(Photo by Joe Sargent/Getty Images)
Steelers president Art Rooney II spoke with members of the Pittsburgh media on Friday, and he was asked about the future of defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who missed the entire 2021 season with a knee injury. Tuitt had knee surgery in September, and according to reports, it was an injury that built up over time. Tuitt was also dealing with a personal tragedy, as his brother, Richard Bartlett III, 23, was killed in a hit-and-run car accident in June.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Bartlett died after he was struck by a car while trying to secure a mattress and box spring to the top of a vehicle along McGinnis Ferry Road about 9:30 p.m. on June 2. The hit-and-run remains under investigation.
Rooney said the Steelers will be speaking with Tuitt in the next few weeks to determine how both parties want to move forward, including whether Tuitt wants to continue playing football.
Keith Butler, who retired last week, said on 93.7 The Fan this past Monday that he doesn't know if Tuitt will be back this year.
“I really don’t know. That’s going to be up to (Art) Rooney II. I have no idea," Butler said. "I don’t know where he is set mentally. That’s something very private. We didn’t know a whole lot about (it). We just took it for granted that the thing that 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.”
Per Alan Saunders of Steelers Now, Tuitt's Pine Township home is under contract to be sold, according to real estate and property records. The home was listed for sale on Jan. 16 and placed under contract on Jan. 22.
The news of Tuitt selling his Pittsburgh-area home doesn't mean he's done with the Steelers, but it's definitely something to keep note of.
Tuitt has a $13.9 million cap hit in 2022.