Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey and his twin brother, Dolphins guard Mike Pouncey, have faced criticism for incidents ranging from wearing a shirt supporting their friend and accused murderer Aaron Hernandez to an accusation that they brawled in a nightclub.
But Pouncey, noting that he was never charged with the nightclub brawl and was just trying to support an old teammate with his “Free Hernandez” shirt, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review it’s unfair to judge him and his brother.
“People judge us because of our tattoos and the way we party, but they aren’t aware of the good things we do for our communities. All they see is the ‘Free Hernandez’ cap or that we’re accused of beating someone up in a nightclub,” he said. “They see us as gangsters and thugs, but we know who we are. Heck yeah, I made some stupid mistakes. I think the biggest thing is to own up to those mistakes. I decided I was going to change things, and I believe people accepted it.”
Pouncey said he and his brother aren’t interested in pleasing others.
“Mike and I aren’t going to change because everyone else thinks we should change. We’ve been doing things the right way, but everybody has some slip-ups in life,” he said. “We know people bash us about who we hang around with, but we do our jobs, and we take care of our family.”
The Pouncey brothers are good players. They’re not particularly concerned about whether anyone thinks they’re good people.
