PITTSBURGH — The NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers paid tribute to the Tree of Life synagogue shooting victims with custom-made cleats. The cleats feature a modified version of the Steelers logo, with its yellow star substituted with the Jewish Star of David, and the phrase “Stronger Than Hate.”
Steelers quarterback Ben “Big Ben” Roethlisberger was spotted wearing the cleats at Sunday’s away game against the Baltimore Ravens.
Nearly 100 members of the Steelers organization attended the funeral of two of the victims last week, including president Art Rooney II and head coach Mike Tomlin.
A day after the shooting, Rooney released a statement offering the organization’s support and condolences. The team held a moment of silence at their home game against the Cleveland Browns.
Tim Hindes, the artist behind the revamped logo, was a mile away from the Tree the Tree of Life Synagogue when the shooting began, he told CNN.
“I wanted it to be of resiliency and hope. It was private at first, but friends urged me to make the post public, as it resonated with them,” he said in a Facebook post.
“Before it was the logo of a globally popular football team, the three diamonds were the seal of a product which helped develop the foundation of many cities across the globe — steel. Like Pittsburgh and its residents, steel is strong,” he wrote in the Facebook post.
The logo quickly made its way around the internet shortly after the shooting. It resonated with many, including Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, who made the viral image his Twitter profile picture.
