Two Pittsburgh Steelers legends have announced their support for Kamala Harris in next month’s presidential election following Donald Trump‘ appearance at the team’s win over the New York Jets.
The Republican presidential nominee attended Sunday night’s NFL game as the guest of an unidentified suite holder at Acrisure Stadium.
Trump arrived about midway through the first quarter and was greeted by a small crowd of supporters wearing Pittsburgh jerseys toting a banner that read ‘Trump Nation.’
He later waved from the suite, with some fans chanting ‘USA.’
A female fan wearing black and gold – the Steelers’ colors – jumped onto the field in the third quarter carrying a pro-Trump sign, briefly disrupting play. She was quickly escorted from the field by authorities.
However, franchise legends Jerome Bettis and ‘Mean’ Joe Greene have since both released statements endorsing Trump’s rival for the presidency, Democratic nominee Kamala Harris.
‘I know this city and I love this city – we work hard to make things happen,’ Bettis said in a video message posted to his Threads account.
‘No hot air. No bull. This is what defines the Steel City – and it’s the opposite of what Donald Trump stands for. Donald Trump has made promise after promise to the city of Pittsburgh, and time after time, he’s failed to deliver.
‘And it’s time for us to elect a leader who’s gonna fight for us. Someone who’s gonna roll up their sleeves and get the job done. Not just complain about it at a half-empty venue. There’s only one person in this race who fits that bill: Vice President Kamala Harris.’
In a video posted to the Kamala for PA account on X, Green added: ‘You got my vote for sure.’
The former president’s visit to the game capped a dizzying weekend in pivotal Pennsylvania for Trump’s campaign with the election a little over two weeks away.
Trump is a New Yorker and a personal friend of Jets owner Woody Johnson, who briefly served as the US ambassador to the United Kingdom during Trump’s administration.
The Steelers have been owned by the Rooney family for more than 90 years and late president/chairman Dan Rooney served as the US ambassador to Ireland from July 2009 to December 2012 during the Barack Obama presidency.
On Sunday, the Steelers distanced themselves from taking any sides on Trump’s attendance, with club spokesman Burt Lauten noting Trump was the guest of a suite holder and not the team.
Trump received support from a couple of former Steelers. Wide receiver Antonio Brown and running back Le’Veon Bell – both of whom have a complicated relationship with their former team and were considered villains during their respective departures in the spring of 2019 – have endorsed Trump.
The former teammates met with Trump poll workers at an event near the stadium on Sunday afternoon and greeted Trump when his plane landed at Pittsburgh International Airport right around opening kickoff.
The decision to align with Brown and Bell was a curious one for Trump.
Bell has since come under fire for wearing a T-shirt containing a vile message about Harris over the weekend.
The top showed a photo of Donald pumping his fist in the air alongside an unflattering picture of Kamala with the message: ‘Trump or the Tramp?’
Bell sat out the entire 2018 season in a contract dispute before signing with the Jets in 2019. He failed to replicate the production that made him a Pro Bowler in Pittsburgh and has been out of the league for three years, turning to celebrity boxing instead.
Brown, a star during his nine seasons in Pittsburgh from 2010 to 2018, forced a trade to Las Vegas in the spring of 2019 after a series of public missteps, including famously opting not to show up for the team’s 2018 season finale.
