Steelers' Cam Heyward speaks out against joint practices: 'Guys do things they would never do in a game'

Heyward says players fight for their team

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward has some thoughts on joint practice and shared his opinions this week on social media. Heyward said players act differently when they are participating in the joint practice vs. playing in a game.

Joint practices have seen their fare share of fights, including one that occurred this week, with Los Angeles Rams star Aaron Donald swinging helmets at Cincinnati Bengals players during a brawl between the two teams.

The recent incident made some wonder why joint practices occur, a question that Heyward gave an answer to.

Heyward responded to the question on Twitter. "In theory it sounds cool to see you team compete in a practice setting but it's basically a 2 and half hour wrestling match with no rules or technique which puts everyone on edge. Guys do things they would never do in a game that could lead to injury. Players fight for their team."

In theory it sounds cool to see you team compete in a practice setting but it’s basically a 2 and half hour wrestling match with no rules or technique which puts everyone on edge. Guys do things they would never do in a game that could lead to injury. Players fight for their team

— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) August 25, 2022

This is not the first time Heyward has spoken out against the practices.

He tweeted, "Joint practices are dumb," on Aug. 17.

Joint practices are dumb

— Cam Heyward (@CamHeyward) August 17, 2022

The Steelers have not had joint practices for three seasons, so Heyward has not had to directly deal with them in a while. The last time Pittsburgh had joint practices was in 2019 with the Detroit Lions. 

Heyward joined the Steelers in 2011, when the team drafted him with the No. 31 overall pick.