Former Pittsburgh Steelers player Ziggy Hood prevents potential school tragedy

Evander “Ziggy” Hood entered the NFL as the 32nd pick in the first round by the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2009. The defensive lineman played ten seasons with five different organizations from 2009 until his retirement following the 2018 football year.

Hood had a long football career where he gained plenty of fans away from the gridiron thanks to his strong effort on the field. Now, the 36-year-old Amarillo, Texas native has a different title than football player. He’s the Biology teacher for Palo Duro High School in his hometown while also doubling as a defensive line coach for the local football team.

But Hood recently noticed one of his students who had his own battles he’d been fighting. It was during a conversation with this young individual that Hood realized there was something much more serious going on.

“After talking with him for a little bit, trying to explain to him, there’s multiple ways of going about this. And one way was not the way which he had planned.”

Local reports indicate a weapon was later found on school campus, leading to a student being arrested, but had it not been for Hood making a connection, the situation could have turned worse.

But Hood isn’t seeking credit. He wants that to go to the police department’s liaison officers who helped keep the school safe.

“Officers Matthews and Pedraza did a wonderful job that day, they protected everybody. I’m just glad that he didn’t get hurt, somebody else didn’t get hurt, or multiple people, you know, didn’t get hurt.”

If there’s one message Hood has to share from the experience it’s to “talk to somebody.” As he says, “You don’t want to make a permanent decision based off a temporary motion.”

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Kendrick Green has had his ups and downs in his short time with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The Peoria native got a chance to show a new side — fittingly — under the Friday night lights, where the 6-foot-2, 315-pound former University of Illinois lineman took snaps at fullback during a team scrimmage at Latrobe Memorial Stadium just outside Pittsburgh.

Green laid out some big hits while blocking and even caught a pass, much to the delight of almost 14,000 fans.

“It’s just something coach wanted to see, it might be the end of it,” Green told Jeff Hathhorn of KDKA-FM 97.3 The Fan. “It was a good time. It was fun. We knew we were doing that today, it may have been a today thing only.”

 

Despite Green’s admission, the idea is not too far-fetched. According to Steelers Depot, the team’s undrafted rookie free agent Monte Pontebaum unexpectedly retired this week. The site also said former fullback Derek Watt is a free agent and is unlikely to rejoin the team. Another fullback option is tight end Connor Heyward, who played running back in college.

And this isn’t the first time the idea of Green lining up in the backfield has been broached. Former NFL linebacker Vince Williams said in May that Green’s athleticism makes him a great candidate to slide into the role — comparing him to former Steelers player Roosevelt Nix.

Green also said Friday he played some scout team fullback last season when the Steelers were preparing to face the Baltimore Ravens and their big back Patrick Ricard, a 6-3, 311-pound bruiser.

“I was doing him on scout team,” Green told SteelersNow.com, “so I caught one last year.”

Green’s athleticism is no surprise to his fans in Peoria. While at Peoria High, Green was a three-sport athlete, adding baseball and wrestling to his work as an all-state defensive lineman. He eventually moved to offensive line with the Illini, where he became an all-American guard.

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Green, 24, was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft and immediately played a role. He started his rookie season at center in the final season for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, a likely Hall of Famer. In 2022, Green moved to guard and made the 53-player roster but was inactive for all 17 games.