The Pittsburgh Steelers chose to honor a police shooting victim, offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva covered his name with that of a black army sergeant who died saving six soldiers.
The Steelers announced on Monday that players had agreed to honor Antwon Rose Jr., a black teenager killed by police violence, by wearing his name on the back of their helmets. When they took the field against the New York Giants, Army veteran Alejandro had covered Rose’s name and hand wrote Alwyn Cashe over it.
Cashe was a career soldier who enlisted in the US Army straight out of high school in 1988. He served multiple tours in the Gulf and Iraq wars and achieved the rank of Sergeant first class.
On a mission during a 2005 deployment to Iraq, the Bradley Fighting Vehicle Cashe was traveling in hit an IED and burst into flames. His uniform was doused in fuel as he managed to escape, but Cashe went back into the burning vehicle to rescue injured soldiers, while in flames himself.
He saved six soldiers and denied medical attention until they were all evacuated. He died weeks later of burn injuries that covered 72% of his body.
He was awarded the Silver Star for his actions, but supporters continue to push for an upgrade to the Medal of Honor. On Wednesday, new legislation was introduced in the U.S. House to allow the President to award Cashe the honor, he is currently ineligible as more than five years have passed since his heroic actions.
Alejandro is a former Army Ranger who served three tours in Afghanistan and was awarded the Bronze Star prior to signing with the NFL in 2014. This is not the first time he has challenged the team’s social stance. When coach Mike Tomlin told players to remain in the locker room during the National Anthem in 2017, Alejandro stepped outside and saluted.
Tomlin said his offensive lineman discussed the change with him beforehand. “As an organization and myself as a head coach of an organization, we are going to support our players in however they choose to participate and express themselves or to not participate or not express themselves, as long as they do so thoughtfully and with class.”
Alejandro’s teammates were surprised, quarterback Ben Roethlisbeger said he didn’t know about the name change. “That’s his choice. That’s the amazing thing about the country we live in. Unfortunately, it is what it is.”
Defensive Tackle Cameron Heyward said, “In this country, we’re given the freedom to do and support those that mean a lot to us.”
Rose’s mother, Michelle Kenney, was not happy with the change and spoke out against Alejandro’s decision on Facebook. “The Pittsburgh Steelers took a team vote. Obviously one person didn’t like the results so they chose to do something different. I have nothing against vets and absolutely appreciate everything that they have done and continue to do for us. But this one person showed us exactly who he is and obviously he didn’t approve of how the vote turned out.”
Antwon Rose Jr. was shot in the back by a Pittsburg police officer in 2018, when he ran from a vehicle after being pulled over. The officer was charged with murder, but found not guilty in March 2019.
wpDiscuz
Good for you man! True hero! Cashe was above and beyond the hero statis. As for the lawbreaking rose , he got what he deserved by being and thinking evil. Just another worthless excuse for a human!?????????????????????????????????????
What? He crossed out Cashe and honored Rose.
Every AMERICAN needs to tell the truth each day just to piss off every globalist $oro$ puppet,libby snow flake and hurt their little feelings .
My hat is off to you HONOR OUR HEROS.
HONOR OUR COUNTRY BRING YOUR
MESSAGE TO EVERYONE LET US BE ONE
Let’s change the level of hate to the PEOPLE
WHO HURT NOT AGAINST THE PEOPLE
WHO HELP
WHEN YOU CRY BABIES ARE WILLING TO DIE FOR THIS COUNTRY UNTIL THEN THE KEEP YOUR SORRY THOUGHTS TO YOURSELVES. THIS IS ALL YOU HAVE TO DO? YOU LIVE IN FREE BECAUSE OF MEN LIKE VILANUEVA THAT KEEP YOUR SORRY BUTTS SAFE. HE MADE A CHOICE HAVE YOU HEARD OF IT BEFORE IF NOT LOOK IT UP AND SEE WHAT IT IS! FREE CHOICE
as a two tour nam vet and also a steelers fan he stood with his hand over his heart last year during the anthem and i believe the other players stayed in the locker room.these otheR brats don’t get what we fought for! that’s why their viewership is going down again this year!
It surprises me that they wanted to honor Rose Jr. in the first place.
Nothing surprises me nowadays.. THEY are a national disgrace
They keep digging the hole deeper. Watch them cry when no one goes to their games. I’m done with the NFL. They could give me free tickets to the Super Bowl on the 50 yard line and pick me up in a limo, and I still wouldn’t go. I refuse to watch a bunch of black thugs kneel for the National Anthem and disrespect this great country of ours. They are going to cry in their beer when the money dries up!
America will get over the hideous practice of honoring criminals, if you do the crime, you deserve what you get
“The players agreed”?? What the H gives them he right to do that? Youre on the job.. BTW why was the kid running away? THEY still havent learned to OBEY..police commands
will these over paid jerks ever realize that they praise thugs? glad there is a smart one in the crowd. thank you big guy.
This man is a hero himself for refusing to bend to the mob and salute an ACTUAL hero. All the other players are just trying to keep liberals watching their game. Salute those who gave their lives FOR our country, not AGAINST it.
Absolutely agree 100% with your comment. People need to STOP watching these games. ALL OF THEM. RICH BLACK THUGS.
You know what they say:
You can take the thug from the hood, but you can’t take the hood from the thug!
ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY!!
The only Steeler worthy of the “steel” part of the name. God bless him for his recognition of a TRUE American hero and his service.
Rose’ mother did a lousy job raising her kid and from her actions of belittling the player who chose to wear the name of some one who honored his country instead of some one who did not and disrespects the law and made his choice to run and not face the law she has no room to tell how a person must act or feel as she did not do that with her own son, if she did, most likely he would be here today, tired of people who defy our laws and and break laws and commit crimes and then get applauds and Accolads for doing it. parents are to the blame for their child’s actions and choices they make in their life, not the officials who have to bring them down one way or another, sad that a mother has to lose her children, but she is not the only one who has lost a child. Innocent children have been gunned down in a handful of states and no one speaks up for them but you praise the criminal and the Law breakers when they get killed or maimed in the middle of a crime or not obeying the law and make it worse by defying it. MS Rose needs to sit and have a chat with the Lord and ask herself why dis I not teach my son respect for Law and order. and keep him from running around with bad friends where the blame on them, PARENTS need to know who their children’s friends are and where their kids are and Need to teach right and wrong and RESPECT!
Rses mom says “The Pittsburgh Steelers took a team vote. Obviously one person didn’t like the results so they chose to do something different.”
“Kind of like saying America took a team vote for a president. Obviously the Democrats didn’t like the results because they had chose someone different”