Ash Spreading Incident At Heinz Field Sends Pittsburgh TV Station Into i-Team Mode

CBS Pittsburgh (KDKA) went full i-Team Action News Coverage over a report of a fan spreading ashes of a loved one at Heinz Field on Sunday. The incident where someone spread a loved one's ashes all over the ground-level pavement in one of the stadium's end zones turned into the lead story Monday night at 6 on KDKA.

The station sent out bulldog reporter Shelley Bortz to get to the bottom of this ash spreading, which is illegal in Pennsylvania unless the spreader has permission from the property owner.

Bortz went full i-Team bulldog on this story and even got a comment from a funeral director on sporting event memorial services by loved ones.

Ashes / via KDKA

“We laugh, of course, but you shouldn’t just do that,” funeral director LeeAnn Sherman told Bortz. “We always tell them not to make it obvious if you are scattering and don’t be scattering in a public place because you are going to get in trouble.”

The real disaster here, besides throwing the loved one on the field to be washed away into the Heinz Field septic system, is that the ash spreader reportedly started releasing ashes that hit Steelers fans.

Yeah, now that's not cool at all. You're not supposed to be throwing mom, dad, brother or sister into the air like LeBron's chalk thing before tip-off.

As for those who were hit with a dead person's ashes, the funeral director says you'll be just fine and it won't cause any medical issues. It's just some dead person dust. Shake it off and go on with your life knowing a dead Steelers fan had touched your life.

So what's the proper play for dumping ashes at a sports stadium? If you're looking to spread a dead person at Heinz Field, pay $10 and do the stadium tour. It sounds like you go down to field level. Have a person go with you. When you get to field level, have your partner in crime stand in front of you and start spreading some ashes. Maybe fake sneeze and throw ashes at the same time.

Across the state, in 2005 an Eagles fan ran onto the field to spread his mother's ashes. He dropped to his knees at the 30-yard line, made the sign of the cross, and laid on his stomach.

"She never cared for any other team except the Eagles," the man told a TV station after being released from jail. "I know that the last handful of ashes I had are laying on the field, and will never be taken away. She'll always be part of Lincoln Financial Field and of the Eagles."

In other words, you're a grown-up. If you decide to break one of these state laws to spread some ashes, don't be like Steelers fan and dump it on the pavement. Let's be better than that.