I’m guessing you’ve already sworn a few times, cursed the NFL and thrown a Mike Tyson-worthy punch. If you had plans to attend Pittsburgh Steelers Training Camp in Latrobe then you’re going to have wait. The Steelers’ PR Department announced this afternoon that the team would again hold Training Camp in Pittsburgh rather then at St. Vincent College east of the city.
If you have been to Training Camp before then you know how special the experience is. If you were planning to go for the first time then you’re likely bummed and I don’t blame you. No NFL Experience, no “autograph alley” and no pictures of your favorite players.
What you need to understand is that there isn’t necessarily one party that deserves blame for this decision. Despite most of the country re-opening following the pandemic, there are still strict protocols that some entities still have. For starters, you must remember that SVC is still a school. There are students attending even in summer and when the Steelers roll in it isn’t like just a few players. We are talking about a major undertaking to house, feed and maintain 90 plus players and then dozens of coaching personnel, trainers, security, media and front office folks.
The NFL has standards that must be met, the Steelers have standards that must be met and St. Vincent also has a strict paradigm in place. If those three things can’t come together, as they didn’t here, then Camp doesn’t happen. So if you need someone to blame for this then I suggest you begin and end with Covid-19.
As for Camp in 2021 I expect it to look much like it did in 2020. The Southside facility will be heavily utilized and Heinz Field will see more action than it typically does in July and August. If I’m a player, I’m likely pretty happy with this. No need to pack for Latrobe and the guys get to sleep in their own beds every night. There is definitely something to be said for that!
At this point I see no reason why Camp can’t happen in Latrobe for 2022 but to be honest, this announcement was surprising to me. I thought going back to Latrobe was a no-brainer. Apparently that’s what I get for thinking.
