pittsburghsportsdailybulletin – Page 8 – Welcome to Steelers Takeaways!

Exclusive with Pittsburgh Musician Kellee Maize

First off what have you been up to lately – any new projects or things you’d like to promote?

I’m going to be re-releasing a lot of my music and am working on some TV projects as well – but those take a long time to do. I’m still writing music and next Summer I expect to be performing again.

I also own the Aiken House with my husband – it’s a venture house that, as we say in our tagline, turns ideas into brands. I like working with brands that, as cliche as it sounds, want to change the world.

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Exclusive with Pittsburgh Actress Heather Mazur

First off, what have you been up to lately – any new projects or things you’d like to promote?

I’m in mommy-hood now! I did just work on a couple of movies that will hopefully come out soon – one with Catherine Hardwicke and another called “Wake” with Chris Parnell and Penelope Ann Miller.

I’m still acting and looking for that next gig. If I had my druthers I’d work for a show like “The Pitt” or “Succession” – a show that’s true to life, with complex characters and backstories. The kind that people get invested in.

The market has changed so much with the strike, Covid and streaming. You have to take what you can get.

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Exclusive With Former Bengals Wide Receiver Carl Pickens

First off, what have you been up to since your playing days?

Well, I retired in January of 2001 and I’m here now in Atlanta. I’m married and living the dream. My goal was to retire and not have to work after football – I wanted to set my family up after football and that’s what I was able to do.

Now I’m doing some golfing, camping, horseback riding and riding my Harley every now and then and going to bike rallies!

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Tight End Issac Smolko, 2006

First off, what have you been up to since your time in the NFL?

After I was done playing I got into medical device sales. I’m selling neuro-modulation devices – nerve stimulators. I started because of Matt Kranchick – he asked if I could help him and I said sure – that was the start for me.

Was the post-NFL adjustment difficult?

It wasn’t difficult no. My mindset was to get to the NFL and play but I was also realistic that I wasn’t going to be a 10-to-15 year player. I knew another career was going to be needed – that I was going to have to do something else to make money.

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Exclusive with Eric Leeds, Saxophonist for Prince

First off, what are you up to now in your career?

I’m here in Minneapolis – I’m semi-retired and concentrating on projects that I really like and working on my LP Music project with my associate Paul Peterson – we both played together with Prince.

We also brought back the group The Family – we regrouped from The Family that Prince worked with in the 80’s. We call it F Deluxe now sometimes though.

And I’m a Yankees and Dodgers fan – I’m a bi-coastal baseball fan so I watch them a lot. I used to be a Pirates fan when I lived there during the height of the franchise in the 70s and 80s!

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Exclusive: Steelers Linebacker Coach Keith Butler (2003-2014)/Defensive Coordinator (2015-2021)

First off, what’s life like for Keith Butler now? Completely done with coaching?

Yes and no! I’m traveling quite a bit – seeing my grandkids, brothers and sisters. And playing a lot of golf and doing men’s Bible studies here and there.

My wife is eager to get me out the door! When you work 80-hour weeks then stop – well, she was used to having the house to herself. So it’s a tough adjustment for me, but for her too!

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Offensive Lineman Duval Love, 1992-1994

First, can you tell us what you’ve been doing since you retired from the NFL?

Basically, I’m retired now. After I retired I got married and have been able to watch my kids grow up and to be a part of their lives. I coached some of their football and hockey teams and have been happy just to be a dad.

How hard was that post-NFL adjustment for you?

It was a hard adjustment. A lot didn’t go my way. People try to take advantage of you – my ex-teammates and I talked about that – about there always being a target on our backs with the NFL logo. I had some businesses that didn’t work out, so I decided after a while to just hang out with my football friends and be with my family.

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Exclusive with Samir Suleiman, Steelers Football Administration Coordinator, 2013-2020

First off, what are you up to now?

Right now I’m just here taking care of my family and doing a lot of traveling. I’m open to getting back to the NFL or another sport if a spot opens up and working with good people.

You played first – at James Madison University – how important was that playing experience to your roles in the NFL?

It helped a lot. Playing and being in that team environment – you learn that you have to rely on your teammates no matter how good you are. That was instilled in me early on. At JMU I became very interested in scouting and evaluation. We had a few players scouts were coming in to see and I talked to them about what it took to be a scout. One suggested I write detailed scouting reports of teammates that had been drafted already and send them to coaches along with my resume. That helped me to plug in to future coaches and relate to them, having played.

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Exclusive with the SFLs Cameron Irvine, Founder of the SFL and Cory Mennor, GM of Pittsburgh Riverhogs

Cameron Irvine:

First off, how did the SFL get started?

I played a lot of video games and I always wanted to create a game that was as real as possible. To emulate what it was like to coach, catch a pass, score… When I played video games people just wanted to win and would take advantage of coding and game errors. It wasn’t life-like. Hail Mary’s on first downs, blitzing every down because it works every play….it wasn’t the experience I wanted.

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Exclusive with Former Steelers Fullback Wes Ours, 2003

First off, can you let us know what you’ve been up to since your playing days?

After I was released by Pittsburgh I played in the Arena Football League for several years with Philly and L.A. After that I was the head of PeeWee Football in Riser, West Virginia – sixth to eighth graders – for a long time. Then five years ago I moved to Fairmont, West Virginia and helped coach at the high school there. My youngest son was playing there at the time. He’s now playing at California University in PA, and I’m still here helping coach at the high school.

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