Hines Ward Released from Pittsburgh Steelers

COMMENTARY | The Pittsburgh Steelers have revealed that longtime player Hines Ward will not be with the team in the 2012-2013 season. Hines Ward has been one of the top wide receivers for the team. Ward was first drafted by the franchise in 1998. He had attended the University of Georgia and graduated in 1997 before entering the draft. In the draft, he was selected in the third round by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Ward found great success with the team. He has two championship rings from the two Super Bowl victories the team won and he was named to the Pro Bowl four times between 2001 and 2004. In 2006, he was even awarded the Super Bowl MVP Award.

Fans of “Dancing with the Stars” may remember that Hines Ward was the winner of season 12. Ward was paired with Kym Johnson. He beat fellow contestants Kirstie Alley and Chelsea Kane in the finale to take the Mirror Ball Trophy.

This decision will likely disappoint many fans. To add salt to the wound, for both Ward and his fans, the Steelers did not attempt to negotiate a lower salary for the player. Ward had stated multiple times that he would be willing to take a pay cut but there was reportedly no effort on the part of the Steelers to negotiate a lower salary or make a lower offer. It appears that the release was something of a surprise after the team had denied that Ward would be released in February.

Ward is not ready to retire just yet and he believes he still has a few more good seasons left in him. It is somewhat surprising that the Steelers were not even willing to negotiate. It is pretty callous that the team knew that he would not be retained and yet did not release him earlier. He did a lot for the team, including getting the extra publicity for them while he was on “Dancing with the Stars” and making other media appearances. The team owed him more. However, it is a business and what the teams wants is what goes for the most part.


People also view

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *