Steelers' Mike Tomlin Had A Powerful Statement For Former Safety Ryan Mundy Who Was Struggling With Depression

The jury is currently out on Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin. He has had a phenomenal career in the Steel City, but the team has only won three playoff games since the 2011 season began. There have been talks in 2023 about his run potentially coming to an end, especially after losing three straight games in December. One thing that is well-known, however, is Tomlin's ability to work as a player's coach. Football is the reason he goes to work every day, but he wholeheartedly wants his players to succeed off the field, and in life, as well.

A story from a former Steelers safety recently came out via the Blueprint Connect Podcast. Ryan Mundy detailed how Tomlin helped him during one of the darkest moments of his life. He was struggling with several different things when his career ended following the 2014 season. He talked a little bit about what he was going through.

"After I ended my career at the age of 31, I was dealing with all those conditions that I talked about. Stress, anxiety, depression, identity issues... Trying to figure out who I was when I couldn't tackle somebody," Mundy said.

Being a professional football player can be an extremely tough job. Someone is always looking to take your place and, unfortunately, some fans take their passion to an unnecessary level by ripping players on social media. Most recently, Steelers' special teams ace, Miles Killebrew noted that he received death threats after a rough Week 13 performance against the Arizona Cardinals.

Steelers' Tomlin Had Significant Impact On Mundy's Career And Life

Mundy continued. He was in Pittsburgh from 2009 to 2012 and he will never forget something that the head coach told him while he was a Steeler.

"He said, 'Football is not who you are. It's what you do.' That statement really resonated with me and throughout my professional career. As an athlete, I was taking advantage of those opportunities to really develop myself."

Those are powerful words from Tomlin and no matter how anyone thinks of him, it's clear that it made a significant impact on Mundy's career and life. That's a coach that anybody would want to play for on a daily basis.

Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE) has been a serious topic to have a conversation about since Mundy retired. Several players struggle after severe trauma from takings hits to the head way too often throughout their football careers. Mundy has been very vocal in the past about what he has had a hard time with during, and after, his playing days.

Mundy did not have a Hall of Fame career by any means. He was extremely durable, playing 16 games in each of his six seasons. He even was able to haul in four interceptions for the Chicago Bears in 2014 and then said goodbye to the game of football. He ended up retiring and one of the reasons for that was because of his mental health struggles and CTE.

Tomlin is a two-time Super Bowl-winning head coach. He has an extremely impressive resume, but many wonder why he has been consistently given the benefit of the doubt from the Steelers' brass, especially recently. This story from Mundy is one of the reasons why. He is a player's coach, and with that, Tomlin sincerely cares about the health and wellbeing of his players.

What do you think about the story Mundy told on the Blueprint Connect Podcast? Does it change the way you view Tomlin? Let us know in the comments below!

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