Pittsburgh Steelers update Pressley Harvin III status for Chiefs matchup

As the Pittsburgh Steelers take the field in Week 16 against the Kansas City Chiefs, they’ll be without their punter.

The Steelers downgraded Pressley Harvin III to “out” due to personal reasons and he won’t travel to Kansas City, the team announced Saturday.

The news comes the same day Harvin announced his father passed away. He shared a tribute on Instagram Saturday morning.

“To my Father: Thank you for everything that you’ve done for me,” Harvin wrote. “I’m so grateful that I was even able to have you here for so long. You’ve been battling health issues since you were 16. You could’ve gave up a long time ago but you were determined to fight. It hurts so much to even write this because I feel like you’re still with me. You taught me what it takes to be a man and so much more. You are the strongest man on this Earth, as some days you woke up and no matter the discomfort or pain you felt you went on to provide for me and my entire family.

“You touched so many people’s lives while you were here. You motivated me every day to be the best me. God took you home this morning away from all of the pain, struggles, and hardships you faced. Thank you for being you, through it all Pops. I love you so much, and pray that I get to see you again one day.”

Steelers rookie punter shares heartfelt message regarding his ailing father

For Pittsburgh’s game last week, the Steelers went above and beyond to make sure Harvin’s father could be in attendance.

NFL Network’s Aditi Kinkhabwala brought attention to an Instagram post shared by the Steelers’ rookie, Pressley Harvin III, which shined light on the situation.

“Thank you to this organization for making this weekend special for my father,” Harvin shared on Instagram. “We found out this week that his time left on this earth is limited. With short notice, we were able to get him to a game one last time. Continue to pray for my Dad as well as my family as we navigate through hard times and continue to try to get my father in better health.”

It’s obvious the Steelers did the best they could on short notice to accommodate their punter and his family.

The Steelers’ rookie, who played collegiately at Georgia Tech, is having a rough go this season and received boos during Sunday’s home game, according to Kinkhabwala. He ranks last in the NFL in punting average with 43. 3 yards per punt, three yards worse than Minnesota Vikings punter Jordan Berry, who Harvin replace.