The Steelers 2021 training camp will be held in Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers were denied their request by the NFL to hold training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, for 2021. Instead, the Steelers will once again be holding training camp in Pittsburgh using the facilities both at Heinz Field and the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. this per Steelers’ spokesman Burt Lauten:

The Steelers had gone more than 50 seasons of holding training camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe before the COVID-19 pandemic forced them to stay in Pittsburgh in 2020. With other teams being allowed to hold training camps away from their facilities, it is unclear at this time why the Steelers request was denied.

What is interesting is the team other than Steelers who is set to begin 2021 training camp before the rest of the NFL—the Dallas Cowboys—were granted permission to hold their training camp in Oxnard, California.

Although the NFL has set the date the Cowboys and Steelers can begin training camp, which is as early as July 21, it appears the Cowboys will begin their preparation for the 2021 season on July 22. The Steelers have not set the date in which they will begin training camp as they were awaiting word for where it would be held. Now that the Steelers know they will be in Pittsburgh yet again, they can begin working out their schedule and an announcement of the start date is expected soon.

While many Steelers fans have to be disappointed they will not be able to attend a training camp in Latrobe, the NFL had previously announced as part of its COVID-19 protocols that teams would not be allowed to interact with fans at this time. It will also be interesting to see how much the NFL allows the Steelers to have fans at Heinz Field during training camp, or exactly how this will play out in terms of admission.

UPDATE: According to Bob Labriola of Steelers.com, the plan to return to Latrobe submitted by the Steelers included the provision fans being in attendance:

The Steelers submitted their plan to the NFL for the return to the Saint Vincent College campus in Latrobe. Included in the Steelers’ plan was for fans to be able to visit campus and watch practice, as had been the case since the team’s first full summer in Latrobe back in 1967.

More of this story as it continues to develop.

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