The problem with taking the high road is it leaves plenty of space below. In a war of words between former Pittsburgh Steelers players stemming from criticism of Mike Tomlin, Tomlin himself hasn’t addressed it. Nor should anyone expect him to. Largely out of the public eye since stepping down as head coach last month, Tomlin is staying out of the fray. That comes as no surprise to ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler.
“Mike Tomlin doesn’t say a thing, “Fowler said on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike Thursday morning. “And he would never address this kind of thing where people are talking about him. But I think because of that, he becomes a little bit of an easy target. Everybody has a podcast. Everybody’s got a guest on a podcast that has a podcast.”
The saga began when Joey Porter Sr. appeared on Cam Heyward’s podcast during Super Bowl week to chastise James Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger for comments on their podcasts about Mike Tomlin. Both made the point that Tomlin and the Steelers should part ways. Harrison’s comments were far harsher and intense compared to Roethlisberger’s mild commentary.
But Porter’s accusation that Roethlisberger was a bad teammate who “broke the brotherhood” of keeping comments in-house ignited a firestorm of responses. Not just from fans and media but from current and former players who supported, or opposed, all that Porter had to say.
“We get these quotables all the time,” Fowler said. “I think people are just kind of overtalking a little bit.”
Tomlin’s not likely to add to the commentary. Though spotted at a handful of sporting events since resigning, he’s not made any public comments. The closest he’s come is a recent Zoom call with more than 70 of his former players who thanked Tomlin for his coaching and mentorship.
When will Tomlin speak again? It’s impossible to say. It sure doesn’t seem like it’ll happen anytime soon. If he lands a television job, the topic could be broached. Despite initial speculation that was Tomlin’s next door to open, there’s been no concrete reporting of Tomlin talking to a network. That could change over the course of a long offseason but even then, Tomlin may keep the focus on analyzing current players instead of past comments.
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