Say what you want about Mike Tomlin and his Pittsburgh Steelers, but he proved to be as solid as they come when he hired Brian Flores to his staff as Senior Defensive Assistant and Linebackers Coach.
When Tomlin and the Steelers hired Flores, my immediate thought was ‘what will happen with the lawsuit?’ ‘Is this about appeasement?’ After thinking about it for a few days, what Tomlin did was a good look.
Whenever someone goes against the shield, being blackballed is a likely outcome. We’ve seen it with Colin Kaepernick. When Brian Flores decided to sue the NFL he knew the repercussions, understanding that it’s a strong possibility that he will not coach again. Instead of sitting back and watching the situation unfold and resulting in a blackball, the Steelers and Tomlin hired Flores.
The lawsuit is still active. Tomlin hiring Flores kept him from being blackballed. While others talked about supporting Flores, Tomlin and the Steelers were about action. They were about showing support where it counts- in protection and provision. Flores is coaching in the NFL while suing the NFL. Regardless of the the outcome of this suit, Tomlin should get his props for this.
Not only did Tomilin gave Flores another opportunity, it is possible that he may be grooming Flores for another opportunity down the line-as the next head coach of the Steelers once Tomlin steps down.