PITTSBURGH - Wide receiver Hines Ward, still nursing a hamstring injury that has hampered him all season, is wrestling with a different kind of discomfort this morning. "I feel like I've got the weight of the entire world on my shoulders," said Ward, who hastened to add, "figuratively speaking, of course." Ward received an urgent call from Secretary of State Condeleeza Rice at the Steelers practice facility on the South Side asking him to act as a "special envoy" for President Bush in a series of talks with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il.Ward will fly to Pyongyang immediately after practice today. Coach Cowher excused Ward from practice for the remainder of the week "on grounds of national security."
Ward is expected to ask the North Korean leader to suspend his nuclear program in exchange for Steelers season tickets.
North Korea exploded a nuclear device last Monday, but Ward says that will have no effect on how he prepares for Sunday's game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Heinz Field. "Right now, I'm just trying to take these things one day at a time. I don't want to look past the danger that a nuclear weapon in the hands of a madman like Kim Jong Il poses to the fate of the world. At the same time, we need to play our best to beat a talented, dangerous team like Kansas City."
Ward said he hoped that Jong II would "see things our way." Asked about options for the United States should he fail to accomplish his mission, Ward smiled. "Then we'll have to send Joey Porter."
