On the inside of Heinz Field, it was all cheers for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger as he made his return from a four-game suspension for violating the league’s Personal Conduct Policy.
Outside Heinz Field, a group of roughly 20 people marched in protest against Roethlisberger, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Some wore kerchiefs on the bottoms of their faces, presumably to conceal their identities. (Or perhaps because the person leading the way had been eating too much Beefareeno.)
They carried signs with messages like “Don’t let Big Ben rape again” and “Stop supporting rapists” and “Big Ben’s a jagoff” and “Consent is not a game.” (We didn’t see any in the Post-Gazette photo of the group that said “Hide your kids, hide your wife.”)
Per the Post-Gazette, “hundreds” of Steelers fans traded insults with the group.
Regardless of whether anyone agrees with or disagrees with the message the group was sending, the fact that they dared to show up outside Heinz Field and take a stand was either extremely brave or incredibly stupid. Many Steelers fans have a mother-bear mindset about their team, which gets only stronger after sampling some of the various beverages served at tailgate parties.