When Steelers left tackle Alejandro Villanueva went against his teammates to wear the name of Sgt. Alwyn Cashe on the back of his helmet for the team's regular season opener, he did so with the approval of Mike Tomlin.
And the decision had no bearing on what he felt about the person whose name was on the back of the other Steelers' helmets for that game Sept. 14 against the Giants, Antwon Rose Jr., a teen shot by East Pittsburgh police in 2018.
"The decision had to do specifically with Sgt. First Class Alwyn Cashe and his pursuit of the Medal of Honor, which is something he deserves and hopefully he gets soon," Villanueva said Monday in his first interview since the helmet controversy.
Cashe died in 2005 from burns he sustained while rescuing several members of his company from a burning vehicle that had been struck by an IED in Iraq. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star. Villanueva, a West Point graduate, served three tours of duty in Afghanistan prior to joining the Steelers and also was awarded the Silver Star.
But Villanueva feels Cashe deserves one of the highest honors awarded to those who have performed military service.
"I felt my decision to honor Sgt. First Class Alwyn Cashe was something very personal to me, due to the fact in the veteran community there is a strong push to get him a Medal of Honor, which is something the community believes he deserves," Villanueva said.
"The timing was perfect in that it gave the lawmakers a little bit of momentum moving forward. The family has been waiting for 15 years to hear something from his chain of command, from Congress."
The NFL had given players permission to put the names of those affected by systematic racism or police brutality on the backs of their helmets this season. The Steelers, as an organization, chose Rose.
But when Villanueva chose to honor Cashe, some took it as the Pro Bowl left tackle doing his own thing. Or, worse, some felt it showed that he had some kind of ill feelings for Rose, even though Cashe also happens to be Black.
Rose's mother, Michelle Kenney, took to social media that day and was critical of Villanueva's decision.
"Obviously one person didn't like the results so they chose to do something different," Kenney wrote in a Facebook post that has since been deleted. "I have nothing against vets and absolutely appreciate everything they have done and continue to do for us. But one person showed us exactly who he is and obviously he didn't approve of how the vote turned out."
The reality was that a vote wasn't taken, according to Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick. The decision was made by the organization. And center Maurkice Pouncey wrote on Instagram later that week that he was unaware of some of the events surrounding Rose's death and wished he had done more research into the event to understand what had occurred.
Rose was shot while running from police during a traffic stop related to the investigation of a drive-by shooting in which it was determined he had some involvement.
"I got permission from Coach Tomlin," Villanueva said. "Issues with veterans are incredibly important. I don't feel like I do enough as an American every day to enjoy my liberties and I'm very thankful to have the support of the veteran community and the background to appreciate the freedoms we all enjoy."