A Letter From the Editor: One last memo before opening a new door in my career

Well, there is no easy way to write this article. There was once a time when I never thought this article would be written, but here we are.

Okay, cut to the chase Jeff.

With a heart filled with nothing but respect and thanks, I am stepping away from Behind the Steel Curtain.

I am fortunate. I am not leaving because of a family emergency, illness or because of being fired. I am leaving because a new opportunity has come along and I just couldn’t pass it up.

Without sounding like Lebron James and “The Decision”, I am taking my talents to DKPittsburghSports.com. There are already pre-existing blood lines at DKPS with former BTSC writer Chris Carter still on staff, and when I was approached to write there about the Steelers and be their lead content manager for all three major Pittsburgh Sports teams they cover, I jumped at the opportunity.

This decision wasn’t an easy one, but after talking with family, friends and several people here at BTSC, it was an opportunity I just couldn’t pass up. This new gig will give me a chance to possibly sit in a press box and cover a game. To attend training camp and be behind the ropes. And possibly even attend a huge game in the future (hopefully in 2020). More than all that, it was the right decision for my family, and a step in the right direction for my career in this realm.

Leaving this space, a space I have been a part of for the last 7 years, 5+ as the editor, means I need to thank a lot of people who helped me along the way.

First, a huge shout out to all the readers who stayed with me when I took over for Neal Coolong those 5 years ago. When I came on board I didn’t know what I was doing, or how to do it. What happened next were readers, and contributors, jettisoning for fear of the direction of this new editor. What happened was me building my own team, and community. One I am very proud of saying I had a hand in cultivating.

This community is so passionate, knowledgeable and die hard it makes providing quality content for the site an easy task.

Next, a big thank you to everyone who ever produced content for me at some point during all these years. Bryan Anthony Davis, who started at BTSC at a kindergarten gathering at the school where his daughter and my son attend. Tony Defeo, the only contributor who has been here longer than me, and can infuriate the comment section like no one else. Cliff Harris is Still A Punk, Flip Fisher, Geoffrey Benedict, Shannon White, and any other writer who is on staff, or was on staff, I can’t thank you enough for your thankless, and tireless, work.

One of the aspects of the site I am most proud of is our budding podcast network. Almost 6k subscribers on YouTube, and a very quickly growing audio platform, the hard work we have all put in has paid off in a big way. Lance Williams, my partner in crime going back to my early days at BTSC, has been my right-hand-man all along the way. I’ll miss him being the hater, and me being the homer, on the air. Don’t ever change Lance. To Dave and Bryan, you all have worked so hard on this end of the site, and our work has paid off. There are plenty of good times coming for you all on this side of the site.

For the moderators, who keep things in check in the comment section. Holy cow, how can I thank you enough? You have allowed me to just focus on writing and managing content, and that simple fact has been priceless.

To my family, mainly my wife, who has been more than happy to take on her own work, with our 5 children, to ensure I do everything I need to do to make this site the very best it can be on a daily basis. It is a labor of love, and she always understood why it meant so much to me.

Lastly, I wouldn’t be doing my new job its due without describing what I’ll be undertaking over at DKPS. I will be joining Chris Carter and Dale Lolley on the Steelers team, as well as helping the Penguins and Pirates teams develop and create content. This is all based on the site opening up to free content, combined with premium content which will be paid. My content will be the free variety, with Dale and Chris’ work mostly being the “plus” content, but I hope you include DKPS as one of your many stops for Steelers content as you browse the internet.

So, what next? Who is taking over? Those responsibilities will fall on my former Deputy Editor, Dave Schofield. Dave has decided to take the job as editor and is working now to put his own touches on the position/staff. He will be publishing an article outlining his plan for the site a little later today. Be sure to check it out!

I know I wasn’t always super active in the comment section, but I will try my best to respond to any, and all, comments from people on this article. You may be rejoicing with the news of my decision, and that is just fine by me. Know I still appreciate you nonetheless.

If you’ve read this far, I want to thank YOU. You care enough to read 1,000 words on my decision to leave the site. It means you care. You care about me, you care about the site and you really care about your Steelers news.

Never change.

Stay strong everyone...