Pittsburgh Steelers star safety Minkah Fitzpatrick is one of the most electric athletes in the NFL. But he became a household name by paying attention to the details.
Brooke Pryor of ESPN recently revealed how far Fitpatrick’s attention to the small things goes.
Players for the storied franchise reportedly mulled “for years” whether they should issue a no-contact policy regarding the Steelers logo in the middle of the locker room. Fitzpatrick, however, decided to take unilateral action on the issue.
The safety placed 10 stanchions surrounding the logo, roping off the six-foot wide circle from foot traffic with retractable, flat nylon belts according to the report.
Fitzpatrick “didn’t make an announcement. Didn’t write a note on the large whiteboard that greets every player when they enter the locker room. Didn’t send a message to a group chat,” Pryor wrote.
Instead, Fitzpatrick took his idea to the Steelers safety and equipment staff, who promptly placed the order for the stanchions. The support staff then assembled the barrier around the “freshly. steam-cleaned” logo before the Steelers restarted mandatory minicamp in June.
“I’m very, very big on the details,” Fitzpatrick told Pryor. “I think that something as small as keeping our logo clean, it’s simple, but it means a lot at the end of the day.”
Fitzpatrick’s way of thinking certainly hasn’t hampered his career. And if he’s right about this one simple trick, perhaps it will go a long way to returning the Steelers to the playoffs.
[ESPN]
