How Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made his team’s national anthem protest look foolish

Well, that sure escalated quickly.

A fire that was already burning had gasoline poured on it this week as President Donald Trump decided to share his disdain for NFL players kneeling during the national anthem before games.

The result?

Even more kneeling and locked arms during the Star Spangled Banner – and one coach making a fool of himself – on Sunday.

What the Pittsburgh Steelers did – and how their coach explained it – was probably the most dramatic stance of the day – even more so than when Jacksonville Jaguars and Baltimore Ravens players refused to stand for our national anthem only to rise for the United Kingdom’s anthem ahead of their game in London.

Steelers players remained in the locker room during the anthem before joining everyone else on the field after its conclusion.

Fair enough. I get it. Message received.

But what Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said in connection with the protest was completely foolish and in my mind diminished the statement his players set out to make.

Per an ESPN article, Tomlin said:

“We’re not going to play politics,” Tomlin told CBS’ Jamie Erdahl before the game. “We’re football players, we’re football coaches. We’re not participating in the anthem today – not to be disrespectful to the anthem, but to remove ourselves from the circumstance.

“People shouldn’t have to choose. If a guy wants to go about his normal business and participate in the anthem, he shouldn’t be forced to choose sides. If a guy feels the need to do something, he shouldn’t be separated from his teammate who chooses not to.”

Not going to play politics by playing politics? Umm, what, Mike?

The Steelers were removing themselves from the circumstance? Another swing and miss there, coach.

People shouldn’t have to choose? It’s a little late for that, Mr. Tomlin.

You either stand, sit, kneel or – like his players did – don’t show up. Whichever stance a player takes is magnified these days as the national anthem saga has somehow become of more importance than the games themselves.

You don’t take attention away from something through an act that draws all the attention.

As much as some choose to kid themselves, this issue has become absolutely polarizing.

Those who are against the protests aren’t budging, and Trump chimed in Friday, essentially making himself the face of the anti-kneeling movement after saying:

“Wouldn’t you love to see one of these NFL owners, when somebody disrespects our flag, to say, ‘Get that son of a [expletive] off the field right now. Out. He’s fired! He’s fired!”

Those on the other side – which started with now-unemployed quarterback Colin Kaepernick kneeling during the anthem last season to bring attention to what he believed to be rampant racially based police brutality – aren’t budging either.

Aside from Trump’s NFL remarks, he angered others by saying he was rescinding star guard Stephen Curry and Golden State Warriors’ invitation to the White House for what annually is a celebration of a championship. However, Curry had said he wasn’t planning to go anyway beforehand.

That prompted LeBron James – easily one of Curry and the Warriors’ biggest rivals on the court – to defend his colleague, referring to the president as a “bum.”

Late to the party, Major League Baseball got into the act, with the Oakland Athletics’ Bruce Maxwell kneeling during the national anthem Saturday.

As each and every protest or stance against them show, there’s no in between here. I, myself, have been about as close to neutral as I believe you can be, arguing that while I wouldn’t kneel during the anthem myself, I don’t fault Kaepernick – and now many, many others – for enacting their right to do so. Even so, I’ve received a good bit of hate mail for what I believe is a mild opinion in this great debate.

Therefore, what Tomlin said about his team’s protest made a lot of people look stupid, including him, his team and the rest of us. Does he believe we’re really that naive to think what his team did wasn’t political or that no one is choosing sides?

Come on, man.

On tap

The Coastal Carolina football team begins Sun Belt Conference play as it plays at Louisiana-Monroe at 7 p.m. Saturday. … The CCU women’s golf team competes in the Golfweek Conference Challenge from Monday through Wednesday. … The Coastal women’s soccer team plays at Louisiana at 7 p.m. Friday and at Little Rock at noon Sunday. … The Coastal Carolina volleyball team hosts UT Arlington at 6:30 p.m. Friday and Texas State at 12:30 p.m. Sunday. … The CCU cross country teams compete in the UC Upstate Invitational on Saturday. … The Clemson football team plays at Virginia Tech at 8 p.m. Saturday (ABC). … The South Carolina football team plays at Texas A&M at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (SEC Network). … The Carolina Panthers play at the New England Patriots at 1 p.m. Sunday (Fox). … The PGA Tour heads to Jersey City, N.J., for the Presidents Cup from Thursday through Sunday. … The NASCAR Monster Energy Cup Series heads to Dover International Speedway for the Apache Warrior 400 at 2 p.m. Sunday (NBCSN). … The following high school football games are on the schedule for this week: Aynor at Georgetown; Socastee at Carolina Forest; Marion at Carvers Bay; West Florence at Conway; Green Sea Floyds at Lake View; Loris at Lake City; Myrtle Beach at North Myrtle Beach (Thursday); Marlboro County at St. James; and Dillon at Waccamaw. … The MLB season comes down the home stretch this week, with the regular season finishing up Sunday. … In tennis, the men begin play in the ATP Shenzhen Open on Monday. The women begin play in the WTA Dongfeng Motor Wuhan Open on Monday.

This story was originally published September 24, 2017 at 7:05 PM with the headline "How Steelers coach Mike Tomlin made his team’s national anthem protest look foolish."