Head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers Mike Tomlin spoke about the sideline incident during the Steelers-Ravens game in 2013 for which he was fined $100,000.
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Mike Tomlin is a name to reckon with in the world of the NFL. Along with being the youngest head coach in Super Bowl history, Tomlin holds the record for the most consecutive non-losing seasons in his NFL coaching career.
In a recent podcast with the Steelers, he talked about the incident for which he suffered a $100,000 fine from the NFL. He said “I stand on the line; I watch the ball being kicked. Then I looked at the JumboTron that was in front of our kick unit. As I’m looking up at the shape of the deal, someone trips and falls.”
“So when someone fell, I nearly felt like leaning against the JumboTron. Then, I noticed a double team block and exclaimed, ‘Oh no.’ I’m walking past the JumboTron thinking, ‘Oh no, I’m seeing a horror movie. Oh no, that’s awful.”
Mike Tomlin explained the confusion. “What people don’t mention is that everything on the JumboTron is backward; it’s flipped. As a result, I’m watching the JumboTron.”
When Tomlin realized what was going on, he said he got out of the way but he ended up receiving a $100,000 fine from the NFL for sideline interference.
Also Read: “Mike Tomlin would have been fired if he was not in Pittsburgh”: Stephen A Smith
Mike Tomlin’s sideline mistake resulted in a hefty fine
Tomlin was watching Jones’ kickoff return from the restricted white area that separates the field from the sidelines. Jones was tackled following a 73-yard return that may have ended in a score except for the need to swerve away from the coach.
Tomlin went onto the field for a split second before springing back. NFL fined Tomlin $100,000 for interfering with a Thanksgiving play against the Baltimore Ravens.
The NFL also stated that Pittsburgh could be docked a draft pick “because the conduct affected a play on the field.”
Ray Anderson, the NFL’s Executive Vice President of Football Operations, issued the punishment. Post that, the team’s seventh-year head coach called the play “embarrassing, inexcusable, illegal, and a blunder,” but emphasized that it was not intentional.
