HE MAY NOT PLAY FOR PITTSBURH STEELERS AGAIN…
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Patrick Peterson praised the leadership efforts of a former Pitt Panthers star.
PITTSBURGH — Upon winning The Chief Award in his first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Patrick Peterson made sure to pay tribute to former Pitt Panther and Arizona Cardinal legend Larry Fitzgerald and the ways in which he helped mold him into the leader he is today.
The Steelers have handed out The Chief Award every season since 1988 to the member of their organization who “best exemplifies the spirit of cooperation with the media that he embodied,” according to the team’s official website.
Peterson, a 13-year NFL veteran who spent the first ten seasons of his career with Fitzgerald in Arizona, accredited the receiver with setting a good example of how to go about speaking with the media and others around him that Peterson later picked up on and learned from.
“I was very fortunate to be with a future Hall of Famer in Larry Fitzgerald,” Peterson said. “I had the opportunity to watch him work each and every day, not only on the field but in the locker room, how he interacts with the media.
Not only with the media, but whoever he cross paths with. He’s just a guy that really, really is a people’s person, and seeing that for ten years, it was just easy for me to kind of follow suit.”
Fitzgerald’s legacy has spread far beyond his on-field contributions as he received Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year honors in 2016 while remaining active in his numerous philanthropic endeavors post-retirement.
His leadership ability garnered praise and respect during his time as a player, and it’s evident that he left a positive impression on his teammates and those around him that continues to manifest itself.
