Tomlin, Roethlisberger criticize Antonio Brown for locker room video
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger criticized Antonio Brown on Tuesday after the receiver live streamed the coach's post-game comments following last weekend's 18–16 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
In the video, Tomlin referred to the Patriots as “a-------,” language he apologized for using on Tuesday, and criticized the NFL's scheduling. Brown eventually deleted the video, but Tomlin said he would still be punished.
“I’ll be bluntly honest here,” Tomlin said at his weekly news conference. “It was foolish of him to do that. It was selfish for him to do that, and it was inconsiderate of him to do that. Not only is it a violation of our policy, it’s a violation of league policy – both of which he knows. There are consequences to be dealt with from his perspective.
“We will punish him. We won’t punish us. And we will do that swiftly, and we will do so internally.”
Tomlin also said that incidents like the video taping are often why players fail to stick with one team during their careers, and said he would not want this incident to jeopardize Brown's future with the Steelers.
“I think that’s why often times you see great players move around from team to team,” Tomlin said. “I definitely don’t want that to be his story. I’m sure he doesn’t want that to be his story, so he has to address these things that have put him and us, in time to time, in settings as such where it needs to be addressed.”
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“It’s an unfortunate situation that we’ve got to deal with right now,” Roethlisberger told The Cook and Poni Show on 93.7 The Fan. “That’s a sacred place where things are said and hugs and tears, and it’s kind of a special place. So a little disappointed with AB for that. Coach talks and then I talk, and you just don’t want everyone to know what’s going on in there with the family. And also, I wish AB would have been listening to Coach and myself instead of being on the other side of the locker room filming.”
The Steelers play the Patriots in Sunday's AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium at 6:40 p.m. ET.
