Former U.S. Army Ranger and current Pittsburgh offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva honored a military hero, despite a prior agreement for the team to honor someone else on Monday Night Football last night against the New York Giants.

Reported first from Outkick.com, Villanueva wore the name of Silver Star recipient and the former Army Sergeant First Class Alwyn Cashe on the back of his helmet to honor him for his military service over in Iraq.

Cashe died in November 2005, as a result from injuries sustained from bomb explosion while he was on patrol at a fighting vehicle just three weeks prior. At the time he got injured, he attempted to rescue his fellow soldiers that were trapped inside.

Cashe was just 35 years old. He was survived by his wife, Tamara, and children Alexis, Andrew, and Lejada. Andrew has reported to be graduated from infantry training down in Fort Benning, Georgia.

As a team, the Steelers planned to bear the name of Antwon Rose Jr. on the back of their helmets in last night’s game.

Rose Jr. was a victim of a fatal shooting in East Pittsburgh, Pa., (EP) by police that occurred in 2018.

Outkick’s article said that Rose Jr. was pulled over and was handcuffed in suspicion from a incident prior. Cell phone footage shows that he ran from the car and can hear three gunshots in the background by an EP officer.

Last night’s showing was not the first time Villanueva went against team protest. Back in 2017 against the Chicago Bears, he was the only players to stand for the national anthem while rest of the team stayed in the locker room.

Not saying this is a bad thing, but there is always a couple players that would go against team plans for certain situations. In this case, Villanueva does have a great reason to go against it and stand out from the crowd.

Shares: