A few weeks ago, the Pittsburgh Steelers were slumping and many people were calling for Mike Tomlin to get fired. Now, after back-to-back wins, many of those critics have gone silent.
That includes Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger, who appeared to criticize Tomlin on his “Footbahlin” podcast earlier this month.
“Maybe it’s a clean house time,” Roethlisberger said on Dec. 2. “And I like Coach Tomlin. I have a lot of respect for Coach Tomlin. Maybe it’s best for him, too. Maybe a fresh start for him is what’s best.”
After being enshrined in the team’s Hall of Honor on Sunday, the two-time Super Bowl champion seemed to walk those comments back prior to Pittsburgh’s Monday night game against the Miami Dolphins.
“That’s just saying that I think Coach Tomlin, if he wants to move on, he has every right to want to move on,” Roethlisberger told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “Not that they should. It’s up to him and he’s earned that right. If he wants to go do something else, he can and should. We should honor him when that time comes.”
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Roethlisberger played for Tomlin for 15 seasons and won a Super Bowl with him, so they have a pretty strong connection and relationship. It makes sense that he would want to clarify his comments to avoid ruffling any feathers or make it seem like he’s calling for Tomlin’s job.
The Steelers have turned their season around since Roethlisberger’s original comments, winning their last two games. They’re back in first place with three games to go, so Tomlin’s job is likely safe if they hold on to win the division.
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