Pittsburgh Star Victim Of Brutal Robbery

As Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Max Iheanachor gears up for his NFL debut, a shocking $150,000 burglary tests his resilience just days from the crucial season opener.

Pittsburgh Steelers rookie Max Iheanachor is trying to stay focused on football after a burglary at his home in the city’s Mount Washington neighborhood left him dealing with a major loss just days before the season opener.

The break-in happened on August 26, when burglars reportedly threw a rock through a window and got inside Iheanachor’s home sometime between 10:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m., according to WTAE. The intruders searched through the property and took jewelry and designer handbags. The Athletic reported the stolen items were valued between $150,000 and $250,000.

Police are still investigating, and no arrests have been made.

Iheanachor, who is set to begin his NFL career in Week 1, enters the season as Pittsburgh’s No. 2 right tackle on the depth chart. He also dealt with an injury during training camp, but he remains in position to suit up as the Steelers prepare to host the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.

The Steelers selected Iheanachor with the 21st overall pick in this year’s NFL draft. His path to Pittsburgh was anything but ordinary. He began his college career at East Los Angeles College before transferring to Arizona State, where he became one of the program’s top offensive linemen and earned All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2025.

Pittsburgh brought him in as part of its effort to rebuild the offensive line.

The burglary also fits into a worrying pattern around professional sports. In recent years, several high-profile athletes have had their homes targeted, including Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Miami Heat forward Bobby Portis.

For Iheanachor, though, the immediate task is simple: put the incident behind him and get ready for Sunday.

In Other News...

Pirates Still Have Two Lineup Questions They Cannot Dodge This Winter

As the Pirates head into another crucial winter, the familiar conversation around lineup certainty is already starting to take shape. Catcher remains a major question, with Henry Davis, Endy Rodrguez and Rafael Flores Jr. all part of the mix, and second base is another spot that needs a clearer answer after the club leaned on Brandon Lowe for offense there. It is the kind of roster puzzle that can quietly define an offseason, especially for a team still trying to turn long-term ideas into dependable production.

What Pittsburgh cannot afford this time is to treat those openings like placeholders and hope the answers arrive later on their own. The organization needs a real plan at catcher and at second, not just a collection of names and a timeline built around development or recovery. The Pirates have spent enough winters talking about upside and possibility, and this one figures to test how ready they are to make firm choices instead. [Read more 🡒]

Pirates Just Lost A Young Starter At The Worst Possible Time

Braxton Ashcrafts season has ended in frustrating fashion, with the Pirates placing the right-hander on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sept. 7 because of discomfort in his throwing arm. Manager Don Kelly said the club does not expect Ashcraft to pitch again in 2026, though the tests so far have not shown any structural damage, a small bit of relief in an otherwise unwelcome update for a team trying to piece together innings down the stretch.

The timing is especially rough for a Pirates staff already bracing for a bullpen game in the next turn through the rotation. Pittsburgh moved quickly to bring up a right-hander from Triple-A Indianapolis to fill Ashcrafts roster spot, but the larger concern is the loss of a young arm the club would have rather protected as it finished the year. A season that had already tested the Pirates pitching depth just got a little thinner. [Read more 🡒]

Pirates Rotation Pressure Just Got Worse With Braxton Ashcraft Concern

Braxton Ashcrafts rapid rise from a lower-workload role to a meaningful part of the Pirates rotation picture hit a snag this week, as the right-hander was placed on the 15-day injured list retroactive to Sept. 7 because of right arm discomfort. Early indications suggest the issue does not appear structural, but testing is still ongoing, leaving the club to wait and see how long it might be without one of its more intriguing arms.

For Pittsburgh, the timing adds another layer of strain to a rotation that already has Mitch Keller on the injured list. Ashcrafts workload had jumped significantly from the previous season, and the Pirates were trying to see how much he could handle as the year wore on. Instead, they are now juggling another pitching question at a point in the schedule where every healthy starter matters. [Read more 🡒]