Pittsburg, PA
Steelers Safeties Against Regular Season Expansion
PITTSBURGH — Don’t ask the Pittsburgh Steelers about adding an 18th game to the NFL’s regular season. You’ll only get a mixed bag of responses. Some couldn’t care less, some are for it, and some are vehemently against it.
Steelers safeties Minkah Fitzpatrick and DeShon Elliott are firmly in the “against it” category. Speaking to Brooke Pryor of ESPN, both players were unabashed in their thoughts on adding another game.
“They’re not paying us enough money already,” Elliott said. “They’re stingy with their money, so they want to make us play 18 games, as a player union, we should get way more money than what we’re getting — and not just the top guys. ”
Elliott continued his rant by expressing disappointment in the league’s greed. In his view, the owners have no risk but gain all of the reward.
“And the thing is, they’re not out here playing football,” he said. “They’re not here running around putting their bodies on the line. They don’t care. All they care about is making money, but if you’re going to make money on the top end, the bottom end has to make money too.”
Fitzpatrick was in full agreement with his fellow safety. The leader of the Steelers’ secondary is not a fan of more games in the regular season. He doesn’t understand the point of changing or why they would remove a preseason game to do that.
“Why do we keep adding games?” Fitzpatrick said. “I think 17 is more than enough, plus a playoff…The dudes that play a hundred percent of the snaps in the regular season are probably barely playing in the (removed) preseason game, so it doesn’t really do too much.”
The views of the team’s safeties are likely felt across the league. ESPN surveyed NFL players about this issue to gauge the temperature. 46% of the respondents voted in favor of an additional regular season game to the schedule. 8% voted yes, but required some stipulations, and 19% voted against it. Pryor also noted that multiple concerns from players were raised during the survey, but 27% felt they didn’t have a concrete response.
The other main issue to figure out is the revenue split. With the current 17-game schedule, players receive a revenue share of just under 49%. The current collective bargaining agreement is in place until 2030, so a concrete decision will likely wait until the next CBA negotiations. Until then, the Steelers safety duo is unlikely to change their opinions on this matter.
Make sure you bookmark All Steelers for the latest news, exclusive interviews, film breakdowns and so much more
Subscribe to the All Steelers YouTube Channel
A man from Fayette County has been arrested and is facing over 1,000 charges related to alleged animal cruelty and neglect.
Fayette County District Attorney Mike Aubele said that John Saxberg, 57, is facing charges in connection with what he called “a suspected illegal kennel operation” in Washington Township.
According to DA Aubele, Saxberg is accused of subjecting numerous animals to “deplorable conditions” and “circumstances constituting torture,” adding that approximately ten animals suffered serious bodily injuries.
Court records show that Saxberg is facing 1,029 criminal charges in total with offenses including aggravated cruelty to animals, cruelty to animals, neglect of animals, penalties related to dog licensing, and violations of vaccine requirements.
52 of the charges that Saxberg is facing are felonies, according to court records.
Online court paperwork shows that Saxberg was arraigned on Tuesday afternoon and is being held in the Fayette County Prison after bail was posted at $85,000.
A preliminary hearing for Saxberg is scheduled for late next week.
An Allegheny County park with 200-year-old trees has been added to a growing network of protected and publicly accessible old-growth forests.
Local leaders announced on Tuesday that Hartwood Acres is now part of the Old-Growth Forest Network, which consists of over 340 forests, though this is Allegheny County’s first.
The 692-acre property features a Tudor mansion built in 1929, and while about a quarter of the park is maintained, the other 75% is forested. Some of the oldest trees include a black oak that’s over 200 years old, and a sugar maple and red oak that are nearing 200 years old.
“Hartwood Acres is one of Allegheny County’s greatest natural treasures, and this designation recognizes both the ecological value of these forests and the generations of stewardship that have protected them,” Allegheny County Executive Sara Innamorato said in a press release. “As we work to build an Allegheny County where everyone can thrive, that includes ensuring residents have access to clean air, green spaces, and the opportunity to connect with nature close to home.”
The Old-Growth Forest Network, founded in 2012, aims to create a national network of protected, mature and native forests that are accessible to the public. The goal is to preserve at least one forest in every U.S. county that can sustain a forest.
“The importance of the preservation of these rare forests cannot be overemphasized,” said Brian Kane, the Mid-Atlantic regional manager with the Old-Growth Forest Network. “As seen at Hartwood Acres, forests perform critical environmental services that benefit communities, such as storing carbon, providing wildlife habitat, and retaining stormwater. OGFN is grateful that Allegheny County values its old-growth forests and will enable its residents and visitors to marvel at these old hardwoods far into the future as they grow even more mature and majestic.”
An overturned truck spilled hazardous materials onto the 62nd Street Bridge late Monday night and crews spent several hours working to contain the spill.
The Cherry City Volunteer Fire Company said it was assistant on a “large scale hazmat incident” along with crews from Allegheny County Emergency Services and the city of Pittsburgh’s Bureau of Fire.
A truck turned onto its side on the Sharpsburg side of the Senator Robert D. Fleming Bridge, also known as the 62nd Street Bridge, late Monday night and the fire company said crews were working to contain the leak.
An aerial view from the KDKA Drone Team around 3 a.m. Tuesday showed the large response from crews working at the scene of the crash.
A first responder told KDKA’s news crew at the scene that the chemical that was spilled was peroxide and the fire company said crews were working to keep the material from entering drainage systems.
Around 4 a.m. Tuesday, the fire company provided an update and said that all “hazardous materials have been mitigated,” but that the bridge is expected to remain closed for an extended period of time.
Drivers are being urged to use alternate routes for the morning commute.
-
San Francisco, CA10 minutes agoBay Area restaurant has strict policy on acceptable children behavior
-
Dallas, TX13 minutes agoDetroit Pistons trade Marcus Sasser to Dusty May’s Dallas Mavericks
-
Miami, FL18 minutes agoThe offseason has been a massive success for the Miami Heat
-
Boston, MA25 minutes agoCan’t afford Boston’s priciest restaurants? Try these instead. – The Boston Globe
-
Denver, CO28 minutes agoCity of Denver says images of piling waste a case of illegal dumping
-
Seattle, WA33 minutes ago14-year-old dies in electric motorcycle crash at Seattle bike park
-
San Diego, CA40 minutes agoSerial sex abuser sentenced to over 300 years for crimes against young relatives
-
Milwaukee, WI43 minutes ago13 Things to Do in Milwaukee This Weekend: July 9-12
