Steelers LB Arthur Moats will be remembered for contributions off the field

Former Steelers linebacker, Arthur Moats recently decided to hand up his cleats. Why he embodied what it meant to be a Pittsburgh Steeler.

The Steelers have had their share of linebackers come and go, and Arthur Moats was really not different. That is, with the exception of his character.

Arthur Moats has been sitting in free agency since the 2018 offseason, but just recently the 9-year veteran decided to hang up his cleats for good.

Here is a tweet recently posted regarding his retirement:

It is certainly a great accomplishment to become and NFL football player, but Moats wasn’t known for his dominance on the football field, rather his compassion off the field.

Moats was truly a people person. He could always be seen interacting with fans and letting his bright personality shine. But it was his generosity that caught the attention of the media.

Back in 2015, Moats generously donated 10 percent of his $6M to his alma mater, James Madison College in northern Virginia.

But Moats didn’t stop there. The former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker has been making significant donations with the money he has earned throughout his career. Here is what he had to say about discussing donations with his family:

"“Every year, we’ll set a budget out. We’re making this much, how much do we want to donate? Then we decide on a number — who do we want to have an impact on? What can we do to spice it up since we have more money to donate? Then we pray about it, bounce some ideas off each other.”"

In 2016, the Steelers nominated Arthur Moats for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. An article from Steelers.com shared a quote from Arthur Moats about one of his favorite childhood memories. Not surprising, it had to do with helping others:

"“When I was growing up, both of my parents were pastors. Just going into the inner city, rough neighborhoods, delivering bread on Saturday morning or Sunday after church and just seeing the impact that it had. Some of these people would truly have joy from the fact that we were giving them bread, nothing more nothing less. Early on seeing that it stuck with me and I wanted to make sure when I had a bigger platform I could do more.”"

Arthur Moats finished his NFL career with 202 tackles and 16.5 sacks – 11.5 of which came as a member of the Steelers. When stretched out over the course of 9 seasons, those are numbers that could easily go unnoticed.

Moats may have never earned more than 4.0 sacks in a single season, but the contributions he has made off the field will go well into the future.

Arthur Moats was a solid football player for the Steelers, but his generosity cannot be understated. He deserves another moment in the spotlight for his gracious acts of kindness throughout the years.