Ryan Clark tried to put his former team to task Monday morning, but some Steelers players weren’t having it.
Pittsburgh took an ugly 38-3 loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 5, and the biggest highlight from the Steelers was rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett getting into it with Shaq Lawson over a low hit.
That moment stood out for Clark as he believed that was the only time Pittsburgh showed any fight against the Bills.
“The only player on this team that I’d take in 2008 to go down an alley with me is the young kid that’s playing quarterback,” Clark said on ESPN’s “Get Up” on Monday, per video. “He’s the only one that wanted some yesterday.”
Diontae Johnson was asked about the retired 13-year veteran’s comments, but didn’t pay much mind to it.
“I’m not worried about (Ryan Clark), man,” Johnson told reporters, per video from 93.7 The Fan’s Josh Rowntree. “He played here, he know how the Steelers play. If he wants to come play, he can come help us win, if he’s got so much to say. I’m just gonna keep playing football and worry about me and my teammates.”
Well, Clark was tagged in the tweet of the video, but Johnson has blocked Clark on Twitter, so he sent out a message on his public profile rather than messaging the wide receiver about his comments.
“I can no longer play,” Clark tweeted. “Maybe he’s even better than I was. I’m paid to say what the film says, and I’m extremely welcomed in that building. I’d say it to him face to face. No issue at all.”
The back-and-forth didn’t stop there. Defensive lineman and team captain Cameron Heyward retweeted a tweet that paints a troubling picture of the attitude in the Steelers locker room. The tweet was in response to Clark’s comments on ESPN.
“BS … I can’t stand (Mike) Tomlin, and he’s a Fraud and Clown that’s been carried by Ben (Roethlisberger) his ENTIRE career,” a fan tweeted. “… However … Cam Heyward was running 30 yards downfield (again) to make tackles that the (linebackers) wouldn’t make … Shut up Ryan.”
Heyward quickly took down the tweet from his profile, but the internet is forever, and it had many questioning what his intent was in putting that message out there to the public. Does he agree with the notion his head coach was riding Roethlisberger’s coattails? Did he want to call out the linebackers on the Steelers, or was he just frustrated at hearing Clark’s comments about his team? Well, the 33-year-old tried to clear the air.
“Disregard the my last retweet,” Heyward tweeted. “That was a butt retweet, dum dum cam.”
Heyward was smart to admit his mistake, but the outlook for the Steelers means a perceived fragile locker room could get messy. Pittsburgh takes on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 6, and it could be a long day for its rookie quarterback and veteran defense.
