Stephon Tuitt, current owner of Steelers No. 91, honors Kevin Greene before MNF

The Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman honors Kevin Greene, who passed away at the age of 58 on Monday night.

The football world received awful news on Monday night just prior to the Pittsburgh Steelers-Cincinnati Bengals matchup. Kevin Greene, the Hall of Fame pass rusher, passed away at the age of 58. Greene spent his career on four teams, one of which being the Steelers, and one of the team’s best pass rushers decided to pay tribute to the legend.

Stephon Tuitt paid tribute to Greene on Instagram prior to the game, saying that it’s an honor to share the No. 91 with the Hall of Famer.

Greene spent three seasons wearing a Steelers uniform

In addition to Tuitt’s post, Steelers president Art Rooney II released a statement, describing Steele as “a close friend and teammate to so many people in the Steelers family.” Rooney’s comments can be read in the tweet below.

Greene burst onto the scene in the NFL as a fifth-round draft pick by the Los Angles Rams in 1985, where he spent a grand total of eight seasons and tallied 72.5 sacks. In 1993, Greene sought out a new home, and opted to sign a three-year contract with the Steelers.

In his three years in the Steel City as the leader of the “Blitzburgh” defense, Greene recorded 184 tackles, 35.5 sacks and six forced fumble (all recovered). During that span, the linebacker earned two nominations to the Pro Bowl (1994-95), while being named First-Team All Pro and NFL sacks leader (14) in 1994. Greene reached Super Bowl 30 in his final year with the team, a 27-17 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

The Steelers will no doubt be playing with heavy hearts after losing a pivotal player in the team’s history. Pittsburgh will look to honor his memory by getting a victory over the Bengals on Monday night.