A lot of Pittsburgh Steelers fans wanted Mike Tomlin gone after yet another one-and-done trip to the postseason during the 2025 campaign.
And while those same fans got their wish after Tomlin stepped down on Tuesday, that was not the desired result for the now-former Steelers head coach's players.
In a report from The Athletic's Mike DeFabo that details the reactions of players to Tomlin's announcement to the team that he was stepping down, he revealed that quarterback Aaron Rodgers and edge rusher T.J. Watt were in tears over it.
DeFabo reports that players were caught off guard and Rodgers "through sobs" said "I'm sorry" to Tomlin more than once, while Watt's eyes were "welling with tears" during Tomlin's speech as he repeated "no" several times.
The Athletic reporter went on to add that Joey Porter Jr. Was "almost hyperventilating" once Tomlin made his decision clear.
“It felt like a funeral,” one Steelers staff member told DeFabo. “I teared up. It’s like finding out your dad died.”
DeFabo noted that he got this information after speaking with a half-dozen players, coaches and staff members who were in the room during Tomlin's speech.
Once Tomlin was done, the entire room gave the head coach a standing ovation, DeFabo reports, and each player hugged Tomlin before exiting.
None of this is at all surprising.
We know just how beloved Tomlin was with his players, no matter how noisy things had become on the outside amid fan dissatisfaction.
Rodgers had spoken very highly of Tomlin on several occasions during his one year in Pittsburgh, and Watt's love for Tomlin was abundantly clear over the years.
Whoever replaces Tomlin is going to have massive shoes to fill.
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