Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has had his patience tested many times in his long tenure leading the team, and it’s a testament to his leadership that he has been able to keep the train on the tracks this long given how tumultuous some of the locker room relationships have been at times.
One player who tested him a lot was star wide receiver Antonio Brown, and while Brown has had a lot of bad things to say about a lot of people over the years, he recently spoke very highly of Tomlin in a media appearance.
Brown sat down with Jason Whitlock to discuss his respect for Tomlin, saying, “That dude was like my pops to be honest,” and called him a father figure, saying, “Ever since I met Mike Tomlin, like I always knew, I’d have success.”
Antonio Brown @AB84 shared with me his admiration and respect for Steelers coach Mike Tomlin: “Man that dude was like my pops to be honest. Ever since I met Mike Tomlin, like I always knew, I’d have success… Mike Tomlin was that father figure to me.” pic.twitter.com/FuNg5ggl19
— Jason Whitlock (@WhitlockJason) May 8, 2024
To be the longest-tenured head coach in the NFL, you have to be doing something right, and Tomlin has always had a strong reputation as a coach who is very respectful behind the scenes.
The path Brown’s career took is an example of how much of a positive influence Mike Tomlin had on him, as things went off the rails as soon as Brown left Pittsburgh.
His tenure in Oakland with the Raiders blew up before it even got started, and he lasted all of one game with the New England Patriots before reeling it in for two years with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before he ripped his uniform off and ran off the field mid-game never to be seen again.
Maybe things could have ended better if he stayed with Tomlin.
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