Mark Madden: Someone in Steelers locker room should stop JuJu's pregame logo dancing

It started with Watergate. Since then, we have affixed the suffix “-gate” to myriad controversies. Sports have been included: Bounty-gate, Deflate-gate, Spy-gate. Two of those three involve the New England Patriots, which means Bill Belichick > Richard Nixon.

Now we have JuJu-gate. If it wasn’t called that before, it is now.

JuJu Smith-Schuster wants to dance (poorly) on every team’s midfield logo before away games, using the miracle of TikTok to preserve the moment and expand his brand.

Smith-Schuster doing so at Buffalo drew the Bills’ ire. His antics were noted in postgame quotes. Quarterback Josh Allen loudly cited Smith-Schuster’s dancing (poorly) as he led his team onto the field. The Bills proceeded to whip the Steelers.

I don’t believe in the inspirational powers of bulletin-board material. Winning games and excelling at your job should be motivation enough (although for Smith-Schuster, it’s not). You would have never known the Bills were angry if they hadn’t won.

But dancing (poorly) on the foe’s logo is insulting. Smith-Schuster did it when those on Buffalo’s punting unit were present. Not their linebackers, nor anyone else who hits. That’s not coincidence.

Go into the Penguins locker room and step on the logo in the middle of the carpet. You’ll quickly learn it’s considered a faux pas.

Locals don’t think what Smith-Schuster did is a big deal. He’s just a kid having fun and living his best life, blah, blah, blah.

But how will you feel if he returns to Heinz Field after signing with another team via free agency this offseason, then dances (poorly) on the Steelers’ logo?

What you will do is overload your diaper, just like when the Terrible Towel is “dissed,” a word you use like you’re in Public Enemy.

Smith-Schuster dancing (poorly) on the opposition’s logo is the same as when Cincinnati’s T.J. Houshmandzadeh wiped his cleats with the Terrible Towel. (The Bengals reignited that tempest in a teapot by tweeting that video before the teams played Nov. 15.)

Many blame the media for JuJu-gate.

I would proudly stake claim to that, except it’s not true. Smith-Schuster dancing (poorly) on Buffalo’s logo was first brought up by Bills players. They made it a story.

Smith-Schuster has reaffirmed that he intends to keep dancing (poorly) on logos. He says it makes him “authentic.”

His stats don’t. Smith-Schuster ranks 38th among NFL pass-catchers in yards and 121st in yards per catch. He’s having an average season, no better. He’s been mediocre since 2018, when Antonio Brown absorbed most of the coverage as the No. 1 receiver.

But effective PR generated via social media definitely benefits Smith-Schuster, because many of the citizens see him as having a great year.

Smith-Schuster makes the occasional big play, as nearly every offensive weapon does. But there is no logical way to see him as anything more than average, unless you want to.

But many want to. That’s because of his constant preening on TikTok and his charitable acts, which are always publicized via video. Would those occur if a camera wasn’t present?

By the way, Smith-Schuster is no “kid.” He’s 24. He’s in his fourth NFL season. None of his shenanigans on video are anything but a calculated effort to build his brand. I liked sports a lot better when athletes were athletes, and not a “brand.”

But that’s the world we live in. Smith-Schuster’s extracurricular activities can be justified because they put money in his pocket. Whether it’s at the expense of focus on his performance can be debated, but not proven.

Smith-Schuster should stop dancing (poorly) on logos, however. If he doesn’t want to, he should be told to, either by Mike Tomlin or one of the Steelers’ leaders.

I may not believe in the impact of bulletin-board material. But coaches and players do, and don’t want to place chips on the opposition’s shoulders.

Smith-Schuster won’t be told to stop anything, however.

Brown got away with far more and for far longer. The Steelers have a laissez-faire culture. They have veterans, not leaders. There’s no James Farrior and Troy Polamalu to emphatically say what’s what. That’s residue from the Toxic Twins era. Smith-Schuster is AB Lite. (Brown cared far more about performance.)

So JuJu-gate lives on. Dance, clown, dance (poorly).