PITTSBURGH — JuJu Smith-Schuster’s nightmare is over.
The Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver has his beloved bike back.
Police say a man has returned a bike belonging to the rookie, telling investigators he bought it from someone for $200 on the street.
Mount Oliver police chief Matt Juzwick said the man called from a bar about 11 p.m. Tuesday after realizing from TV news the bike was reported stolen. Mount Oliver is a tiny borough bordering Pittsburgh.
The man who turned in the bike gave police a description of the man he bought it from and Pittsburgh police are hoping to find him.
Smith-Schuster, a 20-year-old rookie, didn’t get a license while attending USC because of the school’s ride-sharing program. He’s used the bike to get from his apartment to the Steelers nearby practice facility.
When Smith-Schuster took to social media on Tuesday expressing his sadness after realizing his bike was missing, it quickly went viral. #TeamFindJuJusBike trended on Twitter for hours.
Teammate Antonio Brown offered two free tickets to anyone who returned it. A Twitter user even started a handle @JuJusBike .
The amount of attention the recovery of an $800 bike received caught Smith-Schuster, who is making more than $750,000 this season, off guard.
“People tell me it was on the news, people out here trying to find the bike,” Smith-Schuster said. “That’s when I knew, ‘Dang, this is serious.’”
Smith-Schuster says he doesn’t have plans to file criminal charges and jokingly named some of his teammates as suspects. Smith-Schuster, who turns 21 on Nov. 22, is in the process of getting his license.
Tutored by offensive tackle Alejandro Villanueva, Smith-Schuster recently received his learner’s permit and plans to take the driver’s test next week.
Just don’t expect Smith-Schuster to give up on his bike anytime soon.
“You can see that I’m frugal with the bike,” Smith-Schuster said. “If Al wasn’t helping me get my license, then I’d probably ride my bike every day in the snow.”
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