Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will pay tribute to the victims of a mass shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue by wearing special cleats for Sunday’s road game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Roethlisberger’s footwear will feature the Star of David in place of the yellow diamond in the Steelers’ logo as well as the message “Stronger than Hate” near the toe. His cleats are following the lead of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins, who wore patches with the words “Stronger than Hate” for Tuesday night’s game against the New York Islanders.
The 36-year-old Roethlisberger and his wife are close to Michele Rosenthal, who previously worked in Steelers’ community relations and assists with his foundation. Two of Rosenthal’s brothers, Cecil and David, were among the 11 victims of the shooting on Oct. 27.
Roethlisberger and linebacker Ryan Shazier were among approximately 100 current and former members of the Steelers in attendance on Thursday for the joint funeral of the Rosenthal brothers.
More than 1,000 people poured into Rodef Shalom to mourn the two intellectually disabled brothers who were killed in the shooting in Squirrel Hill, which is a few miles from the Steelers’ practice facility.
The Steelers (4-2-1) held a moment of silence before last Sunday’s 33-18 victory over the Cleveland Browns.