Mike Tomlin was head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers for 19 years before stepping down this past January. Months later, before Tomlin returns to the sidelines of a Steelers game as an analyst for NBC Sports this Sunday night as Pittsburgh takes on the Cincinnati Bengals, he opened up to Cam Heyward on his “Not Just Football” Podcast about his decision to step down.
When asked if he knew that he would be retiring after the Steelers loss to the Texans in the wild card round in January, Tomlin admitted
the decision was made quickly.
“I did probably by the time I pulled in my driveway,” Tomlin said.
Tomlin knew very quickly after the loss that he would step down, which suggests that he had been thinking about it for quite some time.
“I never wanted to stay too long,” Tomlin continued “As a football lover, I was always really impressed by those that moved away or had the self-awareness to move away at what they deemed the appropriate time. I just always wanted to respect the game enough to be able to do that. To not overstay my welcome. That was a big component of me coming to the decision as anything.”
The head coach always knew that he wanted to go out on his terms. His retirement shocked many, as Tomlin kept his decision to himself until it was time to step down.
“I just thought we had the makings of a really good team, a team that is capable of competing for and winning a championship,” Tomlin said. “But when I really started thinking about it, man, my bags might slow that down. I thought that guys like him (Heyward) and T.J. were deserving of the optimism that comes with new regimes. I’ve been around that. I saw it in Tampa. I want that for those guys, even if it means it doesn’t happen with me.”
The longtime head coach always had the reputation of being someone who had a special relationship with his players. Even when Tomlin decided that he was stepping away from coaching, he had his players in mind, whom he simply wanted to see succeed at the highest level.
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