Exclusive with Garrett Webster, Son of Steelers’ Hall of Fame Center, Mike Webster

First, can you let us know a little about you?

I’m not great talking about myself. It’s been 20 years since my dad passed away, My family has been on pause  as we waited for the final decisions on the lawsuit with the NFL – trying to figure out where we go no from here,

For me – I feel like I don;’t know what I do from here – I’m in a state of arrested development – at least that’s how I feel. I don’t have much of a direction – I’m just not sure if it’s generational  – or what we’ve been through or both.

Past generations – I feel like they knew what they were going to do early in their lives. They had more direction – my dad was going  to be a football player and if that didn’t work out he knew he would be a soldier or a farmer. He was a Wisconsin boy and always enjoyed talking about tractors and irrigation techniques. I never had that kind of direction. I think many in my generation were just paralyzed by the opportunities.

Was your dad surprised to get the opportunity to play football?

He never thought he would be drafted, He found out when someone heard it on the radio and told him he was drafted. He was invited to the Cowboys pre-draft tryouts and bragged about that until someone told him that was something every player was invited to go do then.

You told me earlier about the issues your family has had dealing with the lawsuits and compensation for your dad’s health issues. Can you talk more about where it all stands now?

It’s been going on for years now. The delays all got used up and the NFL finally asked for a mediator through a special counsel. They were afraid to open up Pandora’s Box through a lawsuit because the stature of limitations was over for the lawsuit and it could have had longer-reaching effects.

Can you go into detail on what you mean by that?

There was no straight answer as to why my dad wasn’t included in the lawsuit with the NFL. On a show some years ago Chris Seager was asked by Bryan Gumbel why my dad and only two others weren’t included in the players’ CTE  lawsuit with the NFL.  Why the cut off date for those included was for those that passed away in 2006 or after. Only three players weren’t included in the lawsuit – and all were Steelers. My dad, terry Long, and Justin Strelczyk. They gave no reason why the cutoff date was 2006 and not before. My dad for example passed away in 2002. It was just an arbitrary cutoff date. It was like an “FU” to the three families, in my opinion.

Did the NFL Player’s Association step in at all?

The truth of the matter is the union and the NFL are one and the same. There’s no sports union that does less for it’s players the the NFL’s. If someone gets fined in any other sport the union comes to their defense and gets the fines lessened. But not the NFL’s. It’s been that way for years. And the union doesn’t represent past players- just current ones. They don’t care as much for what happens to the past guys.

Have the Steelers players and organization been supportive?

Really it’s improved over the past four years. They’ve helped us more and been there for us and invited us to games. That didn’t happen for 15 or more years.

When my dad passed in 2002, we didn’t hear much of them for years. No tickets to games- not that we couldn’t buy our own tickets – but they didn’t reach out even for preseason games. But that’s in the past.

Honestly, I never heard from many of his teammates. Franco would check in with us every now and then. Tunch and Craig Wolfley would check in sometimes via social media. Dermontti was nice to us. But no one else checked in with us to see how we were doing.

Why do you think that is?

A lot of it – and I’m not bitter about it – I understand it’s tough for them too for a lot of reasons. CTE – it’s like having someone in your family with an addiction – it’s often so sad you just avoid it. I was also told by some people that they thought he might have been on drugs or even faking his issues. I even heard some people say they thought he was rich – that he stowed away a lot of money and just wanted attention.

Why did all of that stuff come up?

He was a proud guy – he didn’t want others to know he was struggling. He would go to reunions with the other guys and would take loads of painkillers to make himself seem ok. They would see him and think he was fine. So that was part of it. I also think others were hurt that he didn’t come to him with his struggles – that he didn’t reach out to them for help.

And I also think some were just scared that it could be happening to them too.

Do you have any good memories of your dad’s playing time? I know you were young when he played.

