Ryan Clark Explains Where Tomlin’s Coming From With ‘Cleansing’ Remark And What Led To Its Necessity

[polamalubeast]

For a head coach who during media sessions manages to say a lot of words with little meaning—in other words, he excels at coach speak—Pittsburgh Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has a way of making headlines, intentionally or not, when he’s in a more intimate interview setting. He did so recently when he referred to the departures of Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell as a cleansing.

That remark was widely debated in the days that followed. One of his former players, Ryan Clark, also weighed in recently, and given his substantial history with Tomlin, I thought he had an interesting perspective, which he provided during a First Take segment, beginning by recalling his decision not to allow Clark to play against the Denver Broncos in Colorado during the 2011 postseason.

“When I wanted to play in Denver, after I got sick, after they removed my spleen, I went in, I got doctors”, he said. “I had all of these people, a team lined up, because I wanted to play in the playoffs. And I brought all these people to Coach Tomlin and we sat in his room, and there were the trainers and the doctors and I gave this big spiel…of why I could play”.

“I do all this and Coach Tomlin said, ‘I’m looking at you, and if you were my son, I wouldn’t let you play. And that’s my responsibility to look at you as more than a player’”, Clark continued. “And that’s what he did with Antonio Brown, and that’s what he does with Le’Veon Bell, and the only way that works is if you return that loyalty. If you return that in kind”.

The problem is that he was “dealing with players who didn’t see it that way”, Clark said, noting that both Brown and Bell actively ignored Tomlin, including not returning phone calls. “When you’re talking about being an African-American coach, and how you are looked at differently…you also feel a different responsibility; the guys on the team feel like you have a different responsibility to treat them in a certain way”, he added, making a Bill Belichick reference.

“He can treat a guy a certain way. I’ve heard players say, ‘when I walk down the hall, Bill Belichick wouldn’t speak to me’. Or I’ve heard players say, ‘when you see him coming down the hall, you don’t look him in his eyes’”, he said. “That’s okay for Bill Belichick for a black or African-American player. What would it be like if Coach Tomlin was walking [down the hall]? It would be a nightmare”.

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https://steelersdepot.com/2019/05/ryan-clark-explains-where-tomlins-coming-from-with-cleansing-remark-and-what-led-to-its-necessity/


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9SjksDBt-w

[Edman]

AB and Bell are not isolated incidents or the first time.

Blount left out on the team during a game, James Harrison slept through team meetings and became a cancer.

No one can doubt Tomlin is a man and an emotional leader, but the coaching part continues to be a problem. AB and Bell leaving won't fix the teams' lack of preparedness, lack of focus, and failure to perform in critical moments/poor situational football. How many times have we heard over the past couple years during games that the Steelers "didn't come ready to play"? That isn't AB's fault.

As I said in another thread, 2018 wasn't the first time the Steelers fell apart under Tomlin, 2009 and 2012 were just as pathetic, and that was with a far better Defense than what we have now. One was a Defending Super Bowl Champion.

[polamalubeast]

No doubt Tomlin had lost control of his team in the last few years .... Can Tomlin regain control of his team? ... I do not know, but we'll see.

For the late season collapse ... I will defend for 2012, since the team was not very good, the success of our offense in the first half of the season were a lot on the 3rd down and long, which was almost impossible to maintain ... I compare this late season collapse to the 1998 and 1999 season under Cowher when the team had a good first half but the team was not very good , especially at the QB position.

But of course,the 2009 and 2018 collapses are the one that we prefer to forget as soon as possible, since it was embarrassing.

[DesertSteel]

I'm not sure why race becomes part of the equation.

[polamalubeast]

I'm not sure why race becomes part of the equation.

I agree...When I criticize Tomlin, it has nothing to do with the race, same for the rest of this message board.I do not know about twitter or other place though.

[El-Gonzo Jackson]

I'm not sure why race becomes part of the equation.

I think what RC is saying is that Tomlin as a black man tries to give his players, who are largely African-American, a degree of freedom of expression and freedom to be individuals, rather than suppress that by treating them as chess pieces, or depreciating assets. It may be a similar approach as Pete Carroll takes, but perhaps black players don't fear taking things too far with a black coach like Tomlin, as much as a white coach like Carroll? Players like AB and Bell didn't repay the loyalty to Tomlin, where as with Carroll, players still in the back of their mind still fear him a bit more as the man.

I think it may have come down to Tomlin not keeping his top talent like Ben, Bell, AB in check, but rather letting the most talented guys on the team do what they want. Not so much race related, but rather Tomlin not holding guys accountable for their actions and enabling a class distinction.

[Edman]

I think what RC is saying is that Tomlin as a black man tries to give his players, who are largely African-American, a degree of freedom of expression and freedom to be individuals, rather than suppress that by treating them as chess pieces, or depreciating assets. It may be a similar approach as Pete Carroll takes, but perhaps black players don't fear taking things too far with a black coach like Tomlin, as much as a white coach like Carroll? Players like AB and Bell didn't repay the loyalty to Tomlin, where as with Carroll, players still in the back of their mind still fear him a bit more as the man.

I think it may have come down to Tomlin not keeping his top talent like Ben, Bell, AB in check, but rather letting the most talented guys on the team do what they want. Not so much race related, but rather Tomlin not holding guys accountable for their actions and enabling a class distinction.

And Like the Steelers, the Seahawks depreciated and eventually broke apart and it will be years before they come back together as a unit and contend for Super Bowls again. Russell Wilson is the only thing holding that team together now.

Freedom of Expression isn't free. It comes with a price of responsibility, and that responsibility is proper leadership and setting an example for your teammates. Tomlin allows freedom of expression without accountability. Hence, the rise of unchecked egos and cancers within the locker room. Players lacking preparation, focus and discipline. The chaste system among players, and ultimately, a toxic locker room culture, and an underachieving failing product on the field.

Because of Tomlin "not treating his players like players", The Steelers have no real leadership or a team with an identity working towards a goal. Just a collective group of individuals. The "Elder Statesman" is a 38-year-old Quarterback who has made a habit of throwing players and coaching staff under the bus in public and deems himself worthy of doing so.

Ever notice that players "love" Playing for Mike Tomlin, but notice they have little good or respectful to say about him after they leave? They continue to swipe and throw barbs at Tomlin and the organization.


think what RC is saying is that Tomlin as a black man tries to give his players, who are largely African-American, a degree of freedom of expression and freedom to be individuals, rather than suppress that by treating them as chess pieces, or depreciating assets.

This is an interesting quote and the biggest underlying problem with Tomlin, and why Marvin Lewis failed in Cincinnati. They breed undisciplined cultures on emotionally-charged grounds that "Let black players be free, and if you even dare to step in and tell them what to do, you're breeding in slavery" when that is not even the case. The players are not forced to play football. This is a choice they chose to make as grown men.

Professional Football is a job like anyplace else, and like any job, there are standards you have to meet. if you don't meet those standards, you get cut. I think Tomlin willfully throws away his standards for the sake of "freedom". He treats players like helpless children and protects them from accountability, instead of treating them like professionals and expecting better from them.

It's like the lackluster parent who give their children everything they ask for and lets them run loose, only for them to grow up and end up deeply resenting them. That's Tomlin.