Alejandro Villanueva/Cameron Heyward Steelers practice scuffle all about ‘Game of Thrones?’
A day after the first on-field scuffle between teammates at this year’s Pittsburgh Steelers training camp, the two affable veteran players involved in it were able to laugh it off.
Alejandro Villanueva’s tongue-in-cheek explanation for the punch he threw toward Cameron Heyward after Heyward had lunged at him?
It was a disagreement about “Game of Thrones.”
“I think that the ending, they could have done better,” Villanueva said after Thursday’s walkthrough. “And Cam was convinced it was the greatest TV show of all times.”
A few minutes later, Heyward couldn’t suppress a smile when told of Villanueva’s account. Asked his view of what spurred the altercation, Heyward flatly said, “Football.”
“It’s water off our back,” Heyward said. “It’s just another day at the office. I look forward to it. If there’s a fight, there’s a fight; I don’t take it into the next practice. Coach (Mike Tomlin) always tells us we’re not trying to raise a UFC team; we’re just getting ready for football.”
Did the #GameOfThronesFinale really come between two long time #Steelers friends & lead to on field fight at practice during training camp? Al Villanueva & @CamHeyward discuss @KDKA pic.twitter.com/G848F4CZrT
— Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) August 1, 2019
Villanueva and Heyward have been teammates for parts of six seasons; this will be the fifth season they are starters, and as the starting left tackle and right defensive end, respectively, they have been going at each other in practice countless times over the years.
“We love each other,” Villanueva said, moments after he turned serious on the matter.
“There’s no place for fighting in training camp,” Villanueva said. “It’s childish and unprofessional for both of us. Again, it’s just a very different opinion that he has of the show.”
Heyward was asked if, in the long run, such disagreements can benefit the Steelers.
“When I think about practice (Wednesday), I think just about a nice intensity throughout,” Heyward said. “I think we all have to continue to sustain that and just keep it going.”
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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