Devin Bush may control his own Twitter account, but the Steelers control his fate.
His unapologetic musings about his bizarre and occasionally concerning social media use miss the point entirely.
On Monday, Bush dismissed the notion he may have upset some fans with his tweets, including one that featured a video in which a cat fell several stories to the ground. "I don't know. I really don't," Bush said. "I don't know if they're real fans to be honest with you. I've seen a lot of people that I don't know. So I don't know."
In addition to the disturbing cat video, Bush shared a rambling message about the meaning of marriage and proclaimed he fears God more than death. Then a few days later, he indicated the Steelers were trying to rein him in. "I get 2 tweets a day now so I gotta make it count or else," he wrote on July 7.
Three hours later, Bush chimed in with another update. "I went over my limits today. Them boys sent me a fine."
But on Monday, Bush denied the Steelers, or anybody associated with the organization, told him to be more judicious with his posting habits. "No, not that I remember," he said. "It's my Twitter, so they can't control it."
The Steelers have a history of clamping down on players for irresponsible social media use. Back in 2010, they traded talent wideout Santonio Holmes to the Jets shortly after he had instructed a fan on Twitter to "kill urself."
Just four years ago, Martavis Bryant was benched for trashing a rookie named JuJu Smith-Schuster on Instagram.
And yes, the irony is rich.
Mike Tomlin has knows firsthand how reckless posting can cost a team on the field. Before the 2017 AFC Championship, Antonio Brown shared a video on Facebook Live in which Tomlin repeatedly called the Patriots "a—holes."
New England responded with a blowout win.
Cameron Hayward, who was part of that Steelers team, told Bush at one point to calm himself down. Bush said Monday that Hayward also talks to him like that in person.
Let's hope his message gets across.
Coming off a torn ACL, Bush is looking to work his way back into the Steelers' defensive lineup. The linebacker impressed during his rookie campaign, recording 109 tackles.
With the Steelers short on game-changing defensive talent, Bush's spot on the roster is probably safe. But in this era, he's putting his professional future in jeopardy with each erratic online missive.
The NFL is the quintessential "what have you done for me lately?" sport. If Bush regains his old form on the field, he'll probably be given more leeway.
But if he becomes more notorious for sharing worrying posts than making tackles, he better watch out.
The Steelers have shown they care about social media use. Bush's defiant attitude about his habits can't be quelling any nerves in the front office. That's for sure.
