Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is under heavy scrutiny after having his foot on the field while Ravens kick returner Jacoby Jones ran down the field. Public ridicule is the least of Tomlin’s worries now as the NFL is reviewing the incident and the reported possible punishment is very stiff.
CBS Sports Jason La Canfora reports the Steelers face the possibility of losing a draft pick while ESPN’s Adam Schefter says Tomlin could also face a fine as high as six figures.
via CBS Sports
Tomlin, as a head coach and as someone who was recently appointed to the NFL’s powerful Competition Committee, erred in being that close to the field of play, no matter what, and while the NFL can’t legislate his intent, the league’s past handling of these issues speaks to the seriousness with which it takes the matter.
Tomlin was caught by cameras watching him on the jumbo scoreboard while Jones returned a kick into Pittsburgh territory on a potentially game-altering play that could have resulted in a score. Tomlin nearly made contact with Jones, and while the coach has claimed he was not trying to impact the play, the NFL will come down hard.
Brooklyn Nets coach Jason Kidd was fined $50,000 for his drink spilling incident but Tomlin’s will be far more significant given the game was on national TV, had playoff implications and Tomlin is of high stature. The Steelers are actually lucky the Ravens won the game because the situation would be 10 times worse.
