Mike Tomlin: Comments 'regrettable,' Antonio Brown 'selfish'.
PITTSBURGH -- Mike Tomlin called his postgame locker room language "regrettable" but will punish Antonio Brown internally for streaming the coach's message to the Pittsburgh Steelers on Facebook Live on Sunday night.
Tomlin took a hard line with Brown, the electric receiver who streamed footage of Tomlin saying how the Steelers "spotted those a--h---- [the New England Patriots] a day and a half" of AFC Championship Game preparation after the team's divisional-round win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
"It was foolish of him to do that," Tomlin said during his weekly news conference Tuesday. "It was selfish of him to do that. It was inconsiderate for him to do that."
Tomlin said he hasn't spoken to Brown yet but will do so when he sees him. Brown's punishment won't be tangible on the field Sunday against New England. Brown violated team policy and the NFL's social media policy that prohibits posting messages 90 minutes before kickoff through postgame interviews. Violation of the league policy could elicit a fine.
Tomlin said certain star players bounce from team to team because of off-the-field distractions, alluding to a recurring theme with Brown's antics.
"I definitely don't want that to be his story," Tomlin said. "I'm sure he doesn't want that to be his story. So he has to address these things that put him and us in positions from time to time, in settings such as this that need to be addressed."
When asked to clarify the "from time to time" comment, Tomlin said he addressed everything in his opening statement.
Brown was in the back of the locker room talking to the camera while Tomlin and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger addressed the team and urged players to stay "low-profile." Roethlisberger told 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday that the situation is "unfortunate" and he's "a little disappointed" in his top receiver.
"Coach talks and then I talk, and you just don't want everyone to know what's going on in there with the family," Roethlisberger told the show. "And also, I wish AB would have been listening to Coach and myself instead of being on the other side of the locker room filming."
While addressing the "elephant in the room," Tomlin pointed to himself as needing to clean up his language in all settings and said this matter would not be a distraction for his team.
"This thing that is the National Football League, this platform that we have, is a precious and awesome thing," Tomlin said. "Not something we take very lightly. The responsibility associated with being in this thing just from a role-model standpoint is something I personally embrace."
BETONLINE
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| Sunday, Feb 05, 2017 - NFL Football Game | ||||||||
| 06:30 PM | Atlanta Falcons | +1 | -105 | |||||
| Pittsburgh Steelers | -1 | -115 | ||||||
| 06:30 PM | Pittsburgh Steelers | pk | -110 | |||||
| Green Bay Packers | pk | -110 | ||||||
| 06:30 PM | New England Patriots | -4½ | -105 | |||||
| Green Bay Packers | +4½ | -115 | ||||||
| 06:30 PM | New England Patriots | -6 | -105 | |||||
| Atlanta Falcons | +6 | -115 |
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The combined TD-Int ratio for the four QBs playing in Conference Championships this weekend? +113
The NFL confirmed its championship game officials today. Terry McAulay will be the referee for the AFC Championship Game between the Steelers and Patriots. Bill Vinovich will handle the NFC Championship Game between the Packers and Falcons.
Terry McAulay
Bill Vinovich
Here's a good preview of the NFL Conference Championship Games. The commentator on this was 4-0 last week in the divisional round:
http://www.cyinterview.com/2017/01/...w-england-vs-pittsburgh-green-bay-vs-atlanta/
http://www.cyinterview.com/2017/01/...w-england-vs-pittsburgh-green-bay-vs-atlanta/
Terry McAulay
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| Date | Tm | Opp | Pos | PtsO | Pen | Yds | Pts | Pen | Yds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2, 2016 | San Francisco 49ers | Dallas Cowboys | Referee | 24 | 6 | 45 | 17 | 5 | 32 |
| October 9, 2016 | Denver Broncos | Atlanta Falcons | Referee | 23 | 7 | 78 | 16 | 8 | 57 |
| October 23, 2016 | Arizona Cardinals | Seattle Seahawks | Referee | 6 | 10 | 90 | 6 | 6 | 45 |
| October 30, 2016 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Oakland Raiders | Referee | 30 | 23 | 200 | 24 | 6 | 64 |
| November 6, 2016 | Los Angeles Rams | Carolina Panthers | Referee | 13 | 5 | 35 | 10 | 10 | 109 |
| November 13, 2016 | San Diego Chargers | Miami Dolphins | Referee | 31 | 11 | 81 | 24 | 4 | 29 |
| November 20, 2016 | Cincinnati Bengals | Buffalo Bills | Referee | 16 | 9 | 75 | 12 | 4 | 25 |
| November 28, 2016 | Philadelphia Eagles | Green Bay Packers | Referee | 27 | 7 | 51 | 13 | 7 | 42 |
| December 4, 2016 | Pittsburgh Steelers | New York Giants | Referee | 14 | 4 | 24 | 24 | 12 | 115 |
| December 8, 2016 | Kansas City Chiefs | Oakland Raiders | Referee | 13 | 10 | 82 | 21 | 9 | 73 |
| December 18, 2016 | Dallas Cowboys | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Referee | 20 | 3 | 35 | 26 | 8 | 91 |
| January 1, 2017 | Minnesota Vikings | Chicago Bears | Referee | 10 | 6 | 49 | 38 | 2 | 15 |
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Bill Vinovich
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NFL Picks.....Odds Couple.....Championship Opening Lines.
How much does HFA help? Since '01, Patriots are 16-3 at home and 3-4 on road in playoffs. Reg sea: 107-21 home (.836), 89-39 road (.695).
