Here’s a behind-the-scenes from Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu’s Head & Shoulders commercial. Troy talks about why he partnered with H&S and Operation Once in a Lifetime. And yes, I know firsthand he really is this soft-spoken and nice in-person—having done an interview with him a couple years ago. In fact, Troy’s been spending his down time (recovering from an MCL sprain) handing out food and 20 dollar bills to the homeless under the 9th Street Bridge in downtown Pittsburgh. Actually, he’s been doing this for some time and will probably continue to do so. He plans an October 11 …read more

The Pittsburgh Steelers may have beaten the Tennessee Titans to open NFL Kickoff 2009 Weekend last night. But they lost a key member of their defense in the process. At least for a while. Steelers safety Troy Polamalu will be out an estimated 3-6 weeks with a sprained MCL in his left knee. Troy suffered the injury in the first half when he was trying to pick up and run with a fumble. He ended up doing a split when Titans tight end Alge Crumpler dropped all 262 pounds (and that’s being kind) on top of his knee. Ouch. Veteran …read more

America’s favorite sport is back in action tonight (NBC, 8:30 p.m. ET) in the first game of NFL Kickoff 2009 Weekend. This year, two 2008 division winners are featured as the Super Bowl XLIII champion Pittsburgh Steelers host the Tennessee Titans. The Titans had an NFL-best 13-3 record and were AFC South champions last year. The game is the first meeting between the teams since the Titans defeated the Steelers 31-14 on December 21, 2008. Tennessee was the last team to beat the Steelers before they went on to win Super Bowl XLIII. This will mark only the fifth time …read more

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger held a roughly one minute press conference today to offer his word on the allegations of sexual assault brought against him in a civil case by Las Vegas resident Andrea McNulty.
Source: SportsNetworkChannel

I’m finally breaking my silence on Ben Roethlisberger’s alleged (and I emphasize the word alleged) sexual assault case because I feel like it’s my job to say something. To recap the story, a woman has filed a civil lawsuit in Reno, Nevada, accusing Ben of sexually assaulting her last summer—yes, last summer—in his penthouse room at a Harrah’s casino in Lake Tahoe during a celebrity golf tournament. One year after the alleged incident, she’s suing for sexual assault and battery, false imprisonment and infliction of emotional distress.
From what I’ve gathered from a number of sources, there doesn’t seem to be …read more

It wasn’t that long ago that Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was an undrafted and pretty much confused football player. He was cut four times and his NFL career was on the verge of ending before it even got started. But two years ago, he got a second chance with the Steelers and broke into their starting lineup. Yesterday, he broke the bank. The Steelers signed the NFL’s reigning Defensive Player-of-the-Year to a six-year, $51.7 million contract ($20 million guaranteed).
Aside from quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ($102 million for eight years, $36 million guaranteed), this was the largest contract ever given to …read more

National Football League Blogcast, NFL Blogcast
Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward was hobbled during Super Bowl XLIII by a knee injury he suffered in the AFC Championship game. But it was his shoulder that underwent minor surgery today. It was being called a “routine procedure” that won’t disrupt his preparation for his 12th NFL season (all with the Steelers). And for those of you who think Hines is over the hill — he just completed his best season (statistically) in the past five years. As far as his knee is concerned, it looks like it will heal itself without any kind …read more

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Would you like to own the Reebok Pro Fade Grip gloves that Six-Burgh Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Santonio Holmes wore when he caught the Super Bowl XLIII game-winning touchdown pass? Reebok is auctioning them (the highest bid at the time of this post is $7,400) or you can simply buy them for a cool million dollars. Santonio put his signature on the left palm. The “Immaculate Extension” auction (as Reebok is calling it) ends February 15. All proceeds go to the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America.
Source: Reebok International, Photo: courtesy Reebok

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Check out the Six-Burgh shirts for sale at NFLShop.com. It’s now the only legal place you can get them because the NFL’s apparel police shut down the sale of Six-Burgh tees from Pittsburgh’s own CommonWealth Press. The NFL objects to the use of team colors or any other indication or likeness of the Pittsburgh Steelers, including the designation Six-burgh, because it could confuse consumers who might mistakenly believe that the shirts were authorized by the Steelers or the NFL. And nobody wants that to happen.
Sources: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, NFLShop.com

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The Pittsburgh Steelers celebrated their Super Bowl XLIII win with a parade through downtown “Six-Burgh” today (renamed by Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl). Over 300,000 fans lined the streets. That’s about the population of the city itself. In this photo, SBXLIII MVP Santonio Holmes is hoisting both the Lombardi and MVP trophies. It doesn’t get any better than that.
Source: Yahoo! Sports, Photo: Newscom