Tag: Stephon Tuitt

Notre Dame defensive lineman Boubacar Traore now shares key feat with Stephon Tuitt

The young defensive line did something no Irish defensive lineman has done since Tuitt’s time in South Bend.

Whenever your name is mentioned in the same breath as Stephon Tuitt, that’s probably a good thing. Especially if you play defensive line for the Fighting Irish.

That’s the case for Boubacar Traore. His pick-six against Purdue was the first one for an Irish D-lineman since Tuitt did it against Michigan in 2013.

It’s the first interception for any Fighting Irish defensive lineman since Daelin Hayes in 2020, as well.

Only one time in the past 30 years has an Irish defensive lineman returned one longer for a touchdown — nose tackle Alton Maiden took one 44 yards to the house against Navy in 1994.

“I didn’t even think it was going to come to me,” Traore told the South Bend Tribune when asked about his 34-yard touchdown return of the errant Hudson Card pass. “When I saw the ball, I just had to make the best out of the situation. I got the ball and just ran.”

With fellow lineman Jordan Botelho out for the season with a knee injury, and defensive end Josh Burnham question for this week’s home game against Miami of Ohio, the redshirt freshman Traore might be on the move against the Redhawks.

If so, he told the Tribune, he’s ready.

“I already knew what to do at end because the Vyper and end position aren’t too different,” Traore said. “The preparation was still the same. I was in the playbook a little more this week. It was fun playing in the end position.”

Boubacar Traore would take this Hudson Card pass the other way to the end zone.
Purdue Boilermakers quarterback Hudson Card (1) is hit as his pass is intercepted by Notre Dame Fighting Irish defensive lineman Boubacar Traore (5) Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024, during the NCAA football game at Ross-Ade Stadium in West Lafayette, Ind.

Vyper, for those who don’t know, is a hybrid position that is essentially a rushing end.

Traore is young, but he might be able to shore up a stout but injury-plagued defensive line.

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Notre Dame great retires from NFL

Tip of the cap to Tuitt for a fantastic football career

Notre Dame has had very few players as impactful as [autotag]Stephon Tuitt[/autotag] over the last couple of decades and it was no surprise when he turned into a second round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014.

On Wednesday Tuitt announced his retirement from the NFL.

Tuitt played in 91 regular season games for the Steelers since then, starting 79 of them and recording 34.5 sacks along the way.  Tuitt also played a part on five different Steelers teams that reached the postseason.

Much speculation had been had about if Tuitt would return to the Steelers in 2022 after missing 2021 due to his brother’s untimely death and a back injury that showed up in training camp.

All the best in retirement to one of the best to ever do it at Notre Dame.

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Notre Dame and Pittsburgh Steelers Stephon Tuitt through the years

Stephon Tuitt caused havoc on opposing offenses both at Notre Dame and with the Steelers. Enjoy a look back at his stellar career here.

Although [autotag]Manti Te’o[/autotag] received the press clippings during Notre Dame’s 2012 run to a 12-0 regular season and national championship game appearance, it wasn’t a certainty that he was the best player on the Fighting Irish defense that season.

As great as Te’o was there was a defensive line that was smothering that consisted of the likes of a young [autotag]Sheldon Day[/autotag], veteran [autotag]Kapron Lewis-Moore[/autotag], and a couple of stars in [autotag]Louis Nix[/autotag] and [autotag]Stephon Tuitt[/autotag].

Tuitt went on to the longest NFL career of any player from that team and on Wednesday announced that he was hanging up his cleats for good and retiring.

Here is a look back in photo form of Stephon Tuitt during his rise to stardom at Notre Dame and during his NFL career which was spent entirely with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

 

Cole Kmet set to graduate from Notre Dame

Congrats, Cole!

It always is inspiring to see a professional athlete who left college early come back to finish their degree. Notre Dame football has had many of those in recent years, including [autotag]Jerome Bettis[/autotag], [autotag]Jaylon Smith[/autotag] and [autotag]Stephon Tuitt[/autotag]. Now, it’s [autotag]Cole Kmet[/autotag]’s turn.

Ahead of commencement at Notre Dame this weekend, Eric Hansen of InsideNDSports wrote a piece about Kmet’s academic journey. With three years as a Chicago Bears tight end under his belt, he returned to South Bend in January and moved in with his brother, [autotag]Casey Kmet[/autotag], a starting infielder on the baseball team. One semester later, he will have his degree in political science.

The next former Irish player to join the delayed graduate club appears to be [autotag]Kyle Hamilton[/autotag], who began working towards that goal during the past semester after his rookie season with the Baltimore Ravens. It’s great to know so many current and former NFL players, no matter what university they went to, are going back to finish what they started. It certainly will do a lot to dispel the notion that college athletes who turn pro early don’t care about their studies.

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Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

Stephon Tuitt announces decision to retire from the NFL

Stephon Tuitt is hanging it up.

One of the most-watched stories of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ offseason came to an end today when defensive end Stephon Tuitt made up his mind to call it quits.

The Steelers posted a statement from Tuitt on Twitter announcing his decision to step away from the game of football.

“With respect to the Steelers organization, my teammates, and coaches I would like to officially announce that I have come to the decision to retire from the NFL. I am thankful to have had the opportunity to represent the city of Pittsburgh for the past eight seasons, and am blessed to leave this game with my health. After the tragic loss of my brother Richard, and upon completing my degree from the University of Notre Dame. I know I am being called to move beyond the sport of football. I want to thank everyone for the love and support they have shown both on and off the field, and again want to thank the Rooney Family, Coach Tomlin and the entire Pittsburgh organization. It was an honor and a privilege to play for this historic team. Go Steelers.”

