Patriot Way endorsed by Hines Ward, who is “embarrassed” by Steelers

Steelers legend Hines Ward praised the Patriot Way established by Bill Belichick while admitting he is “embarrassed” at the organizational discord in Pittsburgh.

It’s not often that you see a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Team heaping praise on a bitter conference rival. Especially when you consider that that rival – the New England Patriots – could potentially tie the Steelers atop the NFL’s Mt. Olympus with a sixth Lombardi Trophy come Sunday evening.

But that’s exactly what happened when Pittsburgh’s first son, Hines Ward, sat down with Barstool Sports for an interview ahead of Super Bowl 53. Asked for his thoughts on the current states of both franchises, Ward didn’t hold back or mince words in his assessments.

“You what man – it is embarrassing, to be honest with you,” Ward told the radio hosts. “That’s just not the culture, the Steelers culture. You know, I look at what happened with Malcolm Butler, being late for a meeting and missing the Super Bowl… that’s the culture and that’s the Patriot(s) Way: no one guy is bigger than the team. You do what Coach Belichick says and everyone else is held accountable.”

Butler was famously seen crying on camera before Super Bowl LII got underway last year, having just recently learned he would not be playing in the championship game. While his benching was highly-controversial and criticized even by some members of the Patriots themselves, it stands as a harsh example of Belichick’s ethos that the sum of a team is always greater than its individual parts.

Belichick has become famous in his own right over the years for banishing popular players like Ty Law, Richard Seymour, Logan Mankins, and many others to various franchises around the NFL, once he deems them no longer relevant or necessary to the Patriots’ success.

In 2018, the Steelers’ season was highlighted not by the team’s record on the field, so much as it was defined by its drama and personality clashes off it.

Le’Veon Bell refused to report to the team all season long, choosing instead to sit out in order to preserve his health and get a crack at a more lucrative contract. Antonio Brown missed large portions of the end of the season before demanding a trade out of Pittsburgh, citing problems with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and the franchise’s under-appreciation of his talents.

Ward has seen enough apparently, and says it’s time for the black-and-yellow to undergo a major identity overhaul.

“I just think the culture in Pittsburgh has changed a little bit. It’s more about the production on the field outweighs what the overall team aspect is… and when you start to get a bunch of individuals worrying about how many catches they get… or who’s making this type of money… it just sets up for a disaster for a team.”

The Steelers finished the regular season 9-6-1 and missed the playoffs. It’s unknown what exactly will happen as far as Bell, Brown, and the rest of the roster is concerned this offseason.