Pittsburgh Steelers

Stud Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster got a Hail Mary attempt from a high school girl looking to spice up her promposal, and as expected ... he came through big-time.

Here's how it went down -- Cate Bauer, a junior at Manasquan High School in New Jersey, hit up JuJu on Instagram earlier this week to see if he would help with asking her BF Brian Mason, who attends another local school, to her prom.

Since Brian and his family are diehard Steelers fans, JuJu was happy to assist ... and decided to pull it off with a surprise FaceTime call Friday.

Check out the vid -- the plan goes off without a hitch, and not only is Brian stoked (and he says yes) ... but his dad totally geeks out too!

JuJu's reward for his good deed -- as he tells everyone -- is a cruise to Mexico. Hopefully he takes Brian's dad's advice down there.

NFL star Joe Haden says he wants a pair of super rare (and expensive) "Back to the Future" sneakers for his epic collection, but there's 1 problem ...

The $10K he wants to throw down ain't gonna cut it!!

FYI, Haden recently shared a pic of his shoe-seum ... so when we saw him leaving Delilah in L.A., we had to ask if there was a Mona Lisa out there he needed to have.

Joe told TMZ Sports he wanted Nike's Marty McFly shoes ... and he'd be willing to drop "about 10 bands" to get 'em.

Problem is ... Haden specifically said he wanted the self-lacing 2016 joints -- which are currently going for around $30K. The 2011 first editions are closer to $10k a pop.

Le'Veon Bell says he doesn't wanna play anywhere but Pittsburgh ... but he wants a long-term deal ASAP 'cause the whole process is wearin' him out.

"I just wanna get a deal done. I'm tired of having to deal with this every year," Le'Veon told TMZ Sports at EA Sports' Pre-Super Bowl party in Minny.

Remember -- Bell skipped the entire preseason 'cause he wanted the Steelers to pay him what he's worth. Ultimately, he ended his holdout and signed the franchise tag for $12 mil.

But good news for Steelers fans -- the superstar RB told us they're "in a better spot" with negotiations than last offseason ... so stay tuned.

JuJu Smith-Schuster is playin' with fire!!!

The Pittsburgh Steelers rookie WR was asked to take a pic with a fan who happened to be wearing a Tom Brady jersey ... and he obliged.

BUT, HE SNUCK IN A MIDDLE FINGER AIMED RIGHT AT #12!!

JuJu posted the pic on social media with the caption, "rt when you see it."

Yeah, we see it!!

It's funny -- gotta wonder if Mike Tomlin's laughing about it, too (hint: no).

BTW, JuJu lit up the Patriots when they played in Week 15 -- racking up 6 catches for 114 yards including a 69-yard crossing route that ALMOST won the game for the Steelers.

They ended up losing 27-24 when Big Ben threw a pic from the 7-yard line with time running out in the 4th quarter.

A Jacksonville bakery is rubbing salt in the wound after the Steelers' playoff loss to the Jaguars -- sending Ben Roethlisberger a care package of fresh-baked turnover pastries!!

Ouch.

"We appreciated the turnovers you gave us over our season so in return we wanted you to get a TASTE of 7 turnovers," Cinotti's Bakery wrote to Roethlisberger.

"So here are our very best apple, blueberry and cherry turnovers!"

To be fair ... Big Ben actually played pretty well against the Jags -- throwing for 5 TDs and almost 500 yards -- but he did turn the ball over twice, and 7 times total when you include their regular-season game.

The Steelers are favored by a touchdown for their NFL playoff showdown with the Jags -- but do the boys in Black in Yellow score bigger off the field, too?

For the answer, we here at TMZ Sports have compiled the best of both team's red-hot WAGS ... and we gotta say, this one's going down to the wire.

But, judge for yourself ... using these shots of their better halves in bikinis and other attire -- but mostly bikinis.

Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley had a messed up New Year's Eve -- he and his wife were escorted out of a bar during an NYE scuffle ... with Todd reportedly injuring his hip in the process.

The Pittsburgh Police Dept. have confirmed cops were called to the Tequila Cowboy restaurant just after midnight "for a minor scuffle involving Haley's wife."

"The scuffle was quickly ended. Todd Haley was not involved nor injured. Todd and Christine Haley were escorted out. No injuries. No charges."

But the drama continued OUTSIDE the bar, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport who says Todd was shoved to the ground in a 2nd altercation.

The Pittsburgh Steelers confirmed Todd was injured -- but expect him to return to work this week.

So far, no arrests have been made.

Haley's not the first Steelers coach to be involved in a bar fight -- last January, Joey Porter was arrested outside of a Pittsburgh bar after getting into it with a bouncer. He eventually pled guilty to disorderly conduct.

It's unclear if Pittsburgh Steelers LB Ryan Shazier will ever walk again -- but he's got a new ally who knows EXACTLY what he's going through ... Eric LeGrand.

LeGrand -- a former Rutgers football player -- was paralyzed in 2010 while making a tackle on a kickoff in a game against Army.

He busted his ass in rehab and made tremendous progress in his recovery -- Eric vows to walk again.

Now, LeGrand tells TMZ Sports ... he's already reached out to Shazier to offer any assistance he can provide to the NFL player -- whether it's advice, friendship or doctor recommendations.

