JuJu Smith-Schuster late for Pro Bowl practice: A story so big, nobody cares

I must admit, I’ve been so out of sorts with my new job, it’s hard to pay attention to all things Steelers these days. I’m driving to work before 6 a.m. now, right before morning drive time radio starts, and I don’t get to keep tabs on things throughout the day like I used to.

Now, I just assume that everything is all quiet on the Steelers’ front, and if there is a monumental story (like, for example, Antonio Brown renting a plane and having the pilot write “Bleep the Steelers” in the sky), it will be so huge, I won’t be able to help but hear about it.

So when news “leaked” on Wednesday that JuJu Smith-Schuster, the second-year receiver and newly-minted Steelers, NFL, Pizza Hut and Fortnite star, was 30 minutes late to Pro Bowl practice, the first thing I thought was, “Wow! They have Pro Bowl practice?”

Seriously, the only pictures and footage I ever see from Orlando, Florida, the now annual home for the Pro Bowl, are of players posing with other players for, well, pictures while wearing either their red AFC jerseys or blue NFC jerseys.

I’m sure they do conduct practices, but evidently they don’t go over tackling, as evidenced by last year’s lack of it. How many times did the game-day officials blow the whistle as soon as Le’Veon Bell was in the grasp of a defender? It was worse the the Montreal Screw Job, when Shawn Michaels, The Heartbreak Kid, The Show Stopper, The Icon, Mr. Wrestlemania, tried to beat Brett Hart, The Hitman, The Excellence of Execution, with his own finishing move, The Sharpshooter, and Mr. McMahon had referee Earl Hebner ring the bell early so as to screw Hart out of the WWF title.

Anyway, back to JuJu, who I’m sure will try wrestling before all is said and done.

I thought it was funny how the media tried to get some traction with this story. I heard the “He’s heading down the same road as AB” engine trying to start a few times, but it wouldn’t (maybe because of the cold weather), and I’m glad. I couldn’t even find any articles about it online (maybe I’m the first one. “Damn it, BTSC, always stirring the pot!”), just a few reporters and fans on Twitter who tried to get the thing to turn over, but all they did was flood the engine.

Smith-Schuster has already done so much to endear himself to the fans. Heck, he tailgated with them outside of Heinz Field mere hours before playing the Patriots.

Why was he late to practice? Why does it matter? I’m sure it had something to do with being entertaining, with being endearing to the people, his people, the ones who will no doubt elect him to something some day.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is the man, and one heck of a talented wide receiver, I might add. If you think Pro Bowl JuJu is big, just wait for him to make his first Super Bowl appearance. Not only will the two weeks leading up to the game—including media day—be lit, but his actual performance in the game figures to be, as well.

Team JuJu all the way to immortality!