The Steelers have had some prior issues in the past with getting some suspensions from the NFL.
The NFL has become stricter in certain instances within the league. They still have a lot of issues when it comes to dealing out the right punishment for what violation occurred. It has not seemed fair at certain points, but they continue to hand out different suspensions throughout the history of this organized league.
The Steelers have not seen any different treatment when it comes to the different players over the year getting dealt different punishments from the commissioner. When it comes to recent history, they have had some dark days in the history of the club. Some players were lost for some time based on what situation they created for themselves.
Fines are a whole other beast as the NFL can give a player a change in their financial situation just by looking at them the wrong way. Those instances will not be included in this article as it investigates suspensions from games. Those redacted game days for these players do also hit them in their pocketbook as they do not get paid either.
James Harrison was suspended for one game for the Steelers
James Harrison was one of the most feared players in the league but that came at a price. He created this image of himself on the football field and it scared most of the players that went up against him. He played during an era that went from hard-nose football to something that became difficult for defenders to hit someone hard.
This took a lot of adjusting for this linebacker and he struggled to ever get to that point fully. Harrison continuously got fined throughout his career, but this suspension was warranted. The NFL just put a no hit to the head policy in and Harrison hit Colt McCoy in his helmet, so this was one of the first punishments implemented for that policy.
Alameda Ta’amu is suspended for an off the field arrest
Alameda Ta’amu was a former fourth-round pick of the Steelers back in 2012 out of Washington. Many thought that he could eventually develop into a starting nose tackle for the defense but that did not happen. He struggled to show much during his rookie year and eventually fell into legal trouble.
This was not the first time that this defensive lineman was alleged to have some legal issues in his past. It was alleged that he drove while under the influence of alcohol during his college days back in 2009. That did not amount to much other than getting some charity work and a slap on the wrist.
Then eventually he would be drafted and did not have much of a career with the Steelers. He could not show enough to the coaching staff and would have another alleged issue with drinking and driving. That situation led to Ta’amu being charged by the police and eventually suspended for two games by the NFL.
After that, Pittsburgh struggled to find any sort of solution with this player and waived him. He would have a couple of year stint with the Arizona Cardinals before he bounced around from the Kansas City Chiefs and then the Buffalo Bills. He was eventually out of the NFL after the 2016 season.
Maurkice Pouncey was suspended two games for the Steelers after a fight
This is going to be one of the most infamous events in Steelers history that could be brought up for player safety constantly. Many fans should still remember this game as the Cleveland Browns beat Pittsburgh during a time when Ben Roethlisberger was still out of the picture with injury. The game started to flare up more than usual for this AFC North rivalry.
Normally the black and gold can handle their little brothers in the north, but they did not do it this time. It was a tough and frustrating season for the team that was only missing a legit quarterback to have a shot at playoff contention. Things started to boil over until Myles Garrett caused a breaking point for both sides.
He did something unheard of and stripped the helmet off of Mason Rudolph and smacked him over his head with it. This caused an all-out brawl for both clubs and Maurkice Pouncey ran in and started punching a Browns player repeatedly. The NFL did not really appreciate this issue and it saw a bounty of fines and suspensions handed out to both franchises.
Pouncey was suspended two games for his actions after an appeal went in his favor to take a game off. Garrett would get an indefinite suspension from the league but would come back. Pouncey would also return for a while longer before he retired from the league.
Ben Roethlisberger was suspended four games for violating the personal conduct
Steelers fans will probably despise seeing this one on this list, but it should be one here. Not every part of a team is pretty, and this will always be an underlying bruise to the reputation of the franchise that stuck with Ben Roethlisberger after this issue happened. It was a moment that happened for the club after many years of a “no nonsense” policy that would lead to players being cut immediately.
That policy did not apply here as the franchise finally had a young quarterback that would be able to keep them in contention for years. The black and gold were still in the thick of their Super Bowl contending seasons and needed Roethlisberger at the helm. The allegations from two women during the offseason were hard to hear but those cases would be solved.
The NFL knew that the punishment would need to be swift and harsh, but it could have been tougher on Roethlisberger, so the Steelers were lucky in that aspect. They initially suspended him for six games and went to four after appeal. It was a dark time for the alleged victims and the others involved.
The quarterback went on to find a religious life and become a family man. He changed his image after the event and went on to have a great professional career in the position he played. He will end up in the Hall of Fame someday but that constant shadow from this incident will always linger.
Martavis Bryant was suspended for a year for the Steelers
Martavis Bryant was an extremely talented player that just could not stay on the field for the Steelers. He came along and became a complimentary piece during the prime of the killer B’s offensive attack that Pittsburgh had. He was able to create some nice seasons for himself during his time with this club.
The issue that this player had was his inability to stay away from banned substances away from the field. Things went downhill as this receiver could not keep away from this drug and that led to a short career for him in the league. His talent was something to marvel at, but it quickly faded without him being available to the club.
His first suspension happened in 2015 as he was taken out of four games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He would have another good season for that campaign and many thought that he could take the next step for 2016. Sadly, that season never happened as Bryant was now a repeat offender in the league.
The NFL would suspend the young receiver for the entire 2016 schedule and the Steelers were dealt a hard blow. The team missed an entire weapon on offense and this player saw his career starting to slide away. He would be traded to the Oakland Raiders just a year later and was out of the league after 2018.
The Steelers have had some interesting history during their time as a franchise. Most documented or notable incidents happened within the last 20 years for the black and gold.