Steelers’ Heyward refuses to apologize for Week 4 sideline outburst

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward believes there’s nothing wrong with laying one’s emotions bare. 

Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers lost his cool with head coach Mike McCarthy during an expletive-laced exchange in a 27-24 Week 4 loss to the Cleveland Browns. The coach said Monday he wishes he “didn’t use those words.” Heyward, however, took no issue with the verbal spat.  

Cameron Heyward discusses tempers flaring in Week 4 loss 

“We’ve always had emotion,” Heyward said Wednesday after practice, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “I don’t think that’s anything to shy away from. I’ve always been someone who tends to get a little feisty on the sideline. I’m not going to apologize for that. That’s part of the game. We hold ourselves to a high standard. We expect a lot of our group. When we don’t, we’re p— off because of it.” 

Heyward showed some of that emotion while screaming at teammates during the loss to Cleveland. Linebacker T.J. Watt also blew a fuse, grabbing a headset to voice his frustrations to defensive coordinator Patrick Graham.