When we talk about Cam Heyward, we’re talking about a guy who doesn’t just play defense—he straight-up bullies offenses. For over a decade, he’s been out there wrecking game plans, shutting down runs, and making quarterbacks wish they stayed home. But long before he became the backbone of Pittsburgh’s defense, Heyward was just a kid navigating life with a football icon for a father—Craig “Ironhead” Heyward.

While his dad’s legacy loomed large, it was his off-field battles that shaped his life and the NFL career. From going through severe asthma as a kid to battling depression after his dad’s death—the guy defied the odds and became one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL. And now, the 35-year-old DT opened up about his father’s death, which led to depression.

On Sunday, Heyward sat down with the former Jaguars‘ RB, Fred Taylor, and talked about his earlier days. When Taylor asked, “21 days after you celebrate your birthday, you lose your father. How much does a teenager, like, take us back to during that time, like, I can’t even comprehend losing my dad and my dad at a very young age. How tough was that for you?” Heyward took us back to his junior year when he lost his dad.

“So I lost him after my junior year. He had been sick for a while. When I was, (in) my first two years of high school, I went to a private school, it was about an hour’s drive,” Heyward said. “One day, he was supposed to take me, my parents were divorced at the time, and he just didn’t show up. So we knew something was off. Found out he had a heart attack and a stroke and left him paralyzed on his right side.” Initially, Heyward attended a private high school that required an hour long commute.

After his dad had a heart attack and a stroke, he transferred to Peachtree Ridge High School, where he played for the Peachtree Ridge Lions. Young Heyward recorded over 100 tackles and 16 sacks in his senior year at Peachtree High School. BUT! Heyward’s dad always wanted to walk to his son’s senior night. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make it due to his medical issues.

“I ended up transferring and going to the high school right near me. And my dad that year could not walk, but his goal was to be able to walk for my senior night. He didn’t make it to that, but I felt like he was always there and always part of that,” he continued. Picture this: the legendary Craig “Ironhead” Heyward, who spent over a decade in the NFL, watching his son follow his footsteps.

But sadly, during Cam’s junior year, Craig was battling a cancerous tumor for seven years, and even before his son’s senior night, he passed away on May 27, 2006. That surely broke Cam’s and his mom’s heart, because she knew how that moment was big, and having him there would have meant everything. After losing his dad, Heyward didn’t even know that he was going through depression.

“I didn’t realize at the time, but I was going through depression,” he further stated. “I was going through a time where I couldn’t really speak to anybody about it. It took years and years to even come to the conclusion I was going through depression.” However, after battling depression, Heyward bounced back and became a dominant force on the field.

After finishing his collegiate career at Ohio State with 163 tackles, 37.5 tackles for loss, 15.5 sacks, Heyward entered the pros when the Steelers picked him as the 31st overall pick, and the rest is history.

Cam Heyward: Tackling life’s hardest hits on and off the field

Even before the Steelers drafted him with 31st overall pick in the 2011 NFL draft, Cam Heyward was one of the top draft prospects in the 2011 class. But if you’re thinking that snagging a starting spot was a walk in a park for him—think again. Picture this: the Steelers D-line was stacked up with veterans like Brett Keisel and Aaron Smith, and you’ve to compete with these two for a starting spot in the regular season. Ridiculous.

And yeah, you guessed that right. Going into his rookie regular season, Heyward was the backup to Keisel. For the first couple of years, the guy appeared in almost every game, but didn’t get an opportunity to start. Then came his third season and let’s just say the guy was waiting for an opportunity. He earned his first start and by the time the regular season wrapped up, the guy recorded 59 combined tackles (35 solo), seven pass deflections, five sacks, two tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery.

But let’s be real—Heyward’s impact wasn’t just about racking up tackles and sacks. He made headlines for way more than that. Let’s take a trip down memory—week 5 regular season game between the Steelers and Chargers. And no, we’re not talking about the Steelers’ 24-20 win over the Chargers.

In fact, we’re talking about the way Cam Heyward paid tribute to his dad in that game. The guy entered the gridiron wearing a black eye with the words “Iron Head.” It was clear that Heyward wanted to raise awareness for cancer. However, the way he was doing it was unacceptable for the league and fined him with $11,567.

But at the end of the day, one thing’s for sure: be it wearing a black eye or being one of the best DT in the NFL—Cam Heyward consistently honors his dad.