Steelers' Arthur Moats Reveals On Field Details Of Bud Dupree Chasing After Taylor Lewan For Spitting On TJ Watt In 2017

Pittsburgh Steelers fans have been on a whirlwind ride of drama, caused by a pot-stirring, Taylor Lewan. Lewan, who is a nine-year veteran offensive lineman for the Tennessee Titans, was pegged recently to possibly be an off-season acquisition for the Steelers. 

Lewan seemed to have fun and played along on Twitter with Steeler fans about possibly coming to the Steel City. He even said on the Steel Here podcast that Mike Tomlin is one of the coaches he would love to play for. 

Then out of the blue, Lewan announces on his own podcast, Bussin' With The Boys, that he once spit in Steelers star linebacker, TJ Watt's face. He snarkily said that he invited Watt onto his podcast to clear the air, but Watt turned him down. 

Perhaps Watt declined because there was nothing about Lewan's tone or words that showed he was remorseful or sincere.   

For his part, Watt declined to speak about the spitting incident. The admission from Lewan immediately drew ire from Steelers fans. The name Watt is sacrosanct in Pittsburgh and for the most part, fans defend him with extreme prejudice.

Watt's Steelers Teammate Recalls Spitting Incident

Arthur Moats was the starting Steelers linebacker when Watt was drafted in 2017. They worked closely together as Moats acted as a mentor to Watt, helping him learn the defense. Moats was there when the incident happened.  

Moats weighed in on The Arthur Moats Experience about the spitting incident:

"I was there for the story. I definitely remember though, TJ's rookie year, TJ, Bud [Dupree], me, were all ready to kill this man because of him spitting in TJ's face. Absolutely never forget it."

Moat's co-host Deke recalled seeing a video of Lewan saying that he remembered Watt and Dupree saying they would see him after the game and he said they didn't look his way. Moats tells a different version,

"He ain't stay down there, he went to the locker room. Don't get that twisted, they was definitely out there, we was all out there and he went right back to the tunnel for a fact. Yes, like in a river Bud trying to go up the tunnel and we like, 'Bro, it ain't worth it if he's gonna walk off like that."

Moats also recalled other times he'd heard that Lewan had engaged with opposing players in a negative way. He said that Lewan had altercations with Richard Sherman and Josh Norman. He said that Lewan has that kind of "energy" surrounding him. 

Regarding Lewan coming to Pittsburgh? Moats says that if TJ doesn't want Lewan in Pittsburgh, the team will consider that before trading for him:

"TJ's the man here, TJ ain't no run of the mill player here. TJ running this thing here. I don't see a lot of scenarios where your guy can spit in somebody's face and you ever come back from that."

"It's different with players, that's all. So for a fan or a media person, you might look at them like it ain't that deep. Players, we don't look at it like that. At the end of the day, I'm a man before I'm a Steeler. When you start talking spitting in somebody's face, that is where you cross the line. That's a certain level of disrespect."

Deke suggests that two players do not have to like each other to be on the same team. Moats says this is something beyond dislike. He said that is the kind of disrespect you may never get past. He feels that Watt ignoring the situation, and the recent barbs from Lewan, tells him that Watt doesn't care to fix the relationship. 

Moats says that Lewan should have just left well enough alone and not brought it up after all this time:

"Maybe he shouldn't have joked about it. It probably would have been better. Maybe it would have just been TJ remembering it, but by him bringing it up and then he's nonchalant about it? To me, I think you playing with fire."

While most fans like a player with passion and fire, no one wants someone who is blatantly disrespectful and still is five years later. Most of Steeler Nation prefers our guys to let their play do the talking for them.