For the second time in six weeks, fans at Acrisure Stadium clearly called for the firing of Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
And they were partially successful since Tomlin reportedly announced to the players that he had decided to leave the team on Tuesday, during a team meeting early in the afternoon.
“This organization has been an important part of my life for many years, and it has been a tremendous honor to lead this team,” Tomlin said in a statement. “I am deeply grateful to Art Rooney II and the late Ambassador Rooney for their trust and support. I am also grateful to the players who gave their best every day, as well as to the coaches and staff whose commitment and dedication made this adventure so rewarding. »
Tomlin had been at the helm of the Steelers since 2007. Tomlin spent 19 seasons with Pittsburgh and won the Super Bowl in 2008.
“I also want to thank Steelers Nation. Your passion, loyalty and high expectations make this franchise a truly special team. Coaching in Pittsburgh is a unique experience, and I will always be very proud to have led this team,” added Tomlin.
In 309 NFL games with the Steelers, he led the team to a 193-114-2 record.
“Even though this chapter ends, my respect and love for the Steelers will remain intact. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for this organization, and I will be forever grateful for my time coaching in Pittsburgh,” Tomlin concluded in his statement.
Tomlin still had two more years on his contract. The Steelers had only had three coaches since Chuck Noll was hired in 1969.
Partisans wanted Tomlin’s head
On Monday night, the “Fire Tomlin'” chants began midway through the fourth quarter, as the Houston Texans turned a tough defensive game into a crushing 30-6 victory to hand the Steelers their seventh straight playoff loss.
As fans began to leave the stadium after the Texans took an 18-point lead, those who remained booed relentlessly during the final minutes of the Steelers’ season.
After the game, Tomlin was brief in acknowledging the fans’ frustration.
“When you can’t do it, words are useless,” he said. “What matters is what you do when you don’t succeed. So I appreciate the question, but people talk too much in our community. Either you act or you don’t act. »
With the loss, Tomlin became the first head coach in Steelers history to go nine consecutive seasons without winning a playoff game. Although Tomlin never had a losing season, his teams lost their last seven playoff games and were eliminated in the first round six times.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, however, was defiant and unyielding in his support of the 53-year-old coach, who earned his 193rd regular-season victory in Week 18 against the Baltimore Ravens. The historic victory allowed him to tie the total of another Steelers legend, Chuck Noll, for 9th all-time.
“Mike T. has had more success than almost anyone else in the league over the last 19 or 20 years,” Rodgers said. “But more than that, when you have the right person and the culture is right, you don’t think about changing, but there is a lot of pressure that comes from outside and that obviously sometimes influences decisions. But that’s not how I would operate and that’s not how the league operated before. »
Defense captain Cameron Heyward also voiced his support for Tomlin following the audible unrest from fans.
“I don’t care about the noise, because they don’t know what Mike T. is investing in this team,” Heyward said, standing in a mostly empty locker room late Monday night. “They don’t know how hard he goes to prepare each player. Little do they know that he spends countless nights studying the videos. The coach does a lot, the players must play better. And in these critical moments, players must rise to the occasion. »
