PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette columnist Bob Smizik made a shocking admission during Bill Cowher’s weekly press conference Tuesday when he accidentally professed his love for the Steelers head coach.Seated in the front row, Smizik asked Cowher if rumors of his departure following this season were having an impact on the performance of his team. Cowher responded with a terse "no." He then set his jaw, and cast his steely gaze upon the PG’s shaggy-haired contrarian. An uncomfortable silence descended upon the room as both men faced each other.
Smizik described the encounter this way: "It was as if he was looking deep into my eyes and directly into my soul," he said. "He had me at no."
Both men stared at each other for nearly thirty seconds, neither averting their gaze. Finally, Smizik, in a soft voice, spoke. "Bill," he said, "I think I’m falling in love with you." His statement drew howls of laughter. Smizik later admitted to feeling like a "complete idiot" for disclosing his feelings. "I knew those jerks in the press would make fun of me, so I played along like it was all a joke." Smizik added that he knew things would never work out between them. "We’ve both got our careers. He’s got a family in North Carolina, and I have to continue infuriating the general public with my columns."
Smizik said the ridicule he continues to receive from his fellow sportswriters makes him regret his carelessness in expressing sentiments he knew would always remain unrequited. He also wishes his colleagues would give him a break from the teasing he has been forced to endure. "I never planned to fall in love with him," he said. "It just happened."