"We're sending him a bunch of Team LeGrand stuff. I'm sending him my book and I'm hoping everything works out well for him because he's in our prayers and we're there for him."

Nick Young says it's painfully obvious why the Patriots are so damn successful -- the NFL's CHEATING FOR THEM.

On the same night as his accidental Iggy Azalea reunion, we also got Swaggy P to weigh in on the controversial Pats-Steelers ending from last Sunday.

Young told us Pittsburgh got screwed on the overturned TD call ... not like it surprised him.

"Yeah man, they got cheated," Young told TMZ Sports. "They always cheat for the Patriots ... they can't do no wrong."

Swaggy even speculated the NFL might have its own Tim Donaghy problem ... saying gambling probably played a role in the Pats getting the W.

Claudia Jordan's taking a serious shot at Ben Roethlisberger before his Steelers take on her Patriots this Sunday ... pointing to past sexual assault allegations against the QB.

"Steelers, your quarterback is very questionable. He should be in jail," Claudia told TMZ Sports outside Delilah in L.A.

Remember -- Big Ben was accused of sexual assault by two separate women in 2008 and 2010 ... but no criminal charges were brought against him in either case.

But, the former 'Real Housewives of Atlanta' star clearly ain't buying Roethlisberger's innocence.

Mike Mitchell's scathing video takedown of the NFL -- and Commissioner Roger Goodell -- is resonating with other players ... especially two guys on the New Orleans Saints.

TMZ Sports spoke with Saints CB Sterling Moore and LB Craig Robertson before they played the Falcons in Atlanta on Thursday ... and they both made it clear they stand by Mitchell.

FYI, Mitchell -- safety for the Pittsburgh Steelers -- went off on the NFL and Goodell over recent suspensions and fines levied against defensive players. The video went viral.

But if you don't care about the league drama ... watch the video anyway -- these guys are hilarious!

Big day for Pittsburgh Steelers WR JuJu Smith-Schuster ... the 20-year-old is FINALLY licensed to drive a car.

For some reason, the NFL rookie never got around to getting his license when he was 16 ... and had been using a bike (which was recently stolen) to get back and forth to the Steelers training facility.

UNTIL NOW!!

JuJu hooked up with the Rogers School of Driving in Pittsburgh -- and trained up to get behind the wheel. He tweeted, "Your boy finally did it ... just got my license!"

Just make sure you get a car with an alarm system ... okay JuJu??

Pittsburgh Steelers WR Martavis Bryant let his Instagram fingers go wild Sunday night -- dissing' his teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster while complaining about the team.

FYI, the Steelers WON on Sunday -- beating the Bengals 29-14 ... but Bryant only caught 1 pass for 3 yards and is clearly pissed he's not getting the ball more. He reportedly requested a trade last week.

When someone on Instagram told him his WR teammate "[JuJu Smith-Schuster is] better" -- Bryant fired back, "Juju is no where near better than me fool all they need to do is give me what I want and y’all can have juju and who ever else."

JuJu caught 2 passes for 39 yards and a TD in Sunday's victory.

Moments later, the damage control had already begun ...

"@juju is the future and got great talent and is going to be one of the best to play the game I want him to get his I just want mines period point blank."

Bryant -- who missed the entire 2016 season due to drug violations -- added, "Ain’t nobody did nothing to get me back I worked my ass off to get myself back with no help and little support period in due time the process will show."

Hines Ward is calling BS on all that Ben Roethlisberger retirement talk ... saying his old QB still has "plenty left in the tank" -- enough to win a Super Bowl.

Big Ben admitted he contemplated hangin' 'em up after the 2016 season -- but decided to come back. Then there was the "maybe I don't have it anymore" comment earlier this month.

But Ward ain't buyin' any of that retirement garbage -- telling TMZ Sports #7 is still a championship-caliber player, period.

Fresh out the shower ... here's Pittsburgh Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell spittin' bars in the team locker room -- in a towel.

With Antonio Brown as hype man, Bell and a few other players fired off some lyrics in a team cypher -- with Le'Veon rapping about everything from money, to girls to his hairdo.

Bell is experienced when it comes to rap -- he's released several tracks under the name "Juice" ... and it's good stuff.

Ben Roethlisberger says he actually LOST SLEEP over the way the Pittsburgh Steelers handled the national anthem situation on Sunday ... and wishes he wouldn't have stayed in the tunnel.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had said before the game that the team would "not participate" in the anthem to protect the players from having to take a public stance on the issue.

All but one of the players stayed out of sight -- the exception being offensive lineman Alejandro Villanueva (a retired Army Ranger) ... who stood on the field.

Now, Big Ben -- who stayed in the tunnel during the "Star Spangled Banner" -- says he regrets not joining Villanueva.

"The idea was to be unified as a team when so much attention is paid to things dividing our country, but I wish we approached it differently," Roethlisberger said.

"We did not want to appear divided on the sideline with some standing and some kneeling or sitting."

"As a team, it was not a protest of the flag or the Anthem. I personally don’t believe the Anthem is ever the time to make any type of protest."

"I appreciate the unique diversity in my team and throughout the league and completely support the call for social change and the pursuit of true equality."

"Moving forward, I hope standing for the Anthem shows solidarity as a nation, that we stand united in respect for the people on the front lines protecting our freedom and keeping us safe."