Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward is officially a contestant on the new season of Dancing with the Stars, a place seemingly for those old-and-getting-older athletes.
Ward joins a long list of NFL stars in the competition's history, including Jerry Rice, Chad Ochocinco, Kurt Warner, and Emmitt Smith.
Perhaps not coincidentally, three of the aforementioned stars are retired from football.
In general, Dancing with the Stars has marked the place where former athletes go when they get bored with their lives after football.
Can we add Ward to this list?
Ward, who just turned 35 years old this month, certainly isn't getting younger.
However, he can still contribute to the team; his route-running and hands gave the Steelers 755 receiving yards and five touchdowns in the 2010-2011 regular season.
He had seven catches for 78 yards and a touchdown in the Super Bowl against the Green Bay Packers.
Not to mention his blocking, which has always been superb.
But beyond that, as of now it's looking like the 2011 season is headed for either an 18-game endeavor (which no NFL player wants, let alone older ones) or a lockout.
Both of these options can't sit well with Ward, and if there is no settlement between the NFL and the players' association soon, Ward could indeed pack his bags and say the hell with it.
Who knows, he may have already.
Of course, this wouldn't be a question if the Steelers had beaten the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl last season, Ward saying at the time that he would ride off into the sunset if the Steelers won the championship.
Well, he can still dance off into the sunset, he said nothing about that.
Maybe he is already convincing himself that a Dancing with the Stars title would be good enough to leave on top.
Via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review:
"I am still sick that we couldn't bring home our third Super Bowl trophy," he said. "This is kind of my own way of representing Steeler Nation to the rest of the country. I want to (win) for the city of Pittsburgh and for all the naysayers who say I can't dance."
At least if he doesn't win another NFL championship for the people of Pittsburgh, Ward can give them something as consolation.
For Michael Cahill's take on the top 10 teams we want to see in the upcoming season of HBO's Hard Knocks, go here.
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