Paris has given the world haute couture, some of fashion’s most influential designers and an enduring appreciation for looking effortlessly expensive.
So it was a bit confusing when Aaron Rodgers arrived in Birmingham, England, dressed like he was collecting protection money.
Before Sunday’s 16–10 victory over the New Orleans Saints, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback room decided to make a coordinated fashion statement inspired by Peaky Blinders, the British crime drama about a family of gangsters navigating post-World War I England.
Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Drew Allar, Will Howard, and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth showed up sporting three-piece suits and flat caps, looking less like an NFL quarterback room and more like gentlemen who might politely ask whether you’ve paid your debts.
The Steelers embraced the theme, sharing photos with the caption, “By order of the Peaky Blinders.”
There was just one small geographical complication.
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To be fair, the person on the social media team may not have actually seen Peaky Blinders, or they weren’t invited to the game, so they didn’t realize the Steelers were playing in Paris, France.
Different countries. Different cultures. One English Channel separating the two.
Naturally, the rest of the internet noticed, with fans questioning why Pittsburgh chose distinctly British gangsters as its inspiration for the NFL’s first regular-season game in France.
But according to ESPN, this wasn’t some last-minute wardrobe experiment. Rudolph reportedly came up with the idea because the quarterbacks bonded over the series. Designer Mitch Purgason traveled to Pittsburgh for fittings, and the team completed the custom suits in about nine days.
That’s an impressive amount of planning for a trip to the wrong television universe.
We can’t say for sure whether Rodgers or his teammates confused France with England—they did—but they’re fans of the show, and getting six grown men to coordinate their wardrobes deserves recognition.
The outfits worked, too. The tailored suits, flat caps, and old-school swagger made for a memorable entrance. Pittsburgh even followed the fashion statement with an actual victory.
The Steelers came to Paris looking like they owned Birmingham.
By order of the Peaky Blinders, apparently.
