Former Steelers OT Alejandro Villanueva Exposed Who To Blame For His National Anthem Incident

The Pittsburgh Steelers have plenty of interesting characters in the organization's history, but arguably the most interesting is Alejandro Villanueva. Villanueva was the Steelers left tackle for many years, and he made the Pro Bowl twice during his time in Pittsburgh. Before that however, he was a wide receiver, tight end, and defensive end in college at Army before finally finding his home on the offensive line. He went undrafted in 2010, and didn't appear on an NFL roster until 2014. 

After Villanueva finished school in 2010, he served in the Army, and even earned the ranking of Captain. He took about four years off from football while he served, and still managed to make an NFL roster and become one of the best in the league at his position. Villanueva was loved by Steelers fans, but he eventually found himself in hot water during the 2017 season. This was the time when players all over the league were taking a knee during the National Anthem, and the Steelers decided they wanted to stay in the locker room during that time to avoid any controversy. Villanueva wound up leaving the locker room to stand with his hand over his heart during the National Anthem for a game. 

Villanueva was praised by many for supporting his country, but overall, it was a bad look for him because he abandoned his team and veered away from Mike Tomlin's plan that was meant to keep the Steelers out of the controversy and drama around the subject. Villanueva recently spoke at an event where he shed some light on the controversy, and talked about what really happened. 

"I am known, especially by a lot of people, for the incident surrounding the National Anthem. I think those were incidents that were very, very misleading, in terms of what we were all trying to achieve as a team. The situation that I put myself in, the outcome, in a world that is trying to use the media always to pit people against each other to get more clicks."

Villanueva obviously feels that his situation was blown out of proportion by the media. When he came out for the anthem, he stayed in the tunnel and thought that he would go unnoticed, and probably thought that it wouldn't be a big deal. He couldn't have been more wrong. After that weekend's game, his jersey became one of the top selling jerseys in the NFL, and him "abandoning" his teammates became one of the major talking points in the sports world. 

Villanueva made a clear mistake when he abandoned his team's plan and left his teammates, but the world was extremely divided on the issue. Many thought Villanueva was a breath of fresh air amidst the phase when many players were kneeling during the anthem. Villanueva is an American hero that protected and served this country, his background and actions that day were a powerful duo that many loved. However, many couldn't see past him abandoning his teammates, which he has since apologized for. 

Steelers' Villanueva Downplays His NFL Career

Villanueva has had an interesting life where he has played in the NFL and served his country. To some, football is everything, but Villanueva has a unique perspective on it since he has seen war. He has spoken about his NFL career since he retired in 2021, and has even called his Pro Bowl appearances "silly." He doesn't think the Steelers and Baltimore Ravens are a real rivalry, and he experienced both sides of that feud. He tends to downplay the NFL as a whole, which is understandable due to his life experiences. 

Villanueva has a unique perspective on things, and his humbleness and attitude towards his NFL career is not something you see with a lot of other former professional athletes. Villanueva is appreciative of his NFL career, but understands there is more to life than just sports.