Steelers Star Linebacker Cam Heyward To Sit Out "Hard Knocks" Season

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive lineman Cam Heyward has made it clear he is not looking forward to cameras following the team throughout the 2024 season.

Longtime Pittsburgh Steelers star defensive lineman Cam Heyward has made it clear he is not looking forward to cameras following the team throughout the 2024 season.

"I hated it. I don’t want to be on this," Heyward told the "Not Just Football" podcast when he spoke about his initial reaction to the news that the Steelers would be one of the teams featured in the in-season iteration of the popular docuseries.

Steelers Star Linebacker Cam Heyward To Sit Out "Hard Knocks" Season

Heyward is scheduled to enter the 2024 season under the final year of his four-year contract with the Steelers. The 35-year-old has been with the Steelers since the franchise drafted him in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

The six-time Pro Bowler cited concerns about the potential negative impact the show could have on the Steelers' locker room dynamic. Heyward specifically pointed to the possibility of conversations being aired that may be shown without proper context.

Steelers Star Linebacker Cam Heyward To Sit Out "Hard Knocks" Season

"The locker room is the locker room, and I just don’t want that getting messed up. There’s so many inside jokes, so many people," Heyward said. "There’s so many people, like, you would assume everybody’s a jerk if you heard everything. But it comes from a loving place, and it comes from a caring place. We all want to be better, and we joke a lot. We poke and prod at each other, but it doesn’t always come off that way. And so, that’s the only thing I really worry about."

The Steelers open the season on Sept. 8 against the Atlanta Falcons.

Steelers Star Linebacker Cam Heyward To Sit Out "Hard Knocks" Season

Three different versions of the long-running series will air this year.

"HBO's Hard Knocks: Offseason with the New York Giants" premiered on July 2. The Chicago Bears training camp and preseason will be documented in the traditional five-part format beginning in August.

Lastly and for the first time ever, the show will follow all four teams that compete in the same division – the AFC North – throughout the regular season for "Hard Knocks: In Season." Aside from the Steelers, the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals compete in the AFC North division.

The Steelers are not the first team to have reservations about being featured on "Hard Knocks." In 2020, the Las Vegas Raiders declined to participate in the show, citing concerns about potential distractions.

The Raiders' decision came after the show's producers had already begun filming training camp. The Raiders were replaced by the Los Angeles Rams, who went on to win the Super Bowl that season.

It remains to be seen whether the Steelers' decision to sit out "Hard Knocks" will have a similar impact on their season. However, it is clear that Heyward is not a fan of the show and does not believe that it is in the best interests of the team.

Only time will tell whether the Steelers will regret their decision to sit out "Hard Knocks." But for now, it is clear that Heyward is not looking forward to the cameras following the team throughout the 2024 season.