Mark Madden: An open letter to Hines Ward

To: Hines Ward, somewhere besides Canton

From: Mark Madden, Pittsburgh

Dear Hines:

I bet you remember me. I called you “Whines Hard” and lampooned your unbridled ego. When you unfairly threw Ben Roethlisberger under the bus over concussion issues, I said so. I made fun of your lame pursuit of 1,000 receptions, one 2-yard catch at a time. (That would fit in great now.) I pointed out that being “the best blocking receiver in football” might net the Steelers all of 30 extra yards per season.

That’s only the highlights. I was rough on you. It was fun.

You had fun, too. You went on HBO and lambasted me for my criticism — you even cited “Whines Hard” — and complained that I never gave you the opportunity to respond. That’s not true and, anyway, HBO gave me no chance to respond. You got me fired from my Sunday-night TV gig with WTAE-TV and tried to get me canned from my radio job at WXDX-FM.

No complaint. If I could have got you cut, I would have. If I could keep you out of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, I would. But I won’t have to. They don’t give a damn about that “best blocking receiver in football” stuff, either.

But, wow, the Steelers could sure use you now.

I mean that figuratively, not literally. (But, at 44, you’d be better than Ryan Switzer was.)

You were petty and conceited. You labeled yourself “the leader of the wideouts,” even though nobody else did. You were your own biggest fan to the onset of nausea.

But on gameday, in the locker room, and on the practice field, you never put anything ahead of the team. You never cheated the Steelers or their fans for effort, focus and attitude.

Had social media been omnipresent in your prime, I don’t know how you would have handled it. But had you indulged “branding” the way today’s players do, you had two rings and a Super Bowl MVP to hang your hat on. You were possessed by success and winning. Not TikTok.

Maybe I didn’t respect that enough. I do now.

You have JuJu Smith-Schuster and Chase Claypool to thank for that. When their careers end, they will have branding and a lot of money (for a while). You have a legit legacy. When it comes to Canton, you’re pretty near even if you’re not plumb. Those two will be nowhere close.

Their branding isn’t even big-money branding. Baker Mayfield does mainstream commercials on network TV. These two play video games on Twitch for chump change. They’re nickel-dimers.

Smith-Schuster will likely sign with the New York Jets this offseason. Not for football, obviously. The Jets stink. (You know that. You coach there. You won’t fix him.) Smith-Schuster wants to take his brand to a larger market.

I made a bet: I got the New York media giving 11. It’s a lock. They will eat Smith-Schuster alive.

Smith-Schuster danced on the foe’s logo before games for TikTok content till it became Buffalo’s rallying cry en route to victory, and his fumble helped lose a game at Cincinnati. He was told not to, but his immaturity and petulance remained. He famously said “the Browns is the Browns.” Cleveland utterly humiliated the Steelers in that playoff game, leading 28-0 in the first quarter.

Afterward, Mayfield yelled, “The Brown is the Browns!” His teammates danced like Smith-Schuster. A little better than he does, actually.

Less than 24 hours after Cleveland demolished the Steelers, Claypool went on TikTok (of course) and said, “It’s all good” because the Browns were going to get “clapped” by Kansas City next game.

Hines, you saw that game. From a Steelers perspective, was it “all good”?

Claypool doubled down later, calling the Browns “classless” because of their response to Smith-Schuster being classless. Then, on Twitter, Claypool chickened out, saying, “Talked to some friends on the Browns and it’s all love.” He is not brave enough to be a jerk.

Smith-Schuster and Claypool are AB Jr. and AB Jr. Jr., except not nearly as good. Half the impact, the same aggravation. Like lite beer.

You were always Hines Ward. You produced. You won. You led.

These Steelers have no leaders. When Smith-Schuster was told to knock off the pre-game dance routine, 11-year NFL veteran Joe Haden said, “Let my dawg dance.” What would you have said?

Hines, I hope this letter finds you, and finds you well. Next time you’re in Pittsburgh, let’s have a beer at one of your restaurants. Oh, wait, they both went under.