Tomlin fined $100K

Tomlin fined 100K

Draft penalties still pending.
Can’t say I’m surprised. It looked like a deliberate move. Saints lost draft picks for their mercenary hit list, looks like Steelers org may pay for this coach’s actions.

I have no real dog in this fight. I do think Tomlin deserved severe penalty, I’m not so sure about the draft issue. Seems a bit harsh. The Saints had several players and coaches in on it when they got caught, so yeah, the team suffers. This was one man being a total git.

Discuss, rave, rage, hijack… makes no diff to me.

brilliant move by Tomlin

I think the punishment is ok but if it happens again I’d expect a harsher penalty

(I’m a Ravens fan, to add some context to my opinion)

I don’t think docking the Steelers draft picks is appropriate. IMO, that kind of punishment should be reserved for systematic violations that involve multiple members of the organization - e.g. salary cap violations, spygate, the Saints bounty system. What Tomlin did, while stupid, was the bone-headed act of just one guy rather than an organizational action.

That said, I think he should have been suspended for a game in addition to the fine. That punishes the guy who made the mistake and sends a stronger message than the fine alone does.

I agree with everything Enginerd said (and i’m a Steeler fan)

The draft pick makes no sense to me, as it was just one guy and not an organizational thing. And apparently, the Jets did something worse, where an assistant coach had players who were on the sidelines and not dressed for the game line up shoulder to shoulder and try to trip/knee/disrupt punt returns. That jets coach got the same $100k fine but no draft picks were taken. I think if they take draft picks, that’s just overkill.

Punish Tomlin. Let him lose a game check and suspend him a week… But you shouldn’t punish the entire organization.

I firmly believe that shit-eating grin he had on his face cost him the $100k. He may not have even done it intentionally, but you will never convince me of that after looking at him laughing right after the play.

I was actually surprised they didn’t suspend him for a game. Why the NFL is reserving the right to dick with the draft picks is stupid. Just close this one and be done with it. Isn’t that what the NFL does? They destroyed the spy-gate tapes instead of allowing them to get out to the public. Why drag this out? I don’t think it should have any bearing on where the Steelers draft. That is a stupid argument.

If they are going to take a pick, announce it today with the fine.

Kumbaya, my lord… :smiley:
Count me as another who doesn’t understand the league’s delaying the decision on draft picks. What information are they going to base the decision on that they don’t know now?

I also agree that any penalties should be directed at Tomlin alone. This incident was not indicative of a systemic problem with the team and doesn’t justify the loss of draft picks.

Tomlin’s actions directly impacted a play on the field, a potential explosive play at that. It may have cost the Raven’s 4 points. The Ravens still won, but what if they hadn’t? What if those 4 points factor into a tie breaker?

For all the crap in the NFL, a coach interfering with a play on the field is about as severe an issue as there can be, it falls under Unfair Acts. It could actually upset the competitive balance and undermine the credibility of the outcome. Personal opinion, intentional or not, this punishment is not severe enough and draft picks are absolutely justified. Tomlin should probably miss multiple games.

If you were able to prove he did it intentionally he’d have to be done for the rest of the season, if not longer. Even if it was unintentional (but really, I’m supposed to believe that a coach had no idea that a kick return was occurring?) its so negligent that it doesn’t even matter. Anybody remember this? Jets suspend Sal Alosi indefinitely. I’d say Tomlin is getting off easy

Honestly, media and fan reaction. They announce this, wait on the picks and let everyone blow out their opinions, gauge the tone of the backlash and then decide. PR 101.

The decision to strip draft picks has nothing to do with the action being the result of one man or being a systemic issue. That’s not the way the math works. It’s based on the evaluation of if the action was unfair to the competition.

Add me to that list.

I think someone upthread mentioned it. Oh, yeah. It was me.

Note that it was something going on all season, was done with the direction of the Jets coach and involved a number of players. And THAT didn’t cost any draft picks. The guy got a $100k fine, and suspended by the Jets. But no lost draft picks, and no suspension by the league.

You are right in that the league tossed it out their to gauge opinion on losing draft picks, but that’s just chicken shit. If you are the NFL, you dictate policy, not fans or public opinion. And zapping the Steelers a draft pick is overboard, especially when you consider the Patriots only lost a number 1 pick for Spy-gate. A number one is a bog loss, but it was only one pick and it was for systematic cheating on a level not caught before in the NFL.

