Stephan Tuitt

Does anyone else feel robbed by this guy?

He left the team with a huge hole and keeping everyone holding a roster spot while collecting a very hefty paycheck(?) during his time trying to figure out what he wanted in life; ultimately not with the organization the filled his bank account.

It hurt us badly and I’m thinking of him just like I think of Bell and AB.

Did he do the Steelers dirty while slipping the villian label like Bell and AB who were good enough to not disguise the effort. Sneaky chess move …

Someone correct me if I’m wrong.

 

yep

he screwed us

 

well, yes. that did happen. then life has to happen. He played around and we hoped - which is not a good strategy.

 

I see both sides. Maybe he thought he would be able to handle it and then never did. The other side of that is was he saying the whole time he was coming back and, then, just didnt? Who knows.

 

Some of that has to be on Tuitt. He didn't have to speak publicly, but I get the feeling he didn't communicate honestly with the team.

 

Yeah, I get it. It’s tragic and I’m leaving that part out because sadly, tragedy happens to lots of us. But I think he still owed it to his organization to come to a conclusion earlier so his team didn’t have to suffer also in the way that they did.

So, sure, retire, don’t play football anymore. But waiting until they pay you out seems like a devious and calculated maneuver. He was *banking on everyone giving grace. And they/we did.

Well played diabolical financial move. Sorry, calling it as I see it.

There was no way for the organization to play it any other way as far as I can see. He held all the cards along with the salary and roster spot. The cap prevented them from from being agile while being backed into a corner. Releasing him would have turned them into some serious PR devils.

Sincerely - from some of the the fan base.

PS - I’m not discussing my personal and/or family tragedies and how the ripple effects reverberated to everything surrounding it. Life does go on and for most, much faster.

 

i agree

 

Every org has some personnel issues that hurt them, ours have just been more severe than most teams. It's no one's fault really. Bell and AB are complete morons, Shazier, Tuitt and Haskins are tragedies. Along with everything else, those situations have made the process of putting a good team together even harder.

 

That’s a fair perspective that I cannot argue with and not sound like an even bigger jerk.

Nobody really knows the actual answer but him. If he really tried, and struggled with getting his focus back into this career then I would add zip it. And doesn’t owe me or anyone else a transparent explanation.

But IF he did know much earlier and didn’t in fact communicate it and just took the money as severance for him self and his time without actually earning the money (and absorbing the roster spot) where they could have slipped the money into the following years cap then he hurt others in a selfish money grab.

This is business at this point and not personal.

 

It is funny. It seems like forever since he has played for Pittsburgh, but I see his is currently counting $4 million against the cap this year. Not to mention being on my wall calendar in February.

 

You sure its a 2023 calendar? Today is Tuesday 3/13/2023

Its just the money being pushed forward. Remember Woodley was getting paid for some time playing elsewhere as well as others.

 

Old news, move on.

 

I think that’s probably what happened. He suffered a huge personal tragedy and the team kept the door open as long as they could for him. He decided that he was done with football which was his right. I can’t imagine what he went through and football is not the kind of job where you can clock in each day and coast along. You have to be all-in as you say.

 

Agree good riddance, what did he ever do? How many pro bowls did he make?

 

That's a little harsh. While I'm pissed He's gone, and it's still cost us....He was awesome when He played maybe top 5 at one time at His position, but a bad thing happened, and We must move forward.

 

It's really a shame how Tuitt's career changed so drastically and almost instantly. He was a beast on the field then became injured and his younger brother losing his life then Covid and it really turned his whole world upside down. Perhaps it could have been handled better by both parties but under the circumstances I have no issues with it. The Steelers almost always take the high road.

 

Maybe this will help

 

Yes, I understand it’s old news, but during this off season with free agent signings and draft talk and ALLLLL the holes we have to fill including his still(!) it just keeps popping up in my head.

“Wish we weren’t trying to fill major roster spot that we had a great young player at” Who’s been paid and is STILL getting paid…!!!

So yeah, it sticks in my craw a bit and it doesn’t feel like old news. Because it isn’t.

Maybe I’m lying to myself and I’m stupid, but I wouldn’t feel right about it all and negatively affecting the team and fan base.

But I bet so many players have learned to think “eff the fan base” in one way or another. I get it…sports and entertainment is different than real life and livelyhoods. But I can’t help feeling it and it feels raw.

 

Jeezus that is so perfect and timely for this thread!

Fantastic find!!! Lol…

 

None of us know what was going on in his mind at the time, we are all just guessing. Maybe he was so distraught he felt he could no longer play but none of us know when that final decision was made. Maybe he played the system I don t know and no one else here does either.
If he did play the system for the money put yourself in that same situation.
How many here would just walk away and potentially take a buy out for millions less.
Imagine your leaving your job and the rules say you can get another years salary , who here is going to say nah! just give me my vacation pay and the company can maybe use my money to fix things.