Former Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin Could Be Taken Advantage Of By His Former Players

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the middle of the 2026 offseason, but the organization has still been in a ton of headlines over the last few weeks. The Steelers have gone through some of the most notable changes in the league as former head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down after Pittsburgh's 2025 season came to a close. The organization then went out and hired Mike McCarthy to fill his role. That decision has been heavily debated across every sports platform that covers the NFL, but now the Steelers are in the news again due to some drama amongst former players. It all stems from Tomlin, and how players spoke about him after he stepped down.

The news was shocking to most when it was announced that Tomlin would be stepping down as the head coach in Pittsburgh, but some people also expected it. A bunch of his current and former players spoke out in appreciation for the head coach and the impact that he had on their lives. Everything was positive for the most part, except James Harrison had some controversial takes about the head coach. This caused a rift between a bunch of former players in Pittsburgh, but Tomlin has not spoken out. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler addressed this during an appearance on Unsportsmanlike on Thursday morning.

"Mike Tomlin doesn't say a thing, and he would never address this kind of thing where people are talking about him," Fowler said. "But I think because of that, he becomes a little bit of an easy target. Everybody has a podcast. Everybody's got a guest on a podcast that has a podcast. We get these quotables all the time. I think people are just kind of over-talking a little bit."

Fowler is specifically speaking on the comments from Harrison, and former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has also spoken negatively about Tomlin in the past as well. However, Roethlisberger's comments were always respectful, and he spoke about how Tomlin has earned the right to chase other opportunities. Harrison on the other hand, would make some comments trying to disparage Tomlin's character.

Fowler made the point that Tomlin would never address something like this in a public forum, but that might be exactly why some of these players are taking these shots. They know that Tomlin won't say anything, and he might not even see it. However, some of his other former players will speak up in support of the former head coach, and that is what causes drama.

Joey Porter Sr. went on Cam Heyward's podcast during Super Bowl week, and he spoke about Harrison and Roethlisberger trying to bring Tomlin down. He had strong words for both of them as he called out Roethlisberger's actions as a person and as a teammate, which quickly became a national headline. He also went after Harrison for his comments, tearing down the former Defensive Player of the Year's career.

Steelers Have Seen Other Former Players Get Involved In The Beef

This drama primarily involves Porter and Harrison, with Tomlin and Roethlisberger being mentioned, but not making any sort of comments. Other former teammates have come to the defense of Tomlin. Former offensive lineman Zach Banner came to his defense in a strong fashion as he called out Harrison and belittled the Super Bowl hero. Plenty of other players have left comments on social media and made their own response videos. It is what the world has become. Everyone has a podcast, and everyone needs their opinion to be heard about what is going on in the world.

This entire drama saga will come to a close, but it is hard to watch former Pittsburgh greats go at each other in the media 24/7.

What do you think about Fowler's idea that Tomlin won't defend himself? Is he right? Follow us for more news!

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