Steelers’ Zach Banner: ‘Challah Back’ Guy?

Steelers’ Zach Banner: ‘Challah Back’ Guy?

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Zach Banner

Katharine Lotze/Getty Images Zach Banner of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Each week the Challah Back Girls—four sisters who bake challah in a strictly kosher kitchen in Bergen County, N.J.—donate more than half of the proceeds from the bread they sell to an organization that helps raise awareness about a social justice issue.

This week the Challah Back Girls—Pittsburgh Steelers fans, apparently—have chosen to support Zach Banner’s B3 Foundation, a non-profit founded by Steelers offensive tackle Zach Banner that works to “promote and build engaged communities within which children are raised to feel empowered, valued and loved.”

The sisters issued a message on their web site, one that reads, in part: Zach “mensch” Banner … took to his platform last week as the first of only a few NFL players to make a statement and speak up against the rampant anti-Semitism plaguing our country, while acknowledging that now is a moment to use our voices for change. Not only do we support Zach in this fight against injustice, but we also believe in B3’s mission to create and empower student leaders in underprivileged communities.”

Banner responded with a tweet acknowledging that he feels “supper blessed” by the support from the Challah Back Girls—and that he’s looking forward to trying challah for the first time.

Zach Banner Mock Trade Tweet

But that’s not all. An hour later Banner followed up with another tweet, this one ostensibly from famed NFL insider Adam Schefter, announcing that he’d been traded by the Steelers “to the Canadian [Football] League for a copy machine and a pack of gum after he reported to Training Camp [at] 420lbs.”

The reason for the trade?

“Team reports that it was due to crazy amount of JEWISH CHALLAH BREAD being sent to his house.”

‘What is Challah?’

Naturally, Twitter users had plenty of suggestions about what Banner ought to do with any challah he receives, with the most common suggestion being to “make French Toast with it!” as “Challah French toast is life!”

Another suggested he take things a step further and try Matzah ball soup.

Others—even fans of other NFL teams—responded with messages akin to: You’re my favorite player now.

And one rabbi simply sought to educate Twitter users with a tweet that answers the question: “What is Challah?”

Zach Banner’s Future with the Steelers

Meanwhile, many Steelers fans are rooting for Banner to win the starting right tackle job—and get a contract that keeps him in Pittsburgh beyond this year.

Banner says the team offered him a multi-year contract this past offseason but he decided to sign a one-year deal—for a cool $1.75 million—betting that he can win a starting job and a much more lucrative contract going forward, either with the Steelers or another organization.

Banner is expected to compete with Chukwuma ‘Chuks’ Okorafor for the starting right tackle job during training camp and the preseason. He entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick of the Indianapolis Colts in 2017, but played for the Cleveland Browns that season after being released by the Colts. He signed with Pittsburgh as a free agent in 2018 and saw his first playing time with the Steelers last year, mostly in sets featuring six offensive linemen.

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