It’s funny – I’m the sports fan of the family. But he didn’t talk much about his time on the field. I remember him more as a dad. I do remember his last game when he said he was going to retire. The Steelers sent a limo for us and I remember they had juice for us in the car.

I also remember once going to the Steelers locker room after a game – the smell of sweat and athletic tape – and seeing a huge turf burn all the way up John Stallworth’s leg. I couldn’t even imagine what that felt like.

He was also very proud of Dermontti Dawson.

How so?

The Steelers wanted Dermontti to play guard at first. It’s a funny story. They had us do a project when I was in high school – mine was on the ultimate players my dad would want if he could build his own team. He said Dermontti Dawson and I stopped him and got upset – he was the guy I felt took his job away and drove him out of Pittsburgh, He got mad at me and told me he was so proud of Dermontti – that he told the team anyone could play guard – that Dermonttii could be a great center. He helped pass the reins over to Dermontti and was proud of that. That was a surprise to me.

Why did your dad decide to go to Kansas City after he retired?

1988 was the year Art Rooney died – he and my dad were very close. My dad had an asshole for a father who was very abusive. He looked up to Art – he admired him. My mother said all of my dad’s agreements with guys he hired were handshake deals – just like Art.

When Art died -that was also the year of the strike and free agency. Dan came in and ran the team more like a business. I think my dad was hurt by that – that he wasn’t asked back – wasn’t welcomed back by the team. When he retired I think he expected to be asked back to coach – to do something. He would have been happy if they asked him to mow the field. But they never reached out to him.

Is that why he went to Kansas City?

I know Green Bay offered him a coaching job – the Bengals did too. I wish I knew why he decided to play in Kansas City. I think maybe he felt he had something to prove still. You see that with guys – like Jordan. He felt he had something left I guess. But I know Schottenheimer and Kansas City in general felt bringing my dad in was a turning point for the franchise. His leadership helped show them how to win.

I think also, as  I get older I see some things more clearly now too. Football became more of a business under Dan and in general. I think that took some of the fun away from him too. And as a person you romanticize what made you happy and get angry when it goes away. I think my dad got angry at the Steelers and the game for the way it changed and for not being asked back.

Any other memories you have of your dad?

The toughest part now is that at 36, my dad has now been dead more of my life than he’s been alive. I still have some memories that are new to me.

I do remember when my sister and I were at training camp in Kansas City – catching a ball when my leg got stuck in one of the drainage grates. Marty had to stop practice and my dad and other players came over. My dad joked with me that they’d have to take my leg off before he and Neil Smith bent the bars back to free my leg.

My dad wasn’t in many highlight videos. We didn’t have recordings of the games then. One day we got a video of the 100 toughest players in the NFL. My dad was Iron Mike right? So we were all at home sitting down together watching the video, waiting to see my dad on it. Well, we watched and watched – there were punters and kickers – but no dad. He was pissed. I just remember sitting there slowly realizing he wasn’t going to be in the video. After it was aver, we were all like, ok, let’s never talk about this again.

It was also funny watching him pretend to not watch Steelers games after he was retired. When Cowher became coach he used many of Noll’s plays. My dad would watch how the players lined up and wold call the play before they snapped it.

And he was always viciously protective of Terry Bradshaw. When Terry with his self-depreciating humor would call himself dumb, he’d get angry. He was also mad at Lynn Swann when – and I don’t remember the details exactly – Lynn suggested there was a racial reason he didn’t have more passes thrown to him. Again – I’m not sure of the details – I just remember how angry that made my dad.

What stands out most to you from all of this experience and memories of your dad now?

He was so upset when Joe Gilliam died. My dad loved his teammates. He wanted to be known as a great teammate – as a great soldier. I’m proud that 99% of the people who knew him have nothing but great things to say about him. He never brought football home with him. We’d hear stories about the jokes he played on players and my mother would always say she couldn’t imagine they guy she knew doing that. I am just proud of who he was.

Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades.  To order, just click on the book: