A former Steeler is in trouble with the NFL. An AFC North rival of the club could be on the move within the division. The Penguins got no help Tuesday night in the Eastern Conference.

And there are some Pittsburgh ties to the first result of this year’s NCAA Tournament.

All that in Wednesday’s “First Call.”

Beanie busted

Former Steelers defensive back Beanie Bishop has been suspended by the NFL.

That’s according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Bishop is with the New Orleans Saints now. He’ll have to sit out the first three games of 2026.

The nature of the suspension isn’t clear. The Steelers cut ties with Bishop in November.

The former West Virginia cornerback signed with the Saints in December of last year and signed a reserve/futures contract in January.

Still hangin’ around

Former Cleveland Browns tight end David Njoku may be sticking around the AFC North. He had a visit with the Baltimore Ravens on Tuesday.

That’s according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter.

Njoku has spent the entirety of his nine-year NFL career with Cleveland. Now he may go to Baltimore to complement Mark Andrews. Baltimore’s second tight-end, Isaiah Likely, left for New York to sign with former coach John Harbaugh and the Giants.

In 43 regular-season games against the AFC North, Njoku has 155 catches for 1,580 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Thanks for nuthin’

If the Pittsburgh Penguins were looking for any help during their off night, they didn’t get it.

While the Pens were idle, both of the Metropolitan Division threats to their second-place standing won on Tuesday night.

The New York Islanders toppled Toronto 3-1. The result pulled the Islanders into a tie with Pittsburgh for second place in the Metro at 83 points apiece, seven behind first-place Carolina.

The Hurricanes didn’t help matters at all. The Pens and Isles probably would’ve been better served seeing Carolina win on Tuesday because they were visiting fourth-place Columbus. And the Blue Jackets kept pace with Pittsburgh and New York by thumping Carolina 5-1.

Ex-Penguin Danton Heinen scored for the Jackets.

The top three teams in the Metro make the playoffs, and the Blue Jackets (81 points) are just two back of the Islanders and Penguins.

The Pens are in Carolina Wednesday night.

That didn’t work out so well

The University of Maryland–Baltimore County thought a little trash talk was in order prior to its game against Howard Tuesday night.

The two teams squared off in an NCAA Tournament First Four game in Dayton as dueling No. 16 seeds. It appeared UMBC (coached by former Duquesne bench boss Jim Ferry) wasn’t thrilled about having to make a quick turnaround after winning the America East championship to prepare for Howard.

Some guy on social media with a DK Metcalf avatar and the handle @letsride412 shot back at the Retrievers.

Whoever handles the UMBC account wasn’t afraid to counterpunch.

I don’t care if you are the world’s biggest Steelers fan, that’s still funny. And accurate. Regardless of how much you might hate Baltimore.

Remember, the Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. Back in 2018, the Retrievers shocked the world by beating Virginia as a No. 16 seed in Charlotte. It was the first time ever that a No.1 seed lost its first game in the NCAA Tournament.

However, on Tuesday night, UMBC fell to Howard 86-83. The Bison now have to play Michigan on Thursday.

Also, Texas beat N.C. State 68-66 in the late game at Dayton Tuesday. The Longhorns are coached by Blackhawk product and former Pitt guard Sean Miller.

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Texas plays No. 6 BYU in the West Region Thursday.

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LISTEN: Tim Benz and Brian Metzer talk about the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Eastern Conference standings in this week’s hockey podcast.