MUNHALL, PA (93.7 The Fan) – Rookie weekend, voluntary team work and mandatory mini-camps over, the Steelers rookie class stayed around Pittsburgh for a few more days. Early this week they will visit different local foundations and it started Monday with former Steeler Charlie Batch.
All of the drafted and undrafted rookies showed up at the Best of the Batch Foundation complex in Munhall on Monday afternoon. The rookies broke into nine teams working with students to compete in an egg drop. While there was competition, and the players all got into the competition, it was obviously bigger than that.
“This is going to be something they are talking about forever, especially when they look back at the video, look at the pictures and hopefully when they go back and asked ‘what did you do for the summer?’ They can say they spent time with these players,” said former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch who hosts roughly 260 children for day programs during the summer in the Homestead area where he grew up.
“It was awesome,” said Steelers rookie quarterback Will Howard. “Anytime I get to give back, get in the community, but especially with kids. I just love working with kids.”
“I think of myself when I was in their shoes, how much that impacted me just meeting professional athletes. It’s life changing for them and one little moment to us that doesn’t mean too much for us, is huge for them.”
Batch agreed, having done many of those types of visits in his 12-year NFL career. He said it’s important for children who many not have everything to recognize the athletes they watch are as human as they are.
“I think back at a younger me, a younger self that would really, really appreciate that,” Howard said. “I want to give back now that I have this platform.”
Howard said he used his name in college to try and help those with childhood cancer and those in underprivileged areas. He’s inspired by what Batch has done for 26 years in Pittsburgh and wants to create something himself. Linebacker Jack Sawyer was also trying to get ideas from Batch as to how he can help Pittsburghers.
Sawyer was hit with one of the more interesting questions of the day as the school-age children got to know the rookies. This teenaged girl wondered where the rookie linebacker where he was from. After saying Columbus, Ohio, she asked if you are from there, why do you work here?
All of them, except for former Pitt kicker Ben Sauls, have new addresses now. The city has embraced them and Howard for one said he’s grateful and wants to reciprocate, even trying to win over those Steelers fans who also root for Penn State, Pitt and West Virginia.
The next time they together their job gets really tough at training camp, but before then, they’ve got some impactful work to do.