The Pittsburgh Steelers have had problems with players using social media in the past. Why more needs change for the upcoming NFL season.
We would have guessed that the social media drama would have been over when Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell left the facility. Unfortunately for the Steelers, it continues to persist.
Though a few media-driven divas are no longer part of the organization, the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to be spotlighted in the media for their poor use of Twitter. This time it is centered around current Steelers wide receiver, Ryan Switzer, and former running back DeAngelo Williams.
If you have Twitter, you were probably already aware of the dirty laundry being aired around by these two players. Switzer took to Twitter on Tuesday and got into a headed discussion with Williams:
No, you weren’t. We’ve spent the last couple of off season training together& we’ve gotten close. I’ve opened up to you about how hard my journey has been. For you to ask the question if I should even be on the team was out of pocket. Especially for someone I trusted.
— Ryan Switzer (@Switz) July 9, 2019
The discussion stemmed from a question from DeAngelo Williams on Twitter about whether or not the Steelers keep or get rid of Ryan Switzer. The Steelers receiver and return man chimed in and it all went south from there. You can check out the whole conversation for yourself here.
All this social media brings back unnecessary and unwanted drama. We thought the problem would have been solved by removing a few selfish players from the organization, but it seems to persist.
There was no reason for DeAngelo Williams to air a question like that on Twitter about a current Steeler, and no reason for Ryan Switzer to engage in a heated debate over his comment.
The adult thing to do would have been to handle these issues internally and privately – not on display for the world to see.
Obviously, we can’t stop players from using social media, but the way the Steelers have handled their business online has been less than ideal. They are all adults responsible for their own actions, but the fact that the social media antics continues has to at least partially fall back on head coach, Mike Tomlin.
Tomlin needs to do a better job of laying down the law when it come to how his players handle social media. It’s hard to imagine a coach like Bill Belichick putting up with such behaviors from players in his organization – whether it happens on his watch or not.
The Steelers need to put the drama behind them once and for all. When the media gets a hold of stories like these, it does nothing but tear down the success Pittsburgh is trying to build. It’s time for players to learn the right way to handle social media.