Subscribe
Follow Us
Minority owners usually don't have much of say in terms of coaching and player changes, but that didn't stop some of the Pittsburgh Steelers minority owners from trying to stop the team from giving Mike Tomlin an extension. Ed Bouchette of TheAthletic.com reported that some of the owners tried to talk Art Rooney II to not extend Tomlin, but he went through with it anyways.
The new extension keeps Tomlin with the Steelers through 2021, and the gives the team an option that they can pick up for 2022. If the team decided to make a change after this season, it would mean they would have to pay Tomlin a two-year buyout.
Back in 2018, some of the minority owners tried to get Tomlin fired, but they failed on getting traction for that, much like they did with this matter.
Article Continues Below
“[I]t’s beyond ludicrous for one or a few minority owners to even think they have enough influence to persuade Rooney to can Tomlin,” Bouchette said. Thus, it’s also beyond ludicrous for one or a few minority owners to even think they have enough influence to persuade Rooney to not give Tomlin a new contract.
It's not a surprise that some of the owners wanted Tomlin can because many believed the team has underperformed the last few years. Rooney II clearly feels that the team is living up to his expectations and is why the team has decided to keep Tomlin around for a couple more years. If the team can win a Super Bowl this year, there is no doubt those owners would change their mind.
