Steelers training camp will be in Pittsburgh, not at Saint Vincent

Jun. 24—Westmoreland County will have to wait another year to welcome back its favorite annual summer guests.

As concerns related to the waning coronavirus pandemic linger, the Pittsburgh Steelers announced Thursday that they will stage their upcoming training camp at sites in Pittsburgh for the second consecutive year. Saint Vincent in Unity had been where the team held its preseason training for 54 years until 2020.

The Steelers will split camp between Heinz Field and their UPMC Rooney Sports Complex facility on Pittsburgh's South Side.

In a statement released by the team, spokesperson Burt Lauten said the Steelers were "disappointed" they once again had to abandon their longtime summer home.

"We were prepared to safely host training camp on campus with fans," Lauten said, "but unfortunately our plan was not approved due to the NFL's covid-19 protocols."

In an email to the Tribune-Review, league spokesman Brian McCarthy confirmed that NFL/NFLPA covid protocols are what prevented the Steelers from holding camp at Saint Vincent. He declined to elaborate.

Messages left for spokespersons for the NFLPA players' union were not returned immediately.

Both the statement from the Steelers and one released by Saint Vincent on behalf of president Father Paul Taylor expressed the team and college "look forward" to camp returning to Unity in 2022.

"We are disappointed in the NFL's and NFLPA's decision regarding training camp, as one of our favorite annual traditions is welcoming the Steelers and their fans to campus," the statement from Taylor read. "The Steelers are an important part of the Saint Vincent community.

"As they begin the 2021 season, we pray for the health and safety of the entire organization and Steelers fans around the world, as well as an end to this pandemic."

All clubs in 2020 were prohibited from traveling for preseason practices, but as covid vaccination rates have risen and infection rates declined — and accompanying government restrictions lifted — the league updated policies for 2021.

In a memo the league sent to teams that was released by the NFL Network last month, the NFL said it is allowing training camps at sites away from team headquarters or stadiums in 2021. The Kansas City Chiefs and Dallas Cowboys, for example, announced they would return to camps at Missouri Western State University and Oxnard, Calif., respectively, for 2021 camps.

However, the NFL memo to teams required them to submit a full Infectious Disease Emergencies Response plan that would "demonstrate how the club will comply with NFL-NFLPA covid-19 protocols at the proposed alternate location." Among the protocols cited that would need adhered to are "air flow and filtration" as well as details on player housing and transportation.

According to Saint Vincent's website, the campus' three residence halls combine for 347 dorm rooms. Counting players, coaches and others, the Steelers' on-site staff would number no more than half that. But some rooms, of course, are used by the college and its students.

More general NFL/NFLPA covid-19 protocols that potentially created logistical challenges for a camp at Saint Vincent included that fans are prohibited from being within 20 feet of players. That would have eliminated the popular post-practice autograph-gathering and perhaps proved prohibitive to stage a practice on the first field adjacent to the bleachers at Chuck Noll Field.

Until last year, the Steelers had conducted training camp at Saint Vincent every summer since 1966. Their affiliation with the college is the second-longest in the NFL to the Green Bay Packers' 60-year association with St. Norbert (Wisc.).

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin long has made it known how much he appreciates the experience of "going away" for training camp. Throughout the offseason, team president Art Rooney II had repeatedly expressed a desire to and optimism the Steelers could return to Saint Vincent in 2021.

"We appreciate the support of Saint Vincent College and the Latrobe community," Lauten said in the team statement.

Thursday's announcement came about four weeks before the team's projected July 21 camp opening. Under normal scheduling, their camp likely would have run until Aug. 19 and likely would have been composed of as many as 19 practices on Saint Vincent's four fields.

The Steelers have access to four fields (one indoors) at their practice facility. Heinz Field was used for last week's minicamp.

Lauten's statement said the Steelers will announce plans for fans to attend Heinz Field "for a select number of practices." In recent pre-pandemic years, the Steelers staged one practice per camp at the stadium.

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Chris Adamski is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Chris by email at cadamski@triblive.com or via Twitter .