New Steelers signing ignores Mike McCarthy rule and sparks huge brawl with wide receiver ‘hammered’

A new member of the Pittsburgh Steelers ignited one of the biggest training camp brawls of the summer, so far…

In an effort to keep his roster healthy, new head coach Mike McCarthy has issued a ‘no live tackling’ rule at several points during camp.

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The health of everyone, particularly Aaron Rodgers in his final season is essential, which is why what newly signed linebacker Elandon Roberts did on Sunday is not a good look.

“Frustration seemed to be building all practice long between the offense and defense,” Joey Bray of SB Nation wrote.

“Newly signed linebacker Elandon Roberts seemed to disregard the ‘no live tackling’ rules at several points.”

“There were plenty of moments where you could audibly hear the offense yell ‘come on E-Rob.'”

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At the end of Sunday’s practice, wideout Max Hurleman caught a pass and ran forward before rookie safety Robert Spears-Jennings lowered his shoulder and dropped him to the dirt.

FOX Sports’ Ralph Vacchiano described it as: he “hammered Hurleman at the goal line”, with the receiver popping back up and getting in his face.

Seconds later, the pair took each other to the ground, with the entire team running over and getting involved.

While most of the roster were trying to calm things down, tight end Jaheim Bell and safety DeShon Elliott got into a separate fight and this one was far more serious.

Bell ripped Elliott’s helmet off and appear to punch him continuously in the face.

This brawl was eventually broken up by members of the coaching staff and some of the veteran players on the sidelines.

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“I didn’t know the tempo. They didn’t say it was a walk-through,” Roberts said after practice.

“They looked like they were running pretty hard to me.”

Roberts instigated Steelers brawl in 2024

This is Roberts’ second go-around with the Steelers, having played with Pittsburgh between 2023-24.

The linebacker tallied 3.5 sacks and 147 tackles during his two year-stint, and was also the root of another training camp scuffle.

In 2024, Roberts shoved then Steelers quarterback Justin Fields which caused several offensive lineman took exception to the shove, resulting in a shoving match between the offense and the defense.

Tempers were hot at that moment, it didn’t take long for things to cool off.

Players on both sides were seen shaking hands and exchanging pleasantries just moments later.

With McCarthy aiming to set a disciplined tone in his first year in Pittsburgh, maintaining that competitiveness without crossing the line will be crucial.

The Steelers next pre-season matchup comes against the New York Jets, before they open the season against the Atlanta Falcons on 18 September.