Demarcus Ayers Wide Receiver University of Houston Rookie Who is your football mentor or inspiration?
It would definitely be Antonio Brown. He was my favorite player to watch before I came here. He is the guy I've followed ever since he's been in the league. I like his path the way he came in and developed as a special teams player and now he's one of the best receivers. I'm looking forward to learning from him and taking a similar path.
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What motivates you? **
My mom does. My community, where I'm from back home, that motivates. I enjoy giving back to the community and seeing those kids look up to me. It inspires me and makes me want to work harder. It keeps me having my competitive edge.
What is your football mindset?
It's a business. Every day I look in the mirror and ask myself what did I do to make my team better. I don't like letting people down. The way I look at it, it's doing my job and contributing to the team.
Why do you play football?
I had a passion for it when I was younger. I got my competitive nature from it. It's taught me life lessons on and off the field. I like the competitive vibe and physicality of the game.
What is your proudest football moment or memory?
I would have to say winning the conference championship last year and experiencing the bowl game.
When you hear Steelers football, what do you think?
Winning program, winning organization, and first class guys. Being around here you see it's a family environment and very loyal teammates and coaches around this organization.
What do you like about Pittsburgh?
It's a very, very supportive city. Steeler fans, they support all their sports and they show a lot of love to the athletes and make them feel at home. I got a warm welcome here and it seems like a lot of great people. It's a very, very tight city.
What do you think about Steelers fans?
I expect the best from them. Seeing the games all those years on television you could feel it. It's an unbelievable organization from top to bottom and the fans have been unbelievable since I got drafted. They have shown me love on Twitter and Instagram and all those things. This is a very, very exciting time.
