Mike Tomlin, Ben Roethlisberger Publicly Scold Antonio Brown
By Kyle Koster
Mike Tomlin and Ben Roethlisberger weighed in on Antonio Brown’s ill-advised Facebook Live video from a jubilant Pittsburgh Steelers locker room on Sunday night.
Spoiler alert: they didn’t like it.
"“It’s an unfortunate situation that we’ve got to deal with right now,” Roethlisberger told Pittsburgh’s 93.7 The Fan. “That’s a sacred place where things are said and hugs and tears, and it’s kind of a special place. So a little disappointed with AB for that. Coach talks and then I talk, and you just don’t want everyone to know what’s going on in there with the family. And also, I wish AB would have been listening to Coach and myself instead of being on the other side of the locker room filming.”"
Tomlin’s reaction included a stern warning.
Tomlin: That's often why you see great players move from team to team. Don't want that to happen to Antonio Brown.
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) January 17, 2017
No one would argue that Brown made a good choice. And no one should be surprised that both his quarterback and head coach are disappointed with that choice. Roethlisberger’s tone is to be expected. But Tomlin’s hard-line stance seems like a giant overreaction if there is, in fact, any teeth to that threat.
It’s hard to imagine the Steelers would send arguably the best receiver (and a dynamic kick returner) out of town for streaming a video from inside the locker room. Especially considering that the content wasn’t damning. The big bombshell was that NFL teams use naughty words in the locker room. BIG SURPRISE.
We’ll see if Tomlin’s reaction gives the “controversy” a second life. On the surface, it seems like it could have that effect.
And, if for some reason the organization sees Brown’s video as an unforgivable offense, there are 31 other teams who would gladly accept his services.