Steelers HC Mike Tomlin explains viral news conference moment
Three days after an abrupt and premature exit from a postgame news conference following his team's playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin explained his actions on Thursday.
Following Monday's defeat, ESPN's Brooke Pryor started to ask Tomlin about his contract, before the 51-year-old stormed off and left the podium before the reporter could finish her question.
The wild-card round setback against the Bills was the Steelers' fifth consecutive postseason loss since their last victory in January 2017, when they beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC divisional round.
Tomlin said at the beginning of Thursday's meeting that he was in a "much better mood" and said he was willing to talk about his contract with the media members.
Leading up to Pittsburgh's game vs. Buffalo, Steelers linebacker Myles Jack expressed his confidence that Tomlin would be staying with the franchise by saying his "hot seat" as coach was as cold as the freezing temperatures outside.
With Bill Belichick's departure from the New England Patriots, Tomlin is now the longest-tenured lead man in the NFL (17 years).
The Steelers haven't made the Super Bowl in over a decade and haven't made it past the wild-card round in six seasons, but Tomlin's consistency has been impressive. With its 10-7 finish in 2023, Pittsburgh has still never had a losing season during Tomlin's run.
More must-reads: