Meet the Heywards

[MUSIC]

Broadcast: On the 14-yard line, Heyward tries to get outside and now cuts inside to the 6.

CAMERON HEYWARD: I’ve heard stories and I’ve seen clips, and I pray for the people that had to go up against him.

Broadcast: Watch this…several Buccaneers have a chance to hit him at the point of attack, bang, runs into his own blocker, boom two tacklers, three tacklers, can’t bring him down.

DAVID GREENE, HOST: The Heyward family is NFL royalty. Craig “Ironhead” Heyward set the tone in the 1990s with this bruising style of running, punishing would-be tacklers as he rumbled into the endzone.

Broadcast: Hand off to Ironhead Heyward, he’ll put some hittin’ on that defense. You don’t hit him, he hits you

DG: Two of his sons, first Cam and now Connor, both made it to the NFL themselves. And they take their Dad’s influence very seriously.

CONNOR HEYWARD: There’s not a lot of brothers that, you know, play in the league, let alone play together. It’s just showing that our legacy has traveled for so many years and even decades.

DG: This legacy impacts both how the brothers play.

Broadcast: Daniels gets sacked! Cameron Heyward gets home!

DG: And how they prepare – even visiting their late father at the cemetery before taking the field.

CONNOR HEYWARD: When I scored, I was just like, this can’t be real because we were at my dad’s grave earlier in that morning, just you know, going to see him,

DG: Today on Sports in America, we’re going to learn what it’s like to be part of a famous football family: the expectations and pressure that brings, the doors it opens, and the way those bonds translate to a support system in the locker room. We’re going to look at what happens when a family loses a cornerstone, and how they come together in the wake of that loss. For a Steelers fan like me, getting to chat with Cam and Connor was pretty awesome.. I’ve poured so much heart, soul, and emotion into this team. I mean, that does go both ways, right, Cam?

CAMERON HEYWARD: I love every Steeler fan. But I can’t say, David, I’ve really considered your feelings before the game started. (Laughs)

DG: Ouch. At least he’s honest.

Alright, so I’ve known the Heyward name since I was a kid. Craig Heyward – the dad – was never a Steeler, but I watched him play college ball at the University of Pittsburgh.

He was an All-American running back who’d bulldozed through people. Cam looks at his dad’s collisions with affection.

Announcer: Heyward dives in for the Panther touchdown

DG: You know, I moved to Pittsburgh in 1980, which was, you know, hearing the stories about those tough defenses in the 70s and the Steel Curtain and the Super Bowls and, you know, the 80s were not the brightest days for the Steelers. But watching your dad, it was, like, that just tough nosed, like, I don’t give a [EXPLETIVE] who hits me. I’m looking out to be hit, like because I want to smack someone in the face and keep running. Like, I felt like I was feeling some of that Steelers’ 70s legacy, like, you know, on the field with Pitt and your dad.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Yeah, I think my dad never really got hit. He hit more people at the running back position.

DG: Yeah, he looked for people to come at him and try to hit him, and then he would hit them back.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Yeah, and, you know, I’ve heard stories about that, and I’ve seen clips, and I pray for the people that had to go up against him. But I want to instill that fear on my side now, you know, it’s more required on my side as a defense. But, you know, I love that brand of football, and it’s a brand of football that we don’t get too often now.

DG: What do you remember about your dad? What was he like?

[MUSIC]

CAMERON HEYWARD: You know, things. I remember him being my best friend, him wanting to take me out and show me football, show me just life, and take me out to movies all the time. I remember after almost every NFL game, he would put me on his shoulders and take me into the locker room, and I would just, you know, I remember years ago I would wrestle with, like, Jamal Anderson in the locker room, you know, it’s stories like that. And then, like, now I’m like, my D-line coach played with my dad, and, you know, I get to hear more stories. My dad was the life of the party, but he cared about his people, and he cared about his family. You never had to question his love for, you know, his family and the game he loved. I know when football got taken away from him, it was very hard. But he had his family to rely on him and he to be big in our lives.

DG: When a cancer diagnosis ended Ironhead’s NFL career, he had the love of his family to fall back on. His abrupt retirement has been a motivator for Cam to carry on the family legacy.

CAMERON HEYWARD: I’m so much more critical of myself that I can’t allow anybody else to be critical of me because I put all the pressure on myself, and I’ve always been like that. My mom’s always told me, like, “Don’t be a hero.” “Don’t be, you know, Superman and think you have to carry the weight on your shoulders.” But like, that’s just how I’ve been built. Like, I embrace that, and I put that on me, and then I let that surround me. I don’t let outside noise really dictate what I do. But my inner self is just like, “Damn you, you were terrible last game. You need to play better.” You know, I like to think I’m my worst enemy, but that makes me a better player because of it. And I don’t really start thinking about the fans until, like, we run through that tunnel and I’m like, “Okay, I’m here. I’ve done the work here. We’re about to put on a show today,” And you know, when we start having big plays, I’m like, “Okay, we’re holding up our end of the deal for these fans.”

