
Hours after the Pittsburgh Steelers fired a recently hired coach from Mike McCarthy's staff, the reasoning for the surprising and abrupt dismissal has come out.
On Friday, the Steelers relieved special teams assistant Derius Swinton of his duties because of a violation of team policy, sources told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
While the franchise declined to go into detail or offer more information at this time, ESPN has also learned through sources that the violation is due to what's being labeled as "workplace misconduct." It is unclear which type of misconduct Swinton may have been involved in.
Swinton, who was initially hired on Feb. 5 to serve under new special teams coordinator Danny Crossman, declined ESPN's request for comment. But the firing in the middle of OTAs suggested an infraction beyond football was at play.
Sources tell ESPN that Derius Swinton's dismissal for violation of club policy stems from "workplace misconduct" https://t.co/JDjhJ0u5hf
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 29, 2026
Crossman took over for the popular Danny Smith following his departure to work in the same capacity for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Smith had held his position with the Steelers under Mike Tomlin from 2013-25, exiting soon after Tomlin's decision to step down as head coach.
Prior to his brief stint in Pittsburgh, Swinton spent three years with the Las Vegas Raiders from 2023 to 2025 and was the interim special teams coordinator during a stretch last season.
He's also worked the Los Angeles Chargers (2021), the Arizona Cardinals (2019-20), Detroit Lions (2018), Chicago Bears (2015, 2017), San Francisco 49ers (2016), Denver Broncos (2013-14), Kansas City Chiefs (2012), the then-St. Louis Rams (2009-11) and the Tennessee Titans (2007-08).
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