Long-time Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle, Cameron Heyward has seen a lot during his many years in black and gold. Now in his 14th season, Heyward started out playing with some legends, including Casey Hampton, LaMarr Woodley, and James Harrison. Players in the Steel City often talk about how they become a family in the locker room, complete with all the traditions and practical jokes that go along with those relationships.
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Steelers' Casey Hampton was a force in Dick LeBeau's defense.
On a recent episode of his podcast, Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, he said that he has seen many jokesters come and go over the years, with Woodley being one of the most infamous. The story of Woodley filling a rookie's brand new car with hot, heavily buttered popcorn has become the stuff of legends. However, that was far from the only prank Woodley ever played. Heyward said the veteran players take their Saturday food orders very seriously, and if you screw it up as a rookie, you're going to pay the price, and Woodley was the enforcer.
"When I was a rookie, I always made sure I brought in the breakfast—I brought in the Popeyes," recalled Heyward. "Everybody takes their breakfast on Saturday, their Popeyes on Saturday very seriously, so we always made sure we took care of that. I will say this: LaMarr Woodley was treacherous back in the day. He would also steal a guy's keys and then just hold on to them the entire night so the guy would just be looking for his keys all over the building. Then we would hear about it the next day and be like, d**n, this kid didn't have keys, couldn't get home, so they were ordering an Uber to get home. It wasn't the prettiest thing."
Heyward said that Woodley learned that from the guys before him. The art of pranking is a beloved tradition among many of the players. Hayden Walsh, Heyward's co-host, asked how the players get other players' keys. Heyward said they usually get the equipment managers to get them for them.
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Former Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and former guard Ramon Foster on the sideline during a game.
It isn't just the defense that plays pranks. Heyward said the big guys on the offensive line also take their Saturday food really seriously. Ramon Foster and Maurkice Pouncey put a player's car on cinder blocks one year. They stripped the tires off and left it on the axles on blocks in the parking lot. He said they also had a player's car towed before. They would warn the rookies that if they kept messing with them, they would pay for it, and they did.
Steelers' Cameron Heyward Said He Once Pranked Himself
Everyone had heard the stories about young men putting IcyHot or Tiger Balm in another player's jockstrap as a practical joke. The ointment is meant to help relax sore muscles, but it can feel like it is burning sensitive skin. Heyward said he accidentally got himself once.
The Steelers were playing the St. Louis Rams for the last time before they moved, and they had an old, hard turf field in the TransWorld Dome. Heyward was worried about the beating his body would take, so he rubbed Tiger Balm on his hamstrings and then pulled on his tights. He said some balm must have traveled up his body with the tights.
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Steelers' Cameron Heyward is a six-time Pro Bowler and was the 2023 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year.
He started noticing a cooling sensation when he was warming up on the field and thought it felt nice. However, it kept getting hotter and hotter until he couldn't stand it anymore. Fortunately for Heyward, the Rams field caught on fire thanks to fireworks during the pregame show, which delayed the game's start. Heyward said he was so grateful because it gave him time to return to the locker room and take a shower to wash the ointment off. He told Walsh he isn't sure how he would have been able to play if he hadn't gotten it off.
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