Two brothers, second chances and a different kind of Steel Curtain

FORTY-FIVE MILES southbound of Pittsburgh, a antheral volition click connected the TV successful his country conscionable aft 8 p.m. Thursday to ticker the Pittsburgh Steelers instrumentality connected the Cincinnati Bengals successful a prime-time divisional matchup.

It's a country not dissimilar thousands unfolding crossed Western Pennsylvania, though determination are differences. He won't beryllium wearing a achromatic and golden jersey oregon twirling a Terrible Towel. Those aren't allowed here. That's due to the fact that this antheral is watching from his compartment astatine State Correctional Institute-Fayette, a maximum information situation that presently houses 1,991 incarcerated men from crossed the commonwealth.

Unlike galore of the men astatine SCI-Fayette, who ticker the nighttime games successful their cells oregon stitchery for Sunday day kickoffs successful the time rooms, this antheral is not a lifelong Steelers fan, but helium does person a lifelong enslaved with 1 of the players suiting up for Pittsburgh this season.

Wayne Smith, the older member of Steelers choky extremity Jonnu Smith, volition beryllium intently watching Thursday's game, relishing the accidental to ticker his small member unrecorded retired his dreams connected the biggest stage. For astir of his 10-year stint astatine the prison, pursuing his condemnation successful 2015 of third-degree execution and different charges, Wayne has watched Jonnu successful lone a fistful of games, astir of them prime-time nationalist broadcasts.

But this year, coincidentally his past twelvemonth of incarceration, Wayne has been capable to ticker each azygous 1 of Jonnu's games, including the Thursday nighttime crippled for the archetypal clip since the games moved to Amazon successful 2022. That's due to the fact that the situation is successful the Steelers' section broadcast market, which means that not lone does Wayne get entree to Sunday games, but helium tin besides ticker the simulcast of the Thursday nighttime crippled connected section television.

It's a infinitesimal Wayne, 35, started imagining since learning that Jonnu, 5 years his junior, was being traded to the Steelers from the Miami Dolphins implicit the summer.

"It was God moving the chessboard," said Karen Smith, Wayne and Jonnu's mom, who spoke with ESPN this week. "I was stunned. And each of america conscionable talked astir it, the full family, we could not judge it, due to the fact that they'll beryllium successful the aforesaid authorities now. How ironic is that? And they'll beryllium capable to spot each different more. He'll beryllium capable to ticker his member play. And adjacent Wayne said that, 'I get to spot him play the full game, not conscionable the highlights.'"

A week ago, different infinitesimal the 2 brothers envisioned came to fruition, too, erstwhile Jonnu brought a radical of six Steelers teammates to the situation not lone to sojourn with Wayne, but besides to conscionable with much than 100 inmates, perceive to their stories and present them to resources that could assistance with their reentry to nine aft release. For the brothers, the sojourn wasn't conscionable astir their family, it was besides the continuation of a committedness to work and 2nd chances that Jonnu has embodied and prioritized passim his life, and it acceptable a instauration for unprecedented outreach by the Steelers enactment to the often underserved and stigmatized situation communities.

"His bosom wants to assistance people," Karen said of Jonnu. "Naturally, helium has that successful him. Some of our ways are conscionable innate. We're conscionable calved with it. Jonnu has a bosom to assistance others. He volition bash outreaches for everyone. When helium did this, I knew helium and Wayne talked astir it. And I cognize that it was thing that they wanted to do, but it was not conscionable for Wayne. Jonnu is funny successful radical evolving for the better."

THE PAST NINE months of Jonnu's beingness were punctuated by 2 telephone calls.

The archetypal came successful January arsenic Jonnu played successful his archetypal Pro Bowl Games. He was successful Orlando, Florida, erstwhile helium got the telephone that Wayne's condemnation was eligible to beryllium reduced.

"It conscionable evidently made the play acold amended than I ever imagined," Jonnu said.

Convicted successful 2015 of third-degree execution and charges of aggravated assault, possession o...