They won’t take a pick from the Steelers. And to do so would be overkill. It would also be harming the team permanently for something that you can’t prove intent on. You could prove intent with spy-gate, as well as the Jets incident.

Even though Tomlin looked bad with that shit eating grin, he could have been embarrassingly laughing at himself for being such a jackass and getting caught in that situation on national TV. I am already on the record as saying I personally think he knew what he was doing, but i can’t prove it. And everyone in the league got the message.

Wait, what team do you root for?

I think Omniscient is a Bears fan.

I said in another thread, and I’ll repeat here, that I don’t think his intent matters one whit. He was on the field when he wasn’t supposed to be and he disrupted a play - why he was there doesn’t change anything that happened. The NFL has taken the stance that intent doesn’t matter in other cases (Vikings Kevin Williams and Pat Williams were suspended for using mislabeled supplements, for example), and I think they should take the same position here.

Are you sure? The only docked draft picks I remember have been for the football equivalent of a conspiracy - the Pats spying, Saints bounties, tampering by the 49ers, and salary cap violations (Broncos, Steelers, 49ers). Have there been draft picks docked for this kind of action before?

I’m not sure I can explain it very well, but I can see why it would merit a draft pick removal. There are penalties within the game, and penalties from outside the game. And interference for the sideline is outside the game. It starts to infringe on the integrity of the game as an honest contest. And as much as they don’t like to admit it, gambling and fantasy football put a lot of eyeballs on the TV, and a lot of money in everybody’s pockets.

If this kind of thing where if “palpably unfair acts” happen, and refs start having to arbitrarily award a touchdown or not will effect lines and FF scores. That could start to effect the bottom line. Combined with Flacco last year talking about how easy it would be to come off the sideline and tackle a runner, I can understand why the NFL would want to lower the boom and make sure there is no mistake about the seriousness of the perceived integrity of the game.

I agree with this. I don’t agree with the idea of taking draft picks, and I don’t believe that it was intentional. I’d like to hear a reasonable argument as to why people think it was intentional, though. I have yet to hear a good one.

What would you consider a reasonable argument? Does the fact that he’s coached for many years, including in that very stadium, hold any sway? Does the fact he can see himself on the big screen that he was watching (if he could?) Does the fact it’s never happened before carry any sway (if it hasn’t?) Is the idea that a NFL coach can become “mesmerized” by all those shiny pixels on a big screen sound a bit silly matter at all? What would it take, outside of a confession, to convince you?

Tomlin would have to be on a different team.

OK, so this is the narrative then: Mike Tomlin, with full knowledge that any contact with a player would result in the awarding of a touchdown and his immediate ejection (it is reasonable to believe that he would know that, now being a member of the Competition Committee), actually followed through on this on national television where he would be sure to be seen doing his intentional, nefarious act by millions?

That’s it? Really? Because if you believe he did it on purpose, that’s what you believe.

I think he screwed up, had an “oh shit” moment, tried to get out of the way, and was smiling one of the most embarrassed smiles I’ve ever seen since he had just humiliated himself on national TV. That’s far more likely.

I couldn’t help but notice you didn’t answer the question.

The point of my question was to find out if you saw Tomlin watching the return on the big screen and apparently take a deliberate step closer to the field, would that change you mind.

More footage.

:smiley:

I don’t think the draft pick penalty is so much a punishment as it is a deterrent. Though I’d expect them to be lower picks, like a 4th this year and a 5th next, not exactly the hit of Spygate.

Right. Doing it deliberately might be worse, but even if you accept it wasn’t deliberate, it’s still a pretty big deal. From now on the NFL needs to strictly enforce its rules about coaches and other players staying away from the field. They’re supposed to be behind the white line several yards away from the field at all times. Stepping over that line should get a warning, and being over it - nevermind being actually on the field when you’re not playing - should be whistled immediately.

What is the rule on sidelines? Does a player or coach just need to not be on the field or do they have to be a certain distance back? If the latter, flag Tomlin for unsportsmanlike conduct everytime he’s too close until he gets the hint.
ETA: nice to know Marley and me thing alike.