PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers held a moment of silence inside Heinz Field before Sunday’s 33-18 win over the Cleveland Browns to honor the victims of the mass shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue on Saturday.
The respectful moment captured a somber weekend, with dozens of Steelers players posting supportive tweets Saturday afternoon. The attack happened in the neighborhood of Squirrel Hill, which is a few miles from the Steelers’ practice facility.
“Tragedy what happened to our city,” running back James Conner, a Pennsylvania native who played college football at Pitt, said after the game. “Today was much bigger than the game of football. Good we got the win to try and uplift spirits and vibes of our city. Our city took a hit today. Our hearts with all the victims and all the victims’ families. We still have them in mind.”
Defensive end Cam Heyward entered the stadium with a T-shirt featuring a heart around the word “Pittsburgh.” Many fans inside Heinz displayed a “Stronger than Hate” sign pairing the Steelers’ logo with the Star of David.
“On behalf of the entire Steelers organization, we offer our support and condolences to the families of the attack of peaceful citizens worshipping at the Tree of Life Synagogue,” team president Art Rooney II said in a statement issued Sunday morning. “Our hearts are heavy, but we must stand against anti-Semitism and hate crimes of any nature and come together to preserve our values and our community.”
Eleven were killed and several others injured during the attack.