Antwon Rose Jr.'s mother criticizes Steelers tackle Alejandro Villanueva for name change on helmet

The mother of Antwon Rose Jr. lashed out at Pittsburgh Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva on Tuesday night for not putting her son’s name on the back of his helmet for the team’s season opener one night earlier.

In a Facebook post, Michelle Kenney criticized Villanueva for not adhering to the Steelers’ decision to universally honor Rose for their nationally televised game Monday night against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers took a team vote. Obviously, one person didn’t like the results, so they chose to do something different,” Kenney wrote.

While the Steelers players agreed to support Rose, who died after being shot by an East Pittsburgh police officer in June 2018, Villanueva honored Alwyn Cashe, a former Army sergeant who was killed while on active duty in Iraq.

After initially saying the Steelers’ stance “means more to me than anything,” Kenney reversed course after discovering Villanueva covered up Rose’s name with tape and replaced it with Cashe’s name.

Villanueva, a former Army Ranger, served two tours in Afghanistan. Cashe died in 2005 at age 35 when an explosive device detonated near his vehicle. Cashe was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for valor in combat.

“I have nothing against vets and absolutely appreciate everything that they have done and continue to do for us,” Kenney wrote. “But this one person showed us exactly who he is and obviously he didn’t approve of how the vote turned out.”

Coach Mike Tomlin phoned Kenney last week to inform her of the team’s decision to honor Rose for the 2020 season. NFL teams this year were given permission for players to wear names of victims of police brutality on their helmets.

Tomlin said on Tuesday that he gave permission for Villanueva to break ranks from his teammates to honor Cashe. He said Villanueva’s decision was “in line with everything we’ve said about participating in social justice this offseason.”

Kenney wrote that she will use what she deemed as “negative press” as motivation to “hold the Pittsburgh Steelers even more accountable.”

“Yes, I believe in second chances, but as we all know I believe in putting in the work and that’s how I base my collaborations,” she wrote. “They came to me as a team/organization and I don’t care how good of an individual you are, if you are not a TEAM player, then maybe you are playing for the wrong team.”