Heinz Field Sound Operator Displays Bad Taste During Injury Timeout

Willis McGahee and Ryan Clark were both injured last night; obviously McGahee's injury was worse, as he spent significantly more time on the carpet than Clark and subsequently had to leave on a stretcher. Because he was on the ground so long, the sound operators at Heinz Field chose to fill time with some music, including, oddly, "Down on the Corner" by Creedence Clearwater Revival and "Smooth" by Santana and Rob Thomas. And, according to a "league source" that emailed PFT last night, people aren't too thrilled about it.

"There is a player on the field who may have suffered a life changing injury and the Steelers are playing party music. There are about five teams in the league that would engage in such horrific behavior. All others would cease all entertainment.

"'Down on the corner' . . . uh, there's a man down on the field. About twenty-five to twenty-seven teams would cease all entertainment. Oh, now it's a Santana song. This is beyond offensive. . . . Most teams would fire them on the spot. It's disgusting."

Yeah, I couldn't agree more. Really, the only way that the music could have been more offensive (in message; you can't possibly get more offensive in sound than Rob Thomas) would have been blaring LL Cool J's "Mama Said Knock You Out" as McGahee was strapped onto a stretcher and carted off the field.

Look, it's a tough situation to be in for whoever is running the tunes -- you don't want to let the crowd become completely passive and ruin the celebration of the home team headed to Super Bowl, but at the same time, there's a guy lying on the field and no one's sure if he can even talk or move his fingers. So, for future reference music guys: just do the Paul Simon thing and let silence be the sound.

AFC Championship Images

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes (R) dives for a touchdown past Baltimore Ravens safety Ed Reed in the second quarter in the NFL's AFC Championship football game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 18, 2009. REUTERS/Matt Sullivan (UNITED STATES) (Newscom TagID: rtrlthree219166) [Photo via Newscom]

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Baltimore Ravens' Ray Lewis pauses on the field as a teammate lies injured during the fourth quarter against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the NFL's AFC Championship football game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 18, 2009. REUTERS/Matt Sullivan (UNITED STATES) (Newscom TagID: rtrlthree219372) [Photo via Newscom]

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PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 18: Safety Troy Polamalu #43 of the Pittsburgh Steelers celebrates his touchdown with defensive end Brett Keisel #99, safety Tyrone Carter #23 and linebacker LaMarr Woodley #56 against the Baltimore Ravens during the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Troy Polamalu;Brett Keisel;Tyrone Carter;LaMarr Woodley

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PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 18: Running back Willis McGahee #23 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs in a touchdown against the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Willis McGahee

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PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 18: Wide receiver Hines Ward#86 of the Pittsburgh Steelers runs the ball against Haruki Nakamura of the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Haruki Nakamura;Hines Ward

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Baltimore Ravens running back Willis McGahee (23) fumbles as he is hit by Pittsburgh Steelers' Ryan Clark after a pass catch in the fourth quarter of the NFL AFC championship football game in Pittsburgh, Sunday, Jan. 18, 2009. McGahee was injured on the play and left the game. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco is stopped on fourth down by the Pittsburgh Steelers defense during the first quarter in the NFL's AFC Championship football game in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, January 18, 2009. REUTERS/Pam Panchak (UNITED STATES) (Newscom TagID: rtrlthree219164) [Photo via Newscom]

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PITTSBURGH - JANUARY 18: Nate Washington #85 of the Pittsburgh Steelers attempts to make a reception against Frank Walker #41, Jim Leonhard #36 and Ed Reed #20 of the Baltimore Ravens during the AFC championship game on January 18, 2009 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) *** Local Caption *** Nate Washington;Frank Walker;Jim Leonhard;Ed Reed

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