Beer thrown on mom, Steelers talk playing in Cleveland

PITTSBURGH (93.7 The Fan) – It’s fun, players get the back and forth with the fans for Steelers-Browns games. But it also goes over the line, as a Steelers player’s mom had a beer tossed on her a few years ago in Ohio.

“Cleveland fans threw beer at my mother after my rookie year after I scored that (game-winning) touchdown, so I’m not such a big fan of them,” Freiermuth said with a smile on Monday.

“Being able to go into the Dawg Pound on Thursday night, it’s going to be rowdy. They don’t like us very much. I think every single year I go to the Dawg Pound, I hear a whole, elevated version of (motivational) talking.”

“We are the Pittsburgh Steelers, technically we are America’s Team, so we are the spotlight,” said Pittsburgh native and Steelers safety Jaquan Brisker. “For us to have it on Thursday against a rival is great. You just got to walk into this moment, that’s what we are going to do.”

“They got a great fan base, they are loud, they are obnoxious,” said Steelers and former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen. “They throw all kinds of stuff, they say all kinds of things. That’s why you love the game, that’s why you love the division.”

There is a seriousness to this, but also an understanding of the entertainment part of it.

“It’s all good,” Freiermuth said. “It’s all for the sports and the love of the game. My mom enjoyed it. It was all good, no hard feelings.”

The six-year Steelers tight end said his mom no longer travels to games in Northeast Ohio.

“It’s intense,” Queen said. “It’s something about Cleveland, when you play at Cleveland it’s always a weird game, a weird feel. Especially the night game, they are a little rowdy. Fans are throwing dog food and whatever else. It’s one of those types of games, division game. It’s always going to be heated, always going to be a battle.”

“It’s fun, it’s always fun to play in Cleveland,” Freiermuth said. “I look forward to a rambunctious crowd.”

But before this just becomes friendly banter, the Gateway High School graduate wants to weigh in.

“I know the rivalry is tough,” Brisker said. “I know they hate us. We don’t like them neither. When I was growing up, Steelers were winning a lot. That’s what I’m used to and that’s what we are going to continue to do.”