After 19 seasons, we’d imagine it was very difficult and emotional for Mike Tomlin to say goodbye to the Pittsburgh Steelers. With only 32 NFL head coaching jobs in existence, Tomlin just walked away from one of the best jobs in pro sports. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers had only been coached by Tomlin for just one season, though he knew him for much longer.
Still, it was a tough moment for everyone inside that Steelers locker room on Tuesday, when Tomlin informed the team that he’d be stepping down as head coach. The Athletic’s Steelers insider, Mike DeFabo, was lucky enough to capture the scene by speaking with several members of the club.
DeFabo had many takeaways from the memorable scene, but one that stuck out the most, was that Rodgers was reportedly crying and repeatedly saying, “I’m sorry” to coaches and teammates in Pittsburgh.
“Inside the team meeting room on Tuesday, Rodgers, through sobs, mustered a two-word message to deliver to his coach: ‘I’m sorry,’ several players heard him say. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry.'”
Though, Rodgers wasn’t the only one tearing up.
So was T.J. Watt, who responded to the news with denial, repeating the word “No” over and over. Watt has said in the past that he doesn’t want to play for anyone other than Tomlin. Now for the first time in Watt’s 12-year career, he’ll have to soldier on without Tomlin on the sidelines and in the locker room.
Once Tomlin was done, every player in the locker room stood up to give their coach a standing ovation, recognizing his status as a leader, a man, and their rock week in and week out.
As for Rodgers, he did say he came to Pittsburgh so he could play for Tomlin. With Tomlin gone, we’d imagine Rodgers won’t be returning either. He may not even return to the NFL, but that’s what the rest of the offseason will help reveal.
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