Steelers Daily Links: AB Fires Coach after 1 Week; Franco as Street Art

Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown’s tenure as the Albany Empire’s owner continues to be a head-scratching adventure. After just one game and less than a week on the job, Pete Porcelli was fired as the head coach of the Empire, according to Rodger Wyland of WNYT. Porcelli told Wyland he will remain with the Empire in an advisory role. Mo Leggett is being targeted as the next head coach.

Brown was supposed to play in the team’s game on Saturday, but did not after paperwork was not turned into the league on time. Brown blamed Porcelli for the error.

🏈 ESPN: Jeremy Fowler of ESPN “senses” that free agent wide receiver Deandre Hopkins will be open to reuniting with Deshaun Watson in Cleveland. Hopkins earned first-team All-Pro honors in all three seasons that he played with Watson in Houston.

🏈 Pro Football Talk: George Pickens is aiming for the Pro Bowl after getting “snubbed” last year.

“Year two goals are Pro Bowl, and I feel like last year I feel like I got snubbed, because there wasn’t a lot of guys in there at the Pro Bowl that excited me,” Pickens told Bo Marchionte of college2pro.com. “Then, [I want to go to] the Super Bowl. The two bowls. A lot of RAC, run after catch. Two bowls for sure.”

🏈 Le’Veon Bell commented on his touchdown from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2016 wild card win over the Miami Dolphins, in which he displayed incredible patience.

“99.9% of other Running Backs are running into the back of the Left Tackle and it would be a TFL … I made everybody play at my pace,” Bell tweeted.

99.9% of other Running Backs are running into the back of the Left Tackle and it would be a TFL … I made everybody play at my pace https://t.co/Ul76PRq7Go

— Le'Veon Bell (@LeVeonBell) May 29, 2023

🏈 Chalk artist Erik Greenawalt of North Huntington created a three-dimensional image of the late Steelers legend Franco Harris at the second annual Pittsburgh Riverwalk & Chalk Fest held on the North Shore over the weekend.

Chalk Franco pic.twitter.com/81XYbBkyIm

— Ben Schmitt (@bencschmitt) May 28, 2023

AROUND THE NETWORK

Pittsburgh Sports Now: Incoming Pitt freshman Kenny Johnson was the MVP of the Big 33 game.,

West Virginia Sports Now: A WVU fan has sparked some debate with a helmet concept.

Nittany Sports Now: Class of 2025 OL Hardy Watts was “taken aback” by his Penn State offer.

Pittsburgh Hockey Now: The Penguins will hire a GM first, then a director of hockey operations.

Pittsburgh Baseball Now: The Pirates have crashed back below .500 with a Memorial Day disaster against San Francisco.

Pittsburgh Soccer Now: The Riverhounds won their fifth straight, beating Loudon United, 1-0.