Heyward To No Longer Wear "Iron Head" Eye Black

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward says he has decided not to wear his eye black with the words memorializing his father, "Iron Head," any more.

In a statement he posted to Twitter Tuesday night, Heyward said he doesn't want to be a distraction.

"I consider myself a team player and someone who puts others before myself, and I don't want to be a distraction to my teammates or the Steelers organization. With that, I will not be writing on my eye black going forward anymore."

Instead, he plans to honor his dad in other ways.

Heyward says he has teamed up with a company called EyeBlack, and will sell pre-designed "Iron Head" eye blacks with 50 percent of the proceeds going to charity.

Read the full statement here:

"Iron Head" was the nickname for Cam's father, Craig Heyward, who passed away from brain cancer in 2006.

Last week, Heyward was fined by the NFL for a violating their policy.

Heyward isn't alone in the Steelers' locker room either. Earlier this year, running back DeAngelo Williams was told he couldn't wear pink for the entire season to honor his mother and four aunts who passed away from breast cancer.

Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter

Read more
f

We and our partners use cookies to understand how you use our site, improve your experience and serve you personalized content and advertising. Read about how we use cookies in our cookie policy and how you can control them by clicking Manage Settings. By continuing to use this site, you accept these cookies.