Tomlin bristles at being called a players coach (article)

Before Sunday’s bizarre loss at home to the Buccaneers, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin appeared on the FOX pregame show via a previously recorded interview with Laura Okmin.

During the exchange, Okmin raised the perception that Tomlin is a “players’ coach.”  Tomlin seemed to have a problem with that label, even though plenty of successful coaches have been described that way in past years.

“That is the first I ever heard if it,” Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said on Monday’s PFT Live.  “He also mentioned young coach too, that kind of took that as a not an insult, but he wasn’t real happy with people calling him a players’ coach because he thought it was a little racist and because he was a young coach.  There were times Bill Cowher was considered a players’ coach here, and I never thought of it as being a bad thing.  Maybe he takes it as such, maybe he thinks people believe he’s coddling the players, which is not the case, I don’t think, any more than Bill Cowher coddled players.  I was a little surprised by that.”

To make his point, Tomlin said the defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau could be called a “players’ coach,” too, but that he isn’t because LeBeau is an “old white guy.”

All told, it was an odd moment from a coach who has been with the Steelers since 2007, who has been to the Super Bowl twice, and who won a Super Bowl in only his second year on the job.  Players’ coach or not, Tomlin has been successful.  And that’s all that matters.

read more:  http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2014/09/29/tomlin-bristles-at-players-coach-label/


I am really surprised at Tomlin's comment regarding LeBeau.  I'm sorry but if the roles had been reversed and had LeBeau referred to Tomlin as an "old black coach".......shit would have hit the fan.

Gingerchip wrote:

I am really surprised at Tomlin's comment regarding LeBeau.  I'm sorry but if the roles had been reversed and had LeBeau referred to Tomlin as an "old black coach".......shit would have hit the fan.

Yeah, Tomlin would probably get pissed off about being called "old."

He's right though. Even if he shouldn't have said it.

mrcrash wrote:

He's right though.  Even if he shouldn't have said it.  

LeBeau hasn't been called a players coach? The players don't love him?

Something is obviously up with Coach.

Must be Art II -- he is the cause of all the problems (including the current one in Syria)

Quote :

He's right though. Even if he shouldn't have said it.

No, he shouldn't have said it -- right or wrong.  It's comments such as this that fuel racism.

Wallace108 wrote:

mrcrash wrote:

He's right though.  Even if he shouldn't have said it.  

LeBeau hasn't been called a players coach? The players don't love him?

LeBeau being a players coach has been ignored for the most part, his defense fucks up (Cough Sunday), it's everyone's fault but his.

Mike Tomlin has two 8-8 seasons? All of the sudden he's too friendly of a coach to his players, and Bill Cowher in his 8 years away has somehow become Knute Rockne.

If Tomlin were white? It's never brought up.

I was shocked when I heard the interview and how much emotion he expressed when discussing it.

This just sounds like some ESPN First Take drama being drummed up. People act so sensitive to anything just mentioned in jest these days. All some want to focus in on is the race part, which could be entirely true on why Tomlin is perceived as a players coach when he deals with predominantly young, black men. He simply asked why LeBeau isn't called a "players coach" when he coaches in the exact same fashion as Tomlin. Seriously, stop letting the media make a story out of nothing.

Steelerella wrote:

This just sounds like some ESPN First Take drama being drummed up. People act so sensitive to anything just mentioned in jest these days. All some want to focus in on is the race part, which could be entirely true on why Tomlin is perceived as a players coach when he deals with predominantly young, black men. He simply asked why LeBeau isn't called a "players coach" when he coaches in the exact same fashion as Tomlin. Seriously, stop letting the media make a story out of nothing.

Media Tomlin

It's NFL TMZ. Ignore it.