Steelers' Cam Heyward, Alex Highsmith Avoid Big Disaster After Man Sneaks Onto Lumen Field During Warmups

The Pittsburgh Steelers, like all NFL teams, are supposed to have very tight security that prevents random people from just walking onto the field. While we have all laughed at "streakers" or overly exuberant fans racing across the field, the reality is it compromises player safety. Who can forget the time that James Harrison tackled a wayward fan during a game against the Cleveland Browns? 

Perhaps it really isn't as hard as fans may think to pop onto the field or into a locker room. Cameron Heyward and Christian Kuntz recently shared a wild tale about a wayward fan at their own most recent game. The Steelers flew out to play the Seattle Seahawks on the West Coast for their Week 17 matchup. The game was a must-win for Pittsburgh to be able to keep their playoff hopes alive. Fortunately, the Steelers, led by third-string quarterback Mason Rudolph, were able to win 30-23.

Heyward now co-hosts a podcast called Not Just Football With Cam Heyward with his friend Hayden Walsh. They frequently have the long-snapper Kuntz on as a guest. On their most recent episode, they talked about the security being breached while they were at Lumen Field. As they were warming up, Heyward said a man appeared that no one had ever seen before. 

"We were warming up before the game, before we even get in the warm-ups, a guy makes it on the field that I don't recognize. Nobody recognizes him. First, he was in a trench coat, but he took the trench coat off and he was in a full trainers outfit. He goes and stands right next to Alex [Highsmith]. Alex is stretching, doing lunges, and whatever, and all of a sudden, I see him. He pulls out his phone and he takes a picture of me. I'm like, 'I don't know you bro, what are you doing here?' Alex asks him, 'What's your name?' He was like, 'Cam' and then he takes off running on the sideline and security has to get him," recounted Heyward.

Walsh is shocked by this story. It is the NFL, and fans aren't supposed to have total access. Heyward agrees and says that they have actually had a few people infiltrate team areas lately. 

Kuntz said that it really wouldn't be that hard to do. He said once you get in the game, you could go to the pro shop and buy the same clothes the training staff wears. He said then they could go up to the gate and tell them they were with the team and had to step out for a minute. Heyward agrees and says that they have had lots of "sneaky spies" lately.  

"Just a week ago at home, there were like two kids in our locker room, one was taking a picture. He had his phone out," said Heyward.

Walsh tried to clarify if those were possibly a player's kids. Heyward said no, they didn't belong to anyone with the team. They agreed that security might need to be tighter. 

Heyward said the guy in Seattle tried to take a game ball and stick it in his bag, but security took it back from him. But he was definitely concerned that someone could just walk up and start snapping photos, or even worse, have access to players or their belongings by entering a locker room. 

The Time Steelers James Harrison Worked Security In Cleveland

In 2005, the Steelers were playing the Browns on Christmas Eve. Nathan Mallet, a Browns fan, was drunk and angry. His team was getting walloped 41-0 by their arch-rival Steelers, and he was surrounded by Pittsburgh fans. Somehow, he managed to dodge security as he wove his way onto the field. He was jumping around with his arms up in the air like he scored. Then Harrison spotted him. 

The linebacker, who is remembered for being one of the hardest hitters in the history of football, grabbed the 6-foot, 200-pound Mallet, lifted him up, and body-slammed him. Harrison held him there until security could arrive and do their job, escorting the drunk player from the field. 

Mallett received a life ban from attending games to watch his beloved Browns play. He also received five years of supervised probation that was specifically activated whenever the Browns were playing at home. 

Ultimately, Harrison might have done Mallett a favor. Maybe the hit even knocked some sense into him. He realized his drinking problem was out of control and checked himself into rehab. It sparked a change that helped him turn his life around. The Browns even agreed to lift the ban, although over the years, there hasn't been a lot worth seeing in person. 

Are you surprised to hear that fans are so easily breaching security? Do you remember Harrison's hit on the fan?