UPDATED Jan. 31 at 2:20 p.m. ET: When the drama initially engulphed the Pittsburgh Steelers, wide receiver Juju Smith-Schuster elected himself the team's resident mediator. But as of late, it seems Juju is tired of playing nice and wants the franchise's stars to come to their senses. This new mood was characterized by Smith-Schuster telling the cast of First Take that the team needs to "stop being the Kardashians."
"I think everyone just needs to stop being divas. I think we need to stop being the Kardashians and just play ball," JuJu said when asked what needs to be done to bring the Steelers' focus back to football.
He then went on to say that he's "learned a lot in [the Steelers'] locker room" and he would never "want to be a problem for a franchise."
Smith-Schuster's new ego-check mentality is echoed by a plea to Steelers' stars Le'Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, and Ben Roethlisberger to "stop the bullshit."
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster wants the team to get past the locker room issues and hopefully win a Super Bowl together.
"In my dream world...I would have Le'Veon Bell as the running back with James Conner. I'd have AB stay on the other side," JuJu said during his appearance on Ian Rapaport's popular podcast RapSheet and Friends. "We'd win the Super Bowl with the guys that we have, the guys that we keep."
Of course, Smith-Schuster realizes that the actuality of these two situations is bigger than his wants and desires.
"Obviously it's tough, situations like where you can't control—Art Rooney and Mike Tomlin with that situation. For me, it's more so like, let's keep the guys on the team and win the Super Bowl. Let's stop all the bullshit."
Even though JuJu is aware that both Bell and Brown are squaring off with the Steelers' front office, this is not the first time he has been vocal about his desires to keep the veteran player from being traded and has gone on record stating he believes Brown will be with the organization next season.
"Honestly, AB is being AB," Smith-Schuster said when asked how he felt after Brown posted a photoshopped picture of him in a 49ers jersey. "But at the end of the day, I don't believe this will happen. I don't think he's gone."
Although JuJu would love to keep the band together, he told the cast of Undisputed that he is prepared to be the go-to offensive weapon if AB and Bell do not return.
"As a kid growing up, I always wanted to be the No. 1 guy. Now I have the opportunity to be the No. 1 guy," Smith-Schuster explained. "If it does come...I'm definitely going to embrace it and take that role."
Here's a longer version of the Undisputed chat:
