Steelers quarterback to wear ‘Stronger than Hate’ cleats to honor Pittsburgh synagogue shooting victims

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on Sunday will wear cleats honoring the victims of the Tree of Life synagogue shooting.

ESPN reporter Adam Schefter shared an image of the cleats, which feature the phrase “Stronger than Hate” and a re-imagining of the Steelers’ logo that includes a Star of David.

Roethlisberger will wear them during the Steelers’ game against the Baltimore Ravens.

Ben Roethlisberger wearing these cleats today in response to shooting at Tree of Life Synagogue. Roethlisberger and his wife are close to Michele Rosenthal, who worked in Steelers’ community relations and assists with Ben’s foundation. Michele lost two of her brothers in shooting pic.twitter.com/W3UrHDBb6M

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 4, 2018

Roethlisberger is close with Michele Rosenthal, the sister of two brothers killed in the shooting, according to Schefter. Rosenthal worked with the Steelers’ community relations and with Roethlisberger’s foundation.

{mosads}Eleven people were killed at the Tree of Life synagogue after a gunman opened fire during religious services late last month. The suspected gunman, Robert Bowers, pleaded not guilty to 44 federal charges, including hate crimes.

The day after the shooting, the Steelers held a moment of silence before their game against the Cleveland Browns.

The “Stronger than Hate” image, which is based on the Steelers’ logo, has been shared widely on social media.

The Pittsburgh Penguins also honored the victims by wearing patches on their jerseys, and auctioning off the jerseys to benefit the Jewish Federation of Greater Pittsburgh.

The NHL team also held a blood drive and collected donations to benefit the victims and their families in lieu of a Halloween-themed event.