The word came down on Wednesday from NFL Executive Vice President of Football Operations Ray Anderson that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been fined $100,000 for interfering with a kickoff during last Thursday night’s game against the Baltimore Ravens. In addition to that, the league will also now consider a modification or forfeiture of Steelers draft choices after the draft final order for next season has been determined.
What? Look, I am fine with the fine and would have been fine with Tomlin even getting a one game suspension on top of everything else, but to hang this loss of a draft pick over the Steelers heads is a bit ridiculous.
The league has had almost a full week to review the tape and talk Tomlin. They probably have camera angles that we haven’t seen on top of everything else. Tomlin gave his 20 minute side of the story to the media on Tuesday and will have nothing more to say on the matter moving forward. What is the league waiting for? Shoe prints? If they are going to dock the Steelers a draft pick, what’s the holdup?
If the league wanted to ensure that this would never happen again, wouldn’t it make sense to really punish the child instead of threatening to punish the child?
I would have a little more respect for the league’s final ruling on this incident if the decision was a hard and fast one. Now, the league has the dangling over the Steelers head like some sort of carrot. What they are really telling Tomlin is that he better keep himself and his entire team in line and off the fine list moving forward if he wants to keep that draft pick.
What we have here folks is the NFL holding the Steelers and Tomlin hostage for the remainder of the season. Anderson needs to shit or get off of the pot.
