Pittsburgh Steelers fans showed no mercy to their own rookie punter Pressley Harvin after a mixed performance. A day later, he reveals: His terminally ill father was also in the stadium – for probably the last time.

Pittsburgh/Munich – Being booed by your own fans is painful for any athlete. But for Pittsburgh Steelers rookie punter Pressley Harvin III, the boos against him in Sunday’s game against the Tennessee Titans must have been especially cruel.

But let’s start from the beginning: In fact, little went right for Harvin in the 19:13 win over the Titans. Two of his punts went far too short into the sideline. The Titans took another one and returned it 55 yards for a total gain. Many fans in Heinz Field lost patience with their rookie and booed him loudly off the field.

Steelers fans were also outraged on the net about the 23-year-old, saying he was “so bad”, “absolutely terrible”, “trapped in his head” or “the worst punter in the league”.

Pressley Harvin: “He doesn’t have much time left “

What probably none of them knew at the time: Harvin’s father Pressley Harvin II was also in the stadium – and probably for the last time in his life. On Monday after the game, Pressley Harvin III revealed the tragic situation in which he and his family find themselves in a poignant statement on Instagram.

“Thank you to this organisation for making this weekend so special for my dad,” he wrote in his Instagram story, “We learned this week that he doesn’t have much time left. We were able to make one last game at the stadium possible for him at short notice. Pray for my dad and for my family as they face these difficult times and help my dad get some more time. “

This is from Steelers rookie punter Pressley Harvin III, who was booted yesterday. I wish we didn’t need reminders that we don’t ever really know the whole of someone’s challenges. Or that it’s a lot easier to show kindness and grace than the opposite. to the Harvin family. pic.twitter.com/bTumWRaPVZ

– Aditi Kinkhabwala (@AKinkhabwala) December 20, 2021

First season in the NFL for the punter

The Steelers made it possible for Sunday’s game to bring terminally ill Pressley Harvin II to the stadium and arranged for him to sit on the sidelines.

His son, Pressley Harvin III, was selected by the Steelers in the seventh round in the 2021 NFL Draft and advanced to be the first punter ahead of Jordan Berry in the offseason. In the fan voting for the NFL Pro Bowl, Harvin has been leading the AFC punter rankings for days – probably also because of his unusual stature for a punter.