Steelers have near 100% participation for opener of 3-day minicamp at Heinz Field

Jun. 15—The first day of minicamp began Tuesday for the Pittsburgh Steelers with 89 of the 90 players on the offseason roster in attendance.

The exception was defensive end Stephon Tuitt, who was excused because of the recent death of his brother. Tuitt's brother, Richard Bartlett III, was killed two weeks ago in a hit-and-run in Georgia.

"He has our full support," coach Mike Tomlin said. "Our hearts go out to him and his loved ones."

Guard David DeCastro, one of a handful of veterans who did not participate in three weeks of organized team activities, was on the field but watched the two-hour practice in a black T-shirt and shorts.

Tomlin would not discuss an injury to DeCastro or any other player who did not participate or had limited participation Tuesday.

"If I thought injury circumstances or reasons why people were not participating were significant, I would share them with you," Tomlin said. "But I'm not going to address day-to-day like things in this environment. It's not required."

Tomlin also was mum when asked about potential injuries sustained in practice by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. Asked if he could speak about what happened to Roethlisberger, Tomlin said, "I won't."

Tomlin also was coy when asked whether reporters could expect to see Roethlisberger or Smith-Schuster return to minicamp later this week.

"You can expect whatever you wish," he said. "We'll see what tomorrow holds."

Joe Rutter is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe by email at jrutter@triblive.com or via Twitter .