resembled what a brotherhood should be. They were always close knit teams that would fight tooth and nail for their teammates. Pittsburgh won two Super Bowls during that time, and a lot of that has to do with the togetherness that was shown from the unit. One of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball during that time was Casey Hampton, who has started to receive a lot of appreciation for the way he played the game.
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Steelers' Casey Hampton running on the field before a game.
Hampton spent his entire career in Pittsburgh which spanned 12 seasons from 2001 through 2012. He was an unsung hero on the Steelers' defense, as guys like Troy Polamalu and James Harrison often received most of the praise. One of his teammates during his time in Pittsburgh was wide receiver Nate Washington, who was signed by Pittsburgh as an undrafted free agent in 2005. Washington recently went on the Mr. Titan Show, where he shared an interesting story about his first season with Hampton.
"To this day, Casey Hampton is my big brother. At the beginning of it, my rookie year, it was crazy because he's originally from the same area that my grandmother lived. At first, I was going up to him like, 'Hey man, you from Galveston [Texas]? My grandmother lives in La Marque, I'm down there all the time.' He basically was like, 'Get the f**k out my face.'"
Hampton was an established veteran on the Steelers' defense at this point, so it is understandable to see a veteran give a rookie a hard time. This is especially true for an undrafted rookie, who typically has a long shot of actually making the final roster. Usually, undrafted rookies aren't around for long. Back then, roster cuts were made in stages instead of one big final cut at the end of the preseason. There were times where players were only at camp for two weeks before being told to pack their things.
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Steelers' former wide receiver Nate Washington, who won two Super Bowls in Pittsburgh.
Hampton was in his fifth season at this point, and had probably seen many unique faces come through the Steelers' facility during training camp. He was close with the guys he knew were making the roster, but chose to keep his distance from unproven players who didn't have as good of a shot to be on the roster during the regular season. Washington shared his interaction with Hampton once he finally made the team.
"When I made the roster, everybody who all made the roster, we all went and hung out that night. He came up to me, he was like, 'I'm gonna be honest with you, I was keeping my distance because I can get attached to people, and I see so many people come in and out. I feel like you a real, genuine dude. From now on, now that I know you're here, you got me for life!'"
This exemplifies the brotherhood those Steelers teams had. Once these guys played a real, meaningful game together, they were bonded forever. Washington was able to see that as soon as he made his first roster. Washington and Hampton would end up winning their first of two Super Bowls together at the end of Washington's rookie year.
Former Steelers Receiver Went On To Have A Great Career For An Undrafted Free Agent
Washington was a long shot to see any kind of success at the NFL level. He attended a Division II college in Tiffin University, but somehow impressed during his first training camp with the Steelers. He went on to have an 11-year career, spending time with the Steelers, Tennessee Titans, and Houston Texans.
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Nate Washington during his time with the Tennessee Titans.
Over the course of his career, Washington recorded nearly 7,000 receiving yards and caught 44 touchdowns. Add on the two Super Bowl rings he earned while he was with the Steelers, and he had a pretty pleasant career.
What do you think about Washington's first interactions with Hampton? Let us know in the comments below!
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