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Pittsburgh Maulers say De’Veon Smith ‘pizza’ dismissal video lacks context; Ex-Michigan RB says team is lying

Andrew Olson

By Andrew Olson

Published:

The Pittsburgh Maulers say that there’s more to the viral story of De’Veon Smith being cut from the team because he asked for pizza instead of chicken salad. Unsurprisingly, Smith maintains that the team is lying about the way things went down.

On Monday, a clip from the docuseries United By Football: A Season in the USFL, about the lead-up to the opening weekend of USFL football games, made headlines as it implied that Smith was cut from the team because he asked for pizza instead of chicken salad.

Pittsburgh head coach Kirby Wilson is shown saying, “He crossed the line, so we had to deal with it. Any disrespect of football or members of staff, USFL, etc. will not be tolerated.”

In the docuseries clip, Smith maintained that he saw “someone come in with pizza” and asked the cafeteria worker for a slice instead of chicken salad, saying he doesn’t eat chicken salad.

Now, the Maulers have released a statement on their Twitter account saying the viral clip lacks context. They say Smith violated 3 team rules in a 24-hour period and disrespected the cafeteria worker, adding that the former Michigan running back asked to be reinstated to the roster. Smith responded by challenging the team to detail the rules he broke, saying they are lying.

Smith played at Michigan from 2013-16. Before the USFL, his professional football career included time in the NFL, CFL and XFL.

While it looks unlikely he’ll play for the Maulers again, we’ll see what opportunity comes next for Smith.

Andrew Olson

A former Florida beat reporter, Andrew writes for the Saturday Tradition News Desk.