Steelers cancel Friday Night Lights practice in Latrobe

The Pittsburgh Steelers won’t come to the Latrobe area for training camp, and they also have canceled their annual summer practice in the city.

Steelers director of communications Burt Lauten delivered the bad news for local fans in a tweet on Tuesday, confirming the Steelers “will not be hosting their annual Friday Night Lights practice at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. We look forward to returning to Saint Vincent College and Latrobe in 2021 for training camp.”

On June 2, in light of the covid-19 pandemic, NFL officials told teams they would have to conduct training camp at on-site facilities. That ruled out the Steelers’ mid-July travel to the Unity college campus that had been a tradition for 54 years.

Mark Mears, Greater Latrobe School District athletic director and chief organizer of the practice, learned from Steelers officials late last week that they also would not be able to travel for the Friday Night Lights event usually held in August.

The event has raised money for district athletic programs and for other local organizations, including the Latrobe Fire Department and Latrobe-GLSD Parks and Recreation. The 2018 event drew an estimated crowd of 10,000 and generated a record profit of nearly $34,000.

Mears said the proceeds from the event are an extra boon for the district, but it doesn’t count on it when budgeting for athletics expenditures.

“We just take whatever money we make and divide it up among the programs,” Mears said. “This just shows you how fortunate we were to have it.”

Mears acknowledged the loss of fans heading to Latrobe could have a greater impact on local businesses.

“The local restaurants will miss it for sure,” he said.