The Steelers had their season come to an end last Monday with a playoff loss at home to the Texans. Less than 24 hours later they had an even more crushing loss as longtime head coach Mike Tomlin opted to part ways with the team that he had coached for the last 19 years.
Tomlin won a Super Bowl early in his tenure as the Steelers' head coach and didn't have a losing season in any of his 19 years in charge, but after failing once again to win a postseason game he decided to step away.
The news wasn't a complete surprise as his job status had been a hot topic in the final months of the season but it was still very hard for many Steelers players to digest. One of those players who took it really hard was T.J. Watt. According to a report by The Athletic, the star linebacker kept repeating one word while fighting back tears.
“No,” star outside linebacker T.J. Watt said, sitting next to fellow defensive veterans Cameron Heyward and Alex Highsmith.
“No. No. No. No. No,” he kept repeating over and over, his eyes welling with tears as Tomlin continued his speech.
Tomlin is the only head coach that Watt has played for during his nine years in the league and the two had formed a tight bond ever since the team selected Watt in the first round of the 2017 NFL draft.
Who the Steelers are looking at to replace Mike Tomlin
The Steelers, while heartbroken about Tomlin's exit, have quickly started looking for his replacement.
On Wednesday they requested to interview Rams passing game coordinator Nate Scheelhaase. They have also requested to interview Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores.
The Steelers have only had three head coaches since 1969—Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Tomlin—so it will be really interesting to see who will be the next person to step in and lead the storied franchise.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as T.J. Watt Kept Repeating the Same Word While Tearing Up Over Mike Tomlin's Exit.
