Steelers CB, Former West Virginia Star Trolls Pitt Fans

As expected, Bishop's actions riled up Pitt fans and caused a bit of a firestorm on social media. The 25-year-old knew that would come with the territory, though, and boiled the entire ordeal down to the shared hatred the two schools have for one another.

"It’s a rivalry," he told reporters on Wednesday. "People aren’t going to like me based on what school I went to and that’s fine. We don’t like them guys, and they don’t like us.”

Bishop also acknowledged the vitriol that's been directed towards himself and West Virginia while likening it to the feelings that Baltimore Ravens fans have for the Steelers.

"It’s pretty self-explanatory. If you go and ask them, they probably hate me," Bishop Jr. said. "And do I care? No, not really. That's just part of it. If you ask any fan in Baltimore, what do they think about the Steelers? They hate us.”

Bishop began his collegiate career at Western Kentucky in 2018. He earned first-team All-Conference USA in 2021 with 43 tackles and three interceptions before transferring to Minnesota ahead of the 2022 season, where he logged 29 tackles in 13 games.

He transferred to West Virginia for his final year of eligibility in 2023 and was named a consensus All-American after leading the country in pass breakups and passes defended with 24 and 20, respectively, while also hauling in four interceptions.

Bishop defeated Pitt in the only Backyard Brawl he ever appeared in, as the Mountaineers topped the Panthers by a score of 17-6 on Sept. 16, 2023.

He'd go on to sign with the Steelers as an undrafted free agent and remain on the team's 53-man roster for his entire rookie season, posting 45 tackles and four interceptions in 17 contests.

Though he was unseated by Cam Sutton towards the end of the year, Bishop is in strong position to reclaim the starting slot corner job heading into the 2025 campaign.

Pitt has gotten the better of West Virginia with a 2-1 record since their rivalry was renewed in 2022, and Bishop admitted that he's engaged in banter with several Panthers alum he's become friendly with over the years.

"I've got some guys that I am cool with that I train with that went to Pitt and things like that," Bishop said. "It was kinda towards them too a little bit, you know. They talk mess to me and I talk mess to them."