Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images Devin Bush #55 and Cameron Heyward #97 of the Pittsburgh Steelers after Bush recovered a fumble against the San Francisco 49ers on September 22, 2019.
On Monday Pittsburgh Steelers inside linebacker Devin Bush Jr. answered questions from the media for the first time since he shared a disturbing cat video via his Twitter account, one of a series of seemingly ill-advised messages that he tweeted in July. The reason for his media availability was decidedly positive; Bush is expected to play in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles, marking his first appearance in a Steelers uniform since he tore his ACL against the Cleveland Browns last October.
But instead of, say, apologizing if his tweets upset anyone, he questioned the allegiance of those who found the messages disturbing, while also insisting that he didn’t know if he made anyone angry.
“I don’t know if they’re real fans to be honest with you,” he said, via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I’ve seen a lot of people that I don’t know. So I don’t know.”
Never mind that it wasn’t just Steelers fans who implored Bush to stop tweeting. Several of his own teammates took to Twitter to gently encourage him to pipe down, including right tackle Zach Banner, who consistently uses social media and online platforms to attract positive attention and fight hate.
When that didn’t work, longtime defensive captain Cameron Heyward took a more direct approach:
@_Dbush11 Calm your ass down
Bush: ‘It’s My Twitter, So [The Steelers] Can’t Control It’
As to the notion that the Steelers strongly encouraged him to limit his tweeting, Bush said he couldn’t remember that having happened, saying, “No, not that I remember. It’s my Twitter, so they can’t control it.”
That flies in the face of a tweet he sent on July 7, when he trolled Steelers fans by saying, “Y’all got me in trouble,” indicating that going forward he’d be limited to two tweets per day.
I get 2 tweets a day now so I gotta make it count or else
Devin Bush on TikTok Users
Certainly, the Steelers don’t want Devin Bush’s social media to be a distraction—or to cause a rift in the locker room.
Keep in mind that one of the early tweets in Bush’s July tweetstorm advised TikTok users of a certain age and gender to ‘Stay TF (Away From Me),’ which easily could have offended wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool, who are well-known for their usage of that particular social media platform. Bush went on to diffuse that situation via a tweet to Claypool (‘We the Ones Winning’), but his message also seemed to disparage Steelers fans.
No doubt most fans will forgive Bush, especially if he has a strong season in 2021. He’s a critical player in the middle of Pittsburgh’s defense, as he has the speed and range to play sideline-to-sideline, not to mention cover tight ends and running backs coming out of the backfield.
Now entering his third season with the Steelers after the team traded up in the 2019 NFL Draft to select him No. 10 overall out of the University of Michigan, Bush should be entering the prime of his career.
Thus far, he has played in 21 career games and has been responsible for 135 total tackles (88 solo), with two interceptions, two sacks, one forced fumble, four fumble recoveries, four quarterback hits and seven passes defensed.
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Steelers’ Devin Bush to Critics: ‘I Don’t Know If They’re Real Fans’