DG: No doubt this sense of responsibility loomed large after one of the worst regular-season losses of Cam’s career.

CAMERON HEYWARD: I’ve learned over my years that if you have one bad performance, best thing you can do is get ready for the next game. I remember losing to the Eagles and just being pissed off all week.

Announcer: Mike Tomlin, in his ten years, has never seen his team lose by 30. Until today.

CAMERON HEYWARD: You know, Coach T does a great job of you know, moving on to the next game. This is the opportunity to get this bad taste out of your mouth.

DG: The taste was awful, and I still have it even though it’s been like a decade. It was week three of the 2016 season. The Steelers got absolutely blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles, 34 to 3. This was an abysmal showing by the Steelers on both sides of the ball.

CAMERON HEYWARD: You circle, you know the Chiefs games next. And you know you don’t win that game. You’re setting yourself up for a long season. This is the opportunity everybody’s going to be watching.

[MUSIC]

DG: Yeah, I was watching. I mean, when you watch a mighty Steeler defense get completely embarrassed, fans like me, we take it personally, and they now had something to prove. Next game up was primetime Sunday Night Football. Steelers were playing Kansas City. I mean this was the pre-Patrick Mahomes Chiefs, but they still had weapons.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Chiefs, you know, had a explosive offense

DG: There was quarterback Alex Smith, rookie wide receiver Tyreek Hill. And the Chiefs were hot as hell going into Week 4.

CAMERON HEYWARD: It was one of those games that you gotta have your best performance, and as myself, I just wanted to make sure I led the way.

Announcer: Against the grain. He’s going to go down.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Alex just fell into my lap on that one.

Announcer: Cameron Heyward to the outside to get the sack, and it’s only the second sack of the season for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

CAMERON HEYWARD: It’s always good when you get a sack in the first quarter because you start feeling like, oh, now I can get two. If you get two, you can get three

Announcer: From the first couple of plays on, they’ve been physical.

CAMERON HEYWARD: You’re still thinking about the last game, but once you can just, you know, have some success, it starts to just turn the trickling effect the other way, where one good play….

Announcer: Through the middle, fumble, and the Steelers are right there to recover it.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Another good play

Announcer: A forthcoming that was slipped out of his hand and is intercepted. Screen pass tried to lob it over the head of Cameron Heyward, who has been all over the place so far here tonight.

CAMERON HEYWARD: And then you know you’re clicking on all cylinders.

Announcer: This is a defense that is looking a little different than what they did a week ago. Very active. They’re stunning. They’re moving up front and causing problems for Alex Smith.

CAMERON HEYWARD: I felt like I was just getting back there with pressure every time.

Announcer: Alex Smith sacked back on the 25-yard line.

CAMERON HEYWARD: It’s one of those games where you’re like, man, the more the merrier. But I remember Stefan being like, “Man, how the hell did you get another sack?”

Announcer: They’ve been creating turnovers, and they’ve been making the Kansas City Chiefs pay a price for everything that they’ve tried to do on offense tonight.

CAMERON HEYWARD: I don’t think there was a clean play for Alex Smith the entire game. And it’s not just me, but I felt, as a defense, we kicked a lot of butt in that game

Announcer: Didn’t take long to wipe away some of that aftertaste from last week.

CAMERON HEYWARD: We threw a party in the backfield. I felt like.

DG: As he’s done so many times in his career, Cam translated inspiration from his dad and pride in Steelers’ history into a dominant performance.

On a night like that against the Chiefs, just talk about what the pressure is on a defense coming off a, you know, a game where you guys got trounced.

CAMERON HEYWARD: I like to think we have some of the richest traditions in history, NFL history. There’s been the Jack Lamberts, the Joe Greene’s, the Troy Polamalu’s, the James Harrison’s. When you start naming off names, you understand that when you put on the black and gold, it means something. And I take it very personal. Do I always answer the call and always great at it? No, but it’s a sense of pride when you put it on. And when you’re out there on that defense, you know, you are the focal point of this team. Pittsburgh’s not built on great offenses. And, you know, we’ve had great offensive players. But when we’ve won championships, it’s been because of these defenses. You know I’ve always appreciated that. But I’ve also embraced that when you do do that, you’re expected to be a top defense, and you’re expected to bounce back from bad losses. So I hold that to us, and I tell my guys that, we got to get it going. It’s not easy, and it’s hard, and it sometimes looks like it might be bleak, but we appreciate those moments. And, you know, these guys have laid the groundwork for us to stand on, that we go to continue to get better. When we see all these fans behind me, you’re looking at them. You’re like, “I can’t let them down now. We’ve gotten to this point, and I can’t let the team, the teammates I’ve had before me, and the players that have come before me down either.”

DG: Cam, you’ve said that in every game you try to find a moment to think about your dad. I wonder if you might remember what the moment was that night, and if you can’t remember the exact moment, like what might the moment have been in a game like that, where you were coming off, you know, a bad loss, and had to get back out there?

CAMERON HEYWARD: Oh, man. I don’t know what the moment could have been, but I like to find a moment.

[MUSIC]

CAMERON HEYWARD: Whether it’s me just, you know, collecting my thoughts, before the game, and just being still and quiet, and just embracing what’s going on. You know, every time I’m walking on the field. I know my dad didn’t play on this field, but he played in this city. And I like to think like I’m the, you know, the son returning and, you know, watching, my dad and hearing about my dad and hearing his stories, you know, I couldn’t have picked a better way to end up here. It’s been a journey where I never knew I was going to end up a Pittsburgh Steeler. I have friends and family here. And when I got back here, finally, I was just like, I got to embrace this. I would hear some of the craziest stories about my dad that might not consist of just football, but it let me know there was like a legacy there, and it’s something I got to know he was still a part of. And now I look back and I’m just like, man, it’s something I can never, something I would always want to pass on to my son and my daughters because he made the room better that someone walked into and when I get on the football field, I like to think I’m trying to make my team better and I’m trying to step on the field and I’m trying to embrace, what my dad has given to me.

DG: Remind us how football got taken from him.

CAMERON HEYWARD: So in 1999, he was dealing with blurred vision. He was with the Indianapolis Colts. He got a scan. They found a tumor, and with that tumor, they removed they left him partially blind in his right eye. So he had to quit playing football from that. And then he went into remission from the tumor was removed and got to spend what was it? He passed away in? Oh, man. 2006. So we got to spend seven more years after that. In that time, I don’t think my dad ever missed a football, basketball game for any of my brothers. And then what? He passed away… I was away at a basketball game, and he passed away from pneumonia. And my mom had to tell me, and it broke my heart that she had to do it. But before the pneumonia, the tumor came back. And one thing I remember my dad did after the tumor came back it left him paralyzed on his right side. And I remember him pledging that he was going to be able to walk for my senior night. And I got to watch him every day work towards that. He didn’t end up making it, but I got to see my dad work his hardest, and that meant the most to me.

DG: He said he was going to be able to walk well enough to walk on your senior night, graduating from high school?

CAMERON HEYWARD: And he was working towards that, and it didn’t come to fruition, but I got to see my dad take his steps. And, you know, he was at that point, he was going to, but suffered from pneumonia. And, he was taken too early from us.

DG: Coming up, Cam’s grief gives way to a joyous draft night. That’s next on Sports in America.

[MIDROLL]

DG: Welcome back to Sports in America. When Cam Heyward lost his father, he didn’t know how he could possibly make the leap to the NFL without him. But this family has always been about stepping up for each other. Cam’s dad, taking those actual steps, hoping to walk again and be at Cam’s senior night. After losing his dad, Cam leaned hard on his mom.

Take me to that conversation with your mom, like where you were when you found out that he had passed away from pneumonia.

CAMERON HEYWARD: So I was at a basketball tournament, and, you know, I hadn’t seen my mom the entire trip, even though she came with me; literally, I was at the games and they were keeping me busy. Little did I know my mom was trying to muster up how to tell me, and I walked into the room, and I could see she was in tears, and you know, she had to break the news that he was gone, and it was tough for us. I remember that night just watching ESPN the entire time and watching my dad’s name come across the ticker.

[MUSIC]

Broadcast: Craig “Ironhead” Heyward passed away due to complications from a brain tumor.

CAMERON HEYWARD: I just remember just like rewatching that, not even watching the highlights and just tuning in to just see a picture of my dad and, you know, and it was tough being able to, you know, not be there and not even have like my last words and it haunted us for a little bit, you know, it was it was tough on my family. But I like to think that we all, you know, banded together. You know, my mom, my brothers. You know, I like to thank my mom, like, this was going into my senior year of high school, and so I was prepared. I hadn’t committed yet, and I was still taking visits. I was a little bit depressed because I didn’t have the person I was going to rely on the most to help me make the biggest decision of my life. It weighed on me, and so, looking back, my mom, she stepped up. She made sure that I never missed a beat. Like she was going in the meetings asking coaches, “Do you play three, four?”, “ A four three?”, “How many guys do you have on the roster at this position?”, “What are you concerned of if he gets hurt?” All these different things that, you know, two parents usually do, she was doing it as one. And I’ve always appreciated my mom for doing that. She went above and beyond, and she just made sure we were never going to miss a beat, even though my dad was gone.

[ARCHIVAL OF CAMERON HEYWARD DRAFT NIGHT]

CAMERON HEYWARD: Hello?
FRIEND: Pittsburgh?
CAMERON HEYWARD: Yeah!
[CHEERING]
Announcer: With the 31st pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers select Cameron Heyward. Defensive end. Ohio State.

DG: So I was going back and watching the recording of you getting the phone call on draft night when you were drafted by the Steelers. I couldn’t help but crying. I mean, it’s clearly you could feel the emotions, just, you know, you just feel the emotions that you must’ve been feeling. I mean, what was that like to know that you were coming into this organization?

CAMERON HEYWARD: Oh, man. Okay, so I’ll have to give some context to this. So, like, I tore my elbow in the Sugar Bowl.

DG: Mhm. Which is not great for an NFL combine to have an injury.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Not great at all! Tore it completely off the bone, and I had to get Tommy John. I’m not a pitcher, but I had to get Tommy John.

DG: That’s so it must be weird to be the NFL player who goes around saying, like, yeah, I had Tommy John surgery. It’s like, were you pitching? Do you play baseball?

CAMERON HEYWARD: And like, I played the entire game with it and didn’t think anything of it. I just thought, okay, I might’ve tweaked it or something.

DAVID GREENE: God, that’s crazy.

CAMERON HEYWARD: And so I went all the way out to Arizona to go train, and in the first week, I’m like, trying to bench, and I’m like, this does not feel right. This is my first time lifting in like two weeks after the Sugar Bowl, and I’m like, aah. They were like, “Let’s get that scan just to make sure.” I knew something was wrong when I was in the MRI, and I couldn’t stay still because I was just in so much pain.

DG: Oh, man.

CAMERON HEYWARD: I’m already big enough going in an MRI, so it’s not. It’s not an easy scene. (Laughs) I went to the combine, but didn’t get to participate in any of the drills. Literally. I went to the Senior Bowl. I was bleeding through my shirt, just talking to the coaches and everything. I’m like, “Yeah, I’m going to be ready even though I’m bleeding through my shirt right now.” But, you know, I got to do all the interviews at the combine and thought I had some pretty good interviews, circle the date of the pro day, and I got to do a lot there. And then led to draft where I’m thinking I’d always picture myself being a first-rounder, and we had always said I was going to be a first-rounder. But with the injury, you don’t know what anybody is thinking. And so the nights going by, I’m not thinking anything. I didn’t think Pittsburgh was even an option because they were 31st. I thought it might be off the table, and I’m just watching guys get picked left and right, and I’m getting antsy. I see the Jets are up, and they say the pick is in, and then I see my phone ring and I’m like, “Oh, I might be going to the Jets.”

DG: Oh, wow.

CAMERON HEYWARD: And then my agent is like, “That’s a 412 number.” And I was like, “Oh, I know what a 412 number is.” And then, like my grandparents, my mom, they’re all from Pittsburgh. So we bleed black and gold like we’ve talked about the Steelers before I was even there. Like it’s kind of weird because my brother had a Fathead of Troy Polamalu in his room.

DG: Oh my God

CAMERON HEYWARD: So it was, It’s kind of strange. (Laughs)

DG: This means the world then?

CAMERON HEYWARD: Yeah, and you know, I answer the phone and I couldn’t hear anything at first,

DG: Bad connection, or just because people in the room were being so loud?

CAMERON HEYWARD: People in the room were so loud, I had to turn on and be like, “Guys, you got to be a little bit more quiet.”

DG: This is kind of important.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Yes. And so, you know, I got to talk to, you know, Mike T, was like, “Hey, we’re thinking about drafting you. How do you feel about that?” And i was like…

DG: Wait, Tomlin just said it, that like, matter of fact?

CAMERON HEYWARD: Yeah, so nonchalant. And now knowing Mike T, I’m like, no wonder you did that. But, you know, it meant the world to me. Yeah. So I ended up calling everybody back after I saw my name go across the ticker, and it was pretty emotional. My wife, to know, we were both in Columbus. I met her my freshman year, and to know we just had to go straight to Pittsburgh. It’s an hour and a half away from Cleveland, where she’s from. We couldn’t ask for a better spot. You know, we don’t know where we’re going to end up. And to know I got to end up where I was born, man, I couldn’t ask for a better place to be.

DG: Are you a Steeler because of your injury in the Sugar Bowl?

CAMERON HEYWARD: (Laughs) I don’t know!

DG: I mean, my gut is that if you had not been injured, you might have gone ahead of the 31st pick. I don’t know, I’m just asking.

CAMERON HEYWARD: I don’t know, you know, I don’t live in ifs and buts, but it’s just, it’s crazy. I like to think that God and my dad had a hand in it, and they had a bigger picture in mind. And, you know, my mom always told me patience is a virtue. And I’ve like heard it so many times. It’s just like, stuck with me. I don’t have any tattoos, but if I did, there’d be something with patience. And it’s been something in my life where it’s not always what I wanted, but it’s what I needed at the time. And there’s always been a story. There’s always been a journey for me that’s been planned out that I have no control over, and I’ve had to embrace the ride and embrace that I don’t have every answer.

DG: Speaking of family, your little brother…

CAMERON HEYWARD: What about him? (Laughs)

DG: Just got drafted by the Steelers. (Laughs) What about him? I don’t know, I hope he’s going to be a Pro Bowl tight end for the team I love.

CAMERON HEYWARD: It’d be nice.

[MUSIC]

DG: He just got drafted by the Steelers, right?

CAMERON HEYWARD: It’d be nice. He’s got a lot to do.

DG: Really? Are you giving him [EXPLETIVE] right now? It feels like you’re…

CAMERON HEYWARD: When am I not giving him crap like he is my little brother?

DG: Did you want him on the same team?

CAMERON HEYWARD: Of course, I want him on the same team.

DG: Okay.

CAMERON HEYWARD: So he could carry my bags.

DG: Oh, great.

CAMERON HEYWARD: But no, you know, I’ve got to watch him grow up in his own way at Michigan State. And it wasn’t always the easiest, and it’s not going to be easy now. But he’s a guy I think that can help out the team. And I get to look him as a teammate. Obviously, he’s my brother first, but there’s a difference between brother and teammate, and I’m going to make sure I give him every opportunity as a brother. But I’m going to hold you accountable as a teammate. I’m going to push you. I’m going to make sure, because my other brothers wouldn’t have it any other way. You know, they would make sure that you’re hard on him. You make sure that he understands not only the Steeler way, but the Heyward way. There’s two Haywards that have been here before. So now you got a third one coming into the picture. So, big shoes to fill, but fill ‘em your way. Do the things that you can do succeed, and also contribute to the community.

DG: Do you think it’s hard for him to follow, like your dad and then you and be playing with, you know, with these expectations for a franchise like this, while your big brother is like a badass on the team already?

CAMERON HEYWARD: Well, you know, I’m not trying to make it easy for him, you know, as the brother in me, if he wants to succeed and he want to do it the right way, it’s not going to be easy. But you’ll be better because of it. You know, I think some of the greatest players I’ve ever watched, for them, it hasn’t been easy. You know, they’ve been in the limelight. They’ve had the pressure on them. They’ve exceeded those expectations around them. And I believe in my brother. I think he’s more than capable of doing it. He just has to realize his potential in doing it and understand that it’s a different way than just being on any NFL team. But through that, he’s going to be a great player. I have no questions that he’s not going to be a great player. I think he, you know, he’s very dedicated. He provides a skill set that can really help out the team, and he’s got a big brother who’s going to look out for him to make sure he stays on the right way.

DG: You say it’s different than any other NFL team. It’s not just another NFL team. What do you mean by that?

CAMERON HEYWARD: It’s the Steelers. (Laughs) It’s easy to say, like, you know, you get drafted to a team that doesn’t have a lot of history, that doesn’t have Super Bowls. Every year we compete for Super Bowls, every year there’s a level of competition that comes through camp. And, you know, rookies are asked to produce with that; you grow every year. And it’s about taking that first step as a rookie, then the second step, and then the third step, through that you become more confident. People are more confident in you, and your role expands. But I’m just excited to see him work. This is the first time we’ve ever been on the same field together, and it hasn’t been me just bringing my little brother there to work.

DG: (Laughs) I never thought of that. Wow. Yeah.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Yeah. So it’s really cool. You know, we’ve had plenty of times where we’ve been on the basketball court and talk plenty of crap to each other and gone after each other, but this is a different brand. This is both of our livelihoods. Now I’m pushing you so you can be good for me on Sundays.

DG: So, how does Connor Heyward deal with that kind of trash talk? He actually wears the little brother label as a badge of honor. He’s noticeably smaller than Cam. But I mean, most humans are. Connor is 6 feet 230 pounds. He was drafted by the Steelers in 2022, the same year I had that conversation with his older brother. Connor’s a tight end. He’s not flashy, but he’s carved out a reliable spot on the offense. He carries on the Heyward tradition in his own way.

What was your relationship to Cam like when it came to football? I mean, you were 10 years behind, but you guys, I mean, you did go to the same high school, right? So his legacy was kind of always there in front of you.

CONNOR HEYWARD: Yeah, he went to the high school I went to for two years, his junior and senior year. And then I went there all four years. He kind of just had it different than me, but, like, I had to live up to his legacy in football and basketball because he was really good and could have played both in college.

DG: Imagine growing up in your big brother’s shadow, and then being a rookie on an NFL team where that same brother’s a star. And oh by the way, his locker’s next to yours.

Your lockers were right next to each other in the Steelers’ locker room?

CONNOR HEYWARD: Yeah, right next door, yeah.

DG: Was that intentional, or did he arrange that, or was that just by chance?

CONNOR HEYWARD: I think he arranged that when I got drafted. He didn’t know I was getting drafted there, but once I got drafted, he was like, “Yeah, your lockers gonna be next to mine.”

DG: Do you want your locker next to your brother’s? (Laughs) Or would you rather be like, have your own space?

CONNOR HEYWARD: Honestly, that’s the only time we really talk, if we’re not eating breakfast, you know, or if we’re not in the locker room, like at chapel or like before chapel, like we don’t really talk because like offensive is offense and defensive is defense. Like if it’s pre-practice, like, you know, and passing by and stuff like that, but like, you’re in your offensive meetings, he’s in his defensive meetings. You know, we’re in the team meeting room, but he’s on the defense side. I’m on the offense.

DG: Going back to kind of growing up, like what was the feeling of being known as, you know, Cam’s little brother? Like, was that a label you had to kind of get off you? Was it extra motivation? Like, what was that like for you psychologically?

CONNOR HEYWARD: I mean, first is like our dad. Everybody’s like “Ironhead’s son.” That was the first label, all of us, and still to this day, Cam makes a play, I make a play. With Cam, they say “Ironhead’s son.” With me, they might be like,”Oh, Cam’s little brother. But he’s a good offense player, special team player.” It’s like, all right, like, we get it. It’s definitely a cool thing, because there’s not a lot of brothers that play in the league, let alone play together. So it’s one of those things that’s like, ah, but it’s also a good thing. It’s just showing that our legacy has traveled for so many years and even decades.

DG: So I know your dad passed right before Cam graduated high school, right? So how old were you, and what was your relationship like?

CONNOR HEYWARD: I was seven. So like I was young and like, obviously like you have memories, you know, with your parents, but like Cam definitely had so much more memories, and my memory is more just like being in the car, you know, him coming to my basketball games, football games. But like with Cam, obviously they’re more like, you know, real life talks, father, son, you know, like I had those, but like, obviously I wasn’t at that age to have those, you know what I mean? Like the boy to men talk. So, obviously, it was harder on Cam, and I feel like as I’ve continued to grow older, it hasn’t been harder, but it hit me at some point in a different way than when it hit you when you were seven.

[MUSIC]

DG: Yeah, like I told you, brother, I had the good fortune of being able to watch your dad play at Pitt. I mean, his toughness was just something else. (Laughs)

CONNOR HEYWARD: Thank you. I appreciate that. A lot of people always tell me that. They come out their ways and tell me that. I always appreciate that. They’re always like, “He was the toughest player I played against,” or “He had the biggest head,” or “He hit the hardest.” And it always means a lot to Cam and I.

DG: And I know obviously, cams on the defensive side of the ball. I mean, you being a tight end, doing some, some fullback. I mean, does that give you more of a connection to your dad, given that he was an offensive powerhouse?

CONNOR HEYWARD: Yeah, and everybody always tells me we’re two different body types, but how we move, how we run, knowing things we can jump. Like my dad was dunking the basketball like me, I can go between the legs. I’m crazy athletic, but people are like, and even just running, and how we might shrug somebody off if we’re running with the ball. The ball always being in the right hand. It’s certain stuff that I’ve even seen with just watching my dad, and we were both like aggressive runners, but like, no, there’s no comparison to him. Like if I was having to tackle him, I’m definitely going low or I’m watching out. Just two different types of, I feel like styles even back in the day, you know, it was wing tee, you know, power football. Now it’s spread in, you know, try to throw 50 touchdowns a season for a quarterback, and try to race to see who can score the most points to win, compared to, all right, we’re gonna stop the run. But he could catch the ball for a big guy. I know I have really good hands. And in high school, I punted; he punted in high school. So it’s just a lot of weird, different things that like, things he did that I also did.

DG: All this is the context for a magical Sunday for the Heyward family in Atlanta, Georgia, where Connor would score his first NFL touchdown. That’s next.

[MIDROLL]

DG: Welcome back to Sports in America. December 4, 2022, was a memorable day for the Heyward family. The Steelers came to Atlanta to play the Falcons. Cam and Connor’s dad played for Atlanta during his NFL career and the family also has roots here. The Heyward brothers grew up just outside Atlanta, and before this game, they went to visit their dad’s grave.

CONNOR HEYWARD: We went that morning up in Atlanta. our security had set it up and had a police officer pick us up. We went the morning before meetings, came back, pregame meal, and then to the stadium.

DG: At the game, Cam and Connor’s mom was in the stands in a Steelers jersey. Cam, when he talked to reporters, was wearing a Falcons jersey with his dad’s number on it. But this day turned out to be little brother Connor’s time to shine. He hadn’t scored a touchdown as a Steeler — yet.

[CHEERING]

Announcer: Najee Harris bottom of your screen, PIckett looking the other way. Throwing endzone wide open caught… touchdown! Connor Heyward! And boy, is that sweet, his first NFL touchdown. The son of the late Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, who played for the Atlanta Falcons.

DG: Talk me through that touchdown? If I remember, I mean, you really, it was a graceful catch in the end zone, and then you had to really do a little toe tapping. I mean, what do you remember?

CONNOR HEYWARD: I remember it was two safeties, and I was lined up as number three in the slot, and I could tell the safety was matched up to me. He was kind of disguising it, but he was man up on me, and I ran out and up. And since it was too high, I bended it and Kenny just put it right over the top for me. I honestly did not see the ball. I saw it and then it, like, disappeared because the light’s there and it was bright, kind of.

DG: Oh no.

CONNOR HEYWARD: But I just put my hands right where I thought the ball would be. And score, thankfully. (Lauhgs) Because it wasn’t like a line drive, but it wasn’t like a loft. It was kind of like right in between, you know.

DG: Yeah, I mean, it was, it had some height, but it also was moving pretty quickly. It looked like, I mean, you had to rein it in.

CONNOR HEYWARD: Yeah, because it was like right over my shoulder. It was like right there, like. But no, I’m glad I caught it. It was a great thrower.

DG: Yeah. Your brother said that there are moments in every single game when he, like, takes a second to reflect on your dad. I wondered what were you thinking about when you scored that first touchdown, and do you also have those kinds of moments in your career where you think about your dad?

[MUSIC]

CONNOR HEYWARD: Yeah, to answer the first, yeah. When I scored, I was just like, this is not true. Like, this can’t be real because we were at my dad’s grave earlier in that morning, just, you know, going to see him because whenever we’re in Georgia, we try to stop by his grave and stuff. And then yeah, honestly, I was just speechless. Like, I didn’t know how to feel. Like, I was just like, this is, you know, God, honestly, like, there’s no better feeling. And then, yeah, I wouldn’t say like during the game, but like before the game, you know, just, you know, and my thoughts just like, you know, wanting to make your loved ones proud, you know, people that aren’t here also, you know, people that are here or people that are at the game. And obviously, you know, making your team proud at the end of the day, your coaches the people that you know you’re working out with every day and putting everything into it with. So yeah, it was a crazy experience though, it’s just everything coming full circle. Yea obviously scoring is lit, but like the whole backstory and everything, that’s what made it even much better.

DG: What a day. Do you remember what your brother said to you after you came back to the sideline after getting that touchdown?

CONNOR HEYWARD: No, I don’t. I know he was crying to Coach T, though.

DG: Cam was still emotional after the game.

CAMERON HEYWARD IN AN INTERVIEW: I don’t like to be Mr. Soppy but like that really hit me. Luckily there wasn’t a camera on me because I was a mess.

CONNOR HEYWARD: I think I was just so lit and blacked out like, cause like there’s times in the games you might make a big play, you’re yelling, you’re celebrating, and you watch, watch it back. You’re like, “Oh, I did that?”, like “That was me?”, but you’re just in the moment. And you know, that’s football, that’s any sport. And that’s just, you know, lets you bring out like the real you sometimes.

DG: It’s amazing to me because clearly your brother has a lot of emotions around your success and thinking about your dad. But when I talked to him, I mean, as soon as I asked about you, it was like his posture changed into this, like, “I’m not gonna blow smoke to my brother. Like I’m gonna give him [EXPLETIVE] like I’ve always given him.” Like, is that? What do you make of that?

CONNOR HEYWARD: That’s just our relationship and our competitive nature. It’s all love, but we love just nagging at each other. We all do it. I literally just got done working out with him, and we’re working out and we’re looking at the iPad numbers, and I’m messing with him about his numbers and his average velocity and stuff like that. It’s just stuff that we always do. He’ll always be like, “Add more weight.” I’m like, “Dude, you’re bigger than me.” (Laughs)

DG: (Laughs) There’s only so much weight I can add.

Joking aside — Connor does want to step up now for his brother. It’s what family members do. It’s what Heywards do. The window for Cam Heyward to be a Super Bowl champion may be closing — it’s late in his career.

Coach Mike Tomlin wants Cam to have a ring.

MIKE TOMLIN: I wanna see Cam Heyward — I wanna see that confetti rain down on him.

DG: Not just Cam but other Steelers veterans too like TJ Watt.

MT: I want them to experience, to know what being a champion is, man. Because they don’t realize it — they are already. You know what I mean? They embody the characteristics that is a champion, and so I want to see them experience it.

DG: Last season, the Steelers lost in the playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens, and Cam afterwards was sullen.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Extremely tough. You know, um, haven’t gotten it done. Opportunity was there, but our execution was not. That’s all I can speak about it right now.

DG: But we know how Heywards respond to losses. Connor told me he’s feeling the pressure to deliver for his big brother.

You know, I think one of the memorable interviews I did working on sports was with Larry Fitzgerald, you know, of course, star wide receiver for the University of Pittsburgh and then Arizona Cardinals. And, you know, he talked about living with the reality that, like the one thing he missed out on in his career, is a championship. I mean, do you see your, how your brother would handle that if he has this stellar career, but you know, the Steelers don’t get a ring with him as a player.

CONNOR HEYWARD: I’d be sick. (Laughs) I’d be sick as hell for him. Cause I know that’s something that, like, he wakes up with that on his mind. Like it doesn’t matter when or where he is. He’s waking up with that probably on his mind, like nine out of 10 times. Like, “All right, like there’s more work to be done. Like, is it me?” Like, no, it’s not you, Cam. We all have to, you know, up our level of play. It’s not you; just continue to play at a high level, not one person it takes all 22 guys and then special teams. But I definitely want to give them the opportunity, and that starts with making it in the playoffs and then going from there and going one game at a time, not looking too far.

DG: But he thinks about this constantly, you’re saying?

CONNOR HEYWARD: Yes, yes, he’s always talking about it. He doesn’t say Super Bowl, but I think he’s tired of talking about going to the Super Bowl for other things besides playing.

DG: When I talked to Connor just before this season, the Steelers were loading up on explosive players to get Cam and other veterans that elusive ring.The biggest splash? That would be 4x MVP-winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers, which brought the media circus directly to Pittsburgh.

Broadcaster 1: We have some breaking news rippling throughout the land of the NFL. What we’ve been anticipating for what feels like months now, Aaron Rodgers is finally heading to Pittsburgh.
Broadcaster 2: How good will Aaron Rodgers make the Steelers? How good will the Steelers be?
Broadcaster 3: Well, they’re a playoff team now.

DG: You know, the Aaron Rodgers coming to Pittsburgh has been one of the most discussed storylines, I feel like, in the NFL. I mean, do you, do your brother, do the players feel like that’s a message from the team that the time is now? We need to do anything we possibly can to get a Super Bowl with this group.

CONNOR HEYWARD: Yeah, I mean, I feel like with that move and obviously the latest moves that we just seen, like, where everybody’s just chilling on the couch and you see Jaylen Ramsey and everything else, it’s like, we’re going all in. We’ll see, you know, when the game comes and when practice comes. But that’s them telling them we’re going all hats in. And you can see that with all the moves they’ve made this offseason. At every position, I feel like at every position, we’re trying to get four guys deep, five guys deep at every position because if somebody gets hurt, the next person has to step up. And we’ve had that, but when you have a consistent guys with that, you know, guys that are always thirsty to make plays. It just makes everybody play, you know, with that urgency and like knowing, like, “All right, I got to make a play. This might be the only time I touch the ball, but hey, I have to make a play,” and you know, make the most of all your opportunities on offense, and then defense is going to be, you know, 11 guys flying to the ball. I mean, the roster is crazy on the defense side of the ball. It’s almost like a team you make on Madden or something, like it’s not realistic.

DG: Yeah, I feel that way. (Laughs) Well, Connor, I really appreciate you talking to me, and I hope like hell both for you personally and as a Steelers fan that you kill it this year and let’s get a Super Bowl this year for your brother first and foremost, but for the city and for you and for everybody

CONNOR HEYWARD: Yes, sir.

[MUSIC]

DG: Between upholding his family legacy, living up to the great Steelers teams of the past, and the impossibly high standard he holds himself to. Cam Heyward’s goals have not changed.. He knows the only way to the mountaintop is to play the hard-nosed defense that his brother, his mom, and his dad would be proud of.

On the field or off the field, what kind of moments or moments do you hope to create that will, you know, define your kind of career in different ways that might be, you know, worth talking about in, you know, in the future?

CAMERON HEYWARD: Oh, man, there are moments that I really want, I want to be able to have a Super Bowl. I want to be able to plant a big kiss on it. And, you know, I want to be able to say I was part of a Super Bowl-winning team and be the reason why. Sure, there’s moments where, you know, you get a third down, you know, you’re responsible for the sack, or somehow you end up with an interception. But I want something more grand. I want something where, you know, I bring another trophy back here, and we have seven of those, you know, defensive player of the year being able to raise that up as well. Those are goals I have in mind. Those are things I look forward to, and I want to be able to say, We have the best damn defense out there. And, you know, we have the number one defense and creating that havoc and going into the playoffs, understanding it’s going to be, you know, grueling and tough, and there’s going to be a lot of grit. But when you play the Pittsburgh Steelers, we have all home games. And you got to run through Pittsburgh. And we’re running the gauntlet. To have a run like that would really stick out to me.

DG: Cam, it is an absolute pleasure talking to you, and really an honor. And, thanks a lot.

CAMERON HEYWARD: Thank you for having me, David.

DG: Next time, on Sports in America…

[MUSIC]

DG: It’s an ever-present threat in pro sports, and every athlete’s worst nightmare: getting injured. One singular moment can end a season, or even a career.

The question that plagued quarterback Robert Griffin III when he tore his ACL for the second time: Was there any way he could stay in the game?

ROBERT GRIFFIN III: At that point as a player, you’re in the playoffs, right? You have no idea if there’s going to be a game next week if you’re not playing. You’re willing to put your body on the line.

DG: Then, against warnings from her doctor, WNBA star Elena Delle Donne played through three herniated discs, a broken nose, and a knee injury in a championship game. Six years later, how does she look back on that decision?

ELENA DELLE DONNE: I was given all the warnings, but I wasn’t gonna listen.

DG: That’s next time, on Sports in America.

This is Sports in America. I’m your host, David Greene.

Our executive producers are Joan Isabella and Tom Grahsler.

Our senior producer is Michael Olcott. Our producer is Michaela Winberg. And our associate is Bibiana Correa.

Our engineer is Mike Villers. Our tile artwork was created by Bea Walling.

Sports in America is a production of WHYY in Philadelphia and is distributed by PRX. Some of our interviews were originally created by Religion of Sports, with special thanks to Adam Schlossman.

You can find Sports in America on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, the iHeart Radio App — you know, wherever you get your podcasts.

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Executive Producer: Tom Grahsler
Senior Producer: Michael Olcott
Producer: Michaela Winberg
Associate Producer: Bibiana Correa
Engineer: Mike Villers
Tile Art: Bea Walling

Sports in America is a production of WHYY, distributed by PRX, and part of the NPR podcast network.

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