Vote counters have been working overtime tabulating presidential election results in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County and Pittsburgh Steelers players want to make sure they are well fed. According to ESPN Staff Writer Brooke Pryor, multiple Steelers players banded together on Wednesday to purchase dinner for everyone at the county’s ballot-counting site, which is located in a warehouse on Pittsburgh’s North Side.
The workers went on to say ‘thank you’ via Allegheny County’s Twitter account, noting that the food—chicken, rigatoni, rolls, pies “and more!”—came from The Goose Express in Oakdale, which offers “affordable homemade takeout to customers in the Greater Pittsburgh area.”
No word on which players were behind the food purchase (Pryor says it was “a couple” players, “not necessarily an organization-wide thing”).
However, inside linebacker Vince Williams did tweet a reply to someone on site at the warehouse who confirmed receipt of the dinners.
We Desire ‘Impact, More So Than Statements’
It’s worth noting, perhaps, that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has encouraged his players to be active participants in the political process and in the community. This particular effort would seem right in line with his admonishment to “have an impact, more so than statements.”
“I continue to appreciate the hearts and spirit of our players in terms of wanting to participate and engage in a positive way and express themselves. That is their right,” said Tomlin during an August press conference. “Like I’ve said many times, they will continue to be supported by us as long as their efforts are done thoughtfully and with class. We want to move forward thoughtfully with everything we do.”
Many Steelers players have taken that message to heart, and some have engaged in active discussions about social justice issues and even partnered with organizations to raise money and/or awareness about social justice and related issues.
For example, this summer Steelers right tackle Zach Banner teamed with the New Jersey-based Challah Back Girls to fight hate, to bring the Black and Jewish communities closer together, and to raise money for his B3 Foundation, which works to “promote and build engaged communities within which children are raised to feel empowered, valued and loved.”
Mike Tomlin on Election Day, Voting
Asked about Election Day and voting at his press conference on Tuesday, Tomlin noted that while his players and coaches are “professionally focused,” they “have been talking continuously about being active participants in the political process…. It requires no special meeting or no point of emphasis today.”
As for the aforementioned workers at the Allegheny County warehouse, they were counting mail-in ballots all day Tuesday and Wednesday and still counting into Thursday.
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Steelers Players Buy Dinner for Pennsylvania Vote Counters