A day after calling the officiating in Sunday’s game “questionable,” Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin doubled down on his statement, saying Monday in a press conference that he was “just kind of disturbed by some of it.”
“It’s a natural human response,” Tomlin said. “I know (the refs) got a tough job. I respect the job that they have to do. But we’ve got tough jobs, as well.”
Sunday, against the Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh was penalized eight times for 70 yards. Tomlin appeared to find issue with two calls in particular: a 15-yard penalty on Lawrence Timmons on a hit to Cleveland quarterback Cody Kessler that resulted in him leaving the game; and a non-call on Browns cornerback Joe Haden, who held Antonio Brown’s jersey on a deep 3rd down pass attempt late in the fourth quarter.
“We were on the field more than we needed to be,” Tomlin said after the game. “I thought the officiating was questionable at times. Maybe that had something to do with it. I just thought it was questionable. I thought there were some bad calls, or no calls.”
Monday, Tomlin raised the possibility of making the referees’ jobs full-time ones.
“I believe that’s a discussion that needs to be had,” Tomlin said. “But, more than the discussions, I think that it needs to move in that direction and move relatively quickly. But there are politics and so forth involved in that, labor and so forth involved in that. I get it, but it’d be nice if that process gets going.”
It’s unclear whether Tomlin will be fined for his comments. He hasn’t yet heard from the league, but the standard fine for criticizing coaches is $15,000.
He added: “I’m not trying to turn this into a global officiating discussion. I said what I said yesterday, and I meant it, and I’m moving on.”
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