Josh Imhof | staff writer

In Pittsburgh, the influence of football can be felt in all aspects of life. A Steelers’ jersey is considered appropriate attire for almost any occasion, city streets bear the names of former owners and grocery stores sit empty on most Sunday afternoons.

So to many, having a player stay in their apartment would be a surreal experience. For Joey Isabella, Duquesne University wide receiver, it’s just another weekend with his brother.

Andy Isabella, also a wide receiver, is Joey’s older brother who spent 12 days on the Steelers practice squad before being waived on Nov. 5 Upon his arrival in the Steel City, Andy spent a few days staying over at his brother’s house in Pittsburgh’s South Side neighborhood. During a standout college career at UMass where he earned All-American honors and was a finalist for the Biletnikoff award for the best receiver in college football, he was taken in the second round of the 2019 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals. He has appeared in 43 NFL games over the past six years, having also suited up for the Bills and Ravens.

“I was only gonna be here for a few days so a hotel would’ve been too much of a hassle, so I was like ‘I’ll stay [at Joey’s apartment]’,” Andy said.

Always humble, Andy took the futon, where he spent the week sleeping, reminiscing with Joey and hanging out with his brother’s roommates, also on the football team.

“Joey is like a brother to me, so having Andy over is like having another brother over,” said Ian Sheehan, Joey’s roommate and fellow wide receiver.

As kids, Joey and Andy shared a room at their childhood home in Mayfield, Ohio, where they spent much of their time together.

“We were always competing against each other,” Andy said. “Watching him grow up and take his own path — it’s pretty cool.”

Their other brother, Nick, also stayed in the room with them. As the youngest, Joey said he would often get ganged up on.

“I got beat up a lot, but I always fought back,” he said. “It humbled me for sure, always trying to fight them and not winning. Now I’m stronger than both of them. It definitely helped me out in the long run.”

The Isabellas did not have many electronics growing up, so instead of playing video games or spending time inside on a phone, their parents encouraged them to go outside and play sports with each other.

In total, there are seven siblings, which meant there was never a shortage of people to play with.

Joey would often make brackets between his siblings to see who would come out on top, which Andy said his younger brother would rig in his favor. Joey jokingly denied these accusations.

Through the cuts and bruises, both brothers began playing sports in school, Andy with football and Joey with soccer. Eventually, Joey also decided to make the switch to football in eighth grade.

“All my friends played football and Andy was good at it,” he said. “I wanted to follow his path a little bit. He always worked hard, and he had a lot of success. I started playing and I was pretty good at it so I stuck with it.”

At first, Joey did not know whether he made the right decision to switch. He loved soccer and playing a full contact sport at a high level scared him. However, he overcame these fears and excelled as a wideout his sophomore year of high school.

He has not looked back since.

At Duquesne, he leads the team in receiving yards and touchdowns. On Saturday, he scored a 64-yard touchdown to help the Dukes beat Mercyhurst, 31-24.

Andy attended the game, something he wants to do more often.

“I haven’t really been able to in the past, just because I’ve been playing a lot, but I try to get to as many as I can,” he said. “I’ve been lucky this year since I’ve been able to come to four. I’m hoping I can get to everyone for the rest of the season.”

The brothers’ parents, Tony and Sue, also attended. The pair played crucial roles in getting their kids to where they are today, sometimes acting as support systems and other times as air traffic control.

“We had a divide and conquer mentality. We had this giant calendar in our house that navigated every practice, every game, so we could all know where everybody had to be every minute,” Tony said.

The parents also made sure to instill strong family values in their children, always making sure they looked out and cared for one another. They said it’s a blessing to see them still doing it all these years later.

Eventually, Joey and Andy hope to play together on the same team, something they have not been able to do yet. Andy said he has already put in a good word for Joey at each of the places he has played at in the NFL and also with other leagues like the UFL and CFL.

“I’m excited to see where this path lies, and I hope that we can find a way to play with each other,” Andy said. “That’s the dream.”