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Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt announces his retirement

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt announced his retirement on Wednesday.

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt announced his retirement on Wednesday.

In a statement released on social media, Tuitt stated that “[a]fter the tragic loss of my brother Richard, and upon my completing my degree from the University of Notre Dame, I know I am being called to move beyond the sport of football.”

Tuitt’s brother, Richard Bartlett III, was killed just over one year ago. He was struck by a vehicle in Johns Creek, a suburb of Atlanta, while he was securing a mattress to his girlfriend’s vehicle. As of this year, despite the efforts of law enforcement and an offer of a $17,000 reward, the case remains unsolved.

Tuitt started 15 games for the Steelers during the 2020 season, recording a career-high 11 sacks. He suffered an injury prior to the 2021 campaign, and did not suit up for Pittsburgh.

 

2022 NFL draft: Every player taken with 46th overall pick in last 10 years

What will the Vikings do with their first second-round draft pick in two years?

For the first time in two years, the Minnesota Vikings will finally be selecting a player in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.

Of course, that’s assuming general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah doesn’t green light a trade that sends the pick to another team.

The Vikings haven’t had a second-round draft pick since taking offensive tackle Ezra Cleveland with the No. 58 overall pick of the 2020 NFL draft. Since being kicked to guard, Cleveland has been solid in his role along the offensive front.

So former general manager Rick Spielman must be commended for rebounding with that pick after biting the dust on cornerback Jeff Gladney in the first round.

There’s a ton of value to be had on Friday for the Vikings with the No. 46 overall pick. Whether Adofo-Mensah can find it or not remains to be seen.

Today, we’re listing the last 10 players taken with the No. 46 pick over the last decade.

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin offers update on DE Stephon Tuitt

Mike Tomlin spoke briefly about Stephon Tuitt during today’s pre-draft press conference.

The NFL draft is just days away but one question on the mind of many has nothing to do with rookie prospects and everything to do with the status of Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

As usual, Steelers media live-tweeted from this afternoon’s pre-draft press conference featuring both head coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Kevin Colbert. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor noted that Tomlin grinned when asked about Tuitt’s status, as it’s a question he expects to hear at each media availability.

It’s well known that Tuitt’s younger brother Richard Bartlett III was killed in a hit-and-run car accident in June of 2021.

Tuitt, 28, missed all of last season for both mental and physical health purposes. Tuitt was not only dealing with a knee injury, but the Steelers were giving him the space he needed to heal mentally from the insurmountable tragedy.

Just as Tomlin said there’s no update but that Tuitt is “doing well,” there’s no update on the case of Bartlett. Because of the nature of the accident, it’s difficult to begin to solve a case without at the very least the driver’s license plate number.

“Despite the best efforts of law enforcement and a $17,000 reward for information leading to an arrest, the case remains unsolved,” Tom Reed of DK Pittsburgh Sports wrote last month.

As Colbert mentioned in a February press conference, the Steelers and Tuitt have been communicating. “We’ve been in contact with Stephon
and we’re very open to continue to help him and we will continue to evaluate that position and his availability to us. We just hope for the best for him as he tries to come back and be a part of the Pittsburgh Steelers.”

As usual, the Steelers brass is keeping Tuitt’s status close to the vest. There’s no doubt they know more than they’re leading on and, hopefully, Tuitt’s been open enough for his team to make an informed draft selection if needed.

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Ex-Steelers DC Keith Butler speaks out on Stephon Tuitt

Even those inside the Steelers organization — or were anyway — don’t know what the dadgum heck is going on with DE Stephon Tuitt. 

Even those inside the Pittsburgh Steelers organization — or were just a few days ago — don’t appear to know what the dadgum heck is going on with defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

Tuitt’s absence has been one of the great mysteries of the 2021 Steelers season (along with what happened to the supposed innovative Matt Canada offense). And despite the Steelers media’s repeated inquiries during head coach Mike Tomlin’s press conferences, the answer was always the same: “I hadn’t given it any thought.”

Tuitt had a breakout 2020 campaign in which he had a career-high 11 sacks and 25 quarterback hits. Tuitt spent the 2021 season on injured reserve and hasn’t been seen since he made a brief appearance at practice in October.

A guest of 93.7 The Fan PM Team, former Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler shed a little bit more light on the situation but nothing revealing.

“I really don’t know,” Butler said regarding a return for Tuitt. “That’s going to be up to Mr. [Art] Rooney. I have no idea. I don’t know where he is set mentally. That’s something very private that and we didn’t know a whole lot about it. We just took it for granted that what happened to him and his family was very hard on him, and he struggled with it. I hope he comes back for the team. I don’t know if he will. We’ll see what happens.”

Tuitt is entering the final year of his contract, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are on the hook for nearly $14 million.

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Still no timetable for the return of Steelers DE Stephon Tuitt

Steelers HC Mike Tomlin provided an update on DE Stephon Tuitt’s status today.

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin offered a brief update on the return of defensive end Stephon Tuitt.

Tuitt was spotted at practice earlier this month, which sparked hope that he’s close to returning. But Tomlin’s tone today was not one of optimism. “He’s still on IR and working hard,” he told Steelers media. “How close is he to returning to play? I don’t have that answer right now.”

Tomlin has never provided the nature or extent of Tuitt’s knee injury. All we know is that he had surgery to clean up damage in September.

Chris Wormley has played well in Tuitt’s place, particularly versus the run. In 115 run snaps, Wormley contributed 13 tackles and a forced fumble. Against the pass, Wormley had his best game of the season in the Seahawks game with a sack, hurry and a batted pass. The performance earned him the third-highest grade of Steelers defenders from Pro Football Focus.

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