After missing the first two days of training camp, S Minkah Fitzpatrick returned to Latrobe and participated in practice yesterday. Fitzpatrick was excused from the team to go home and handle a personal matter. HC Mike Tomlin fully supported Fitzpatrick, allowing him to go back home to be with his family and said that he would be welcomed back when he was ready to return. That support was felt by Fitzpatrick, who spoke to the media yesterday following his return, mentioning what it means to play for a coach as supportive as Tomlin.
“You definitely appreciated that,” Fitzpatrick said according to 93.7 The Fan‘s Jeff Hathhorn. “I said two words to him and knew what it was when I had to leave and he told me ‘Go. Go be there for your family. Go do what you have to do.’ It wasn’t an issue at all. You definitely make sure you appreciate a coach and a program that takes care of family.”
Tomlin has often been referred to as a “player’s coach.” but to him, football is family. We have seen that support from Tomlin and the Steelers organization in the past, such as when P Pressley Harvin III’s dad was dealing with a terminal illness and didn’t have much time to live. Because he couldn’t fly on a plane, Harvin revealed that Tomlin and the Steelers rented an RV to drive his dad to Pittsburgh for its game against the Tennessee Titans before he would end up passing away on Christmas morning of Harvin’s rookie season.
Tomlin has often stressed the importance of not only developing good football players on the field, but also great young men off it. He spoke about the impact of his job on The Pivot podcast a while back, mentioning how he has the opportunity to make an impact on young men’s lives to help them become better sons, husbands, fathers, and contributing members of society. Tomlin and owner Art Rooney II have always viewed the Steelers as a family where you look out for your family, regardless of it’s a player, coach, or support staff member. This is the culture that the Rooneys established in Pittsburgh a long time ago, and that still holds true today.
Fitzpatrick is grateful to play for a coach who sees the bigger picture outside of football, knowing he has the love and support from all of Steelers Nation behind him. Hopefully all is well with Fitzpatrick and his family and he can get back to focusing on football with Pittsburgh’s first preseason game fast approaching.
