Mike Tomlin Bans Table Games From Locker Room
Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports
Mike Tomlin, ever the “disciplinarian,” apparently banned all players from table games in the Steelers’ locker room according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
In his article, Dulac mentioned exactly what Pittsburgh’s head coach did:
"Tomlin has taken away the pool cues, ping-pong paddles and shuffleboard discs that were as much a part of the South Side locker room as the players themselves. And, according to several veteran players, he won’t return them until the Steelers get “back on track.”"
I’m not going to lie, this move by Tomlin is nothing short of ridiculous. This is the type of punishment a parent hands down to their children in grade school, not professional athletes in their twenties and thirties.
How or why Pittsburgh’s head coach thinks that this will either help his team improve on the field or instill any sort of discipline is nothing short of a joke.
Call me crazy, but shouldn’t this team be focused on winning an important road game instead of worrying about who is playing table games?
I hate to be a “Negative Nancy,” but taking pool cues away isn’t going to magically create more pocket collapse. Prohibiting ping-pong is not going to make the offensive line gel any faster or play any better. Furthermore, eliminating table shuffleboard is not going to turn Pittsburgh’s stone-handed cornerbacks into “interception machines.”
Then again, I guess regulating and banning board games is a more pressing matter for Tomlin to deal with instead of finding ways to end the Steelers’ current 2-9 regular season skid.
Of course, this is simply another “all sizzle and no steak” publicity move by Tomlin and nothing else. I’m curious to know exactly what will happen when Pittsburgh continues to drop games down the stretch.
Will Tomlin take away their television privileges? Will he send them to detention? Or is he going to call their parents, send a note home, or schedule a dreaded “parent-coach conference?”
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