There were a total of nine teams in the NFL that chose to cancel or postpone their practices on Thursday due to the shooting of Jacob Blake. The Pittsburgh Steelers were not one of them. Mike Tomlin, the head coach of the Steelers, explained why Pittsburgh practiced today amid other teams canceling and making statements.

“We desire to have an impact, more so than statements,” Tomlin said, via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “We want to be proactive in our behavior and thoughts. I continue to appreciate the heart and spirit of wanting to participate and express themselves. That is their right. They will continue to be supported by us as long as it’s done thoughtfully and with class.

Also, Tomlin iterated that the Steelers never considered canceling or postponing their practice despite other teams doing it.

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Similar to his stance when the tragic shooting of George Floyd took place, Tomlin is supporting his players in their actions to create change pertaining to racial issues. However, Tomlin—who's one of the select few minority coaches in the NFL—wants his players to do more than just make statements.

At the same time, if Pittsburgh's players do decide to incite change, he wants them to do it with class. The longtime head coach of the Steelers has already expressed that he'd be in support of his players kneeling during the national anthem this season.

Altogether, the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets, Green Bay Packers, Tennessee Titans, and the Washington Football Team opted to not practice on Thursday. Even though the Steelers weren't one of them, Tomlin still realizes the magnitude of what is going on in America.