Former Pitt star and NFL wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald shares thoughts on Panthers and Pickett

PITTSBURGH — Former Pitt star and NFL Legend Larry Fitzgerald is enjoying his retirement from the NFL, while keeping a close eye on things happening in Pittsburgh. Among them, the Pitt Panthers’, Kenny Pickett’s and Hines Ward’s Hall of Fame mission.

Fitzgerald was one of the celebrities taking part in the American Century Championship at Lake Tahoe, about which he said, “It’s nice. It’s almost as nice as being on the Point with the Monongahela, the Ohio and the Allegheny coming together. It’s not that beautiful but a close second.”

Fitzgerald enjoys the weekend of golfing with the likes of WPXI Steelers Analyst and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Jerome Bettis. Fitzgerald told Channel 11, “I feel kinda bad when I take his money all the time, and when I take it I just donate it to a local charity to give back to the community because it’s so easy to get from him, you know him and Joey Porter, they’re so easy to beat up on.”

Fitzgerald is one of a long list of names to find big success in the NFL after hailing from the University of Pittsburgh. It’s a legacy he sees continuing with the likes of Kenny Pickett. “We’re gonna continue to produce the Aaron Donalds and the Darrelle Revis and the Kenny Picketts of the world who will uphold the legacies and traditions of the great University of Pittsburgh,” said Fitzgerald. “I’m real excited for Kenny and what he’s gonna be able to do with the Pittsburgh Steelers. I hope he’s gonna win that job and go out there and perform the way he’s been performing. He’s familiar with the practice facilities, has produced in a large way at Heinz Field, so there’s a lot of familiarity with him and I know the city’s gonna get behind him.”

Fitzgerald also believes Pitt will continue to be in good shape, despite the changing landscape of college football. Fitzgerald said, “The Pitt tradition and the university are in position to be successful for a very long time because of guys like Coach Narduzzi doing it the right way.”

Fitzgerald is a lock for the Pro Football Hall of Fame as soon as he’s eligible. Channel 11 asked him whether Hines Ward should be in The Hall as well: “You can’t tell the story of the Pittsburgh Steelers without Hines Ward and the contributions he’s made to the organization. He embodied the toughness of the Mel Blounts and the Joe Greenes and Terry Bradshaws and Franco Harris. You can’t tell the story of the 2000s and not speak of Hines Ward and what he’s done, and I think he deserves to be immortalized forever.”

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