A report from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette regarding Steelers coach Mike Tomlin’s decision to bench quarterback Mitchell Trubisky during the team’s Week 4 24–20 loss to the Jets came out on Monday, stating that the quarterback got into a confrontation with receiver Diontae Johnson.
The heated exchange reportedly occurred during halftime of the game, after which Tomlin to name rookie Kenny Pickett the second half starter. Pickett replaced Trubisky as the team’s starter, then started the next two games.
Tomlin was asked about the report on Tuesday. He didn’t confirm or deny whether the confrontation happened, but spoke instead as if it happened hypothetically.
“If it were, do you think that I would share it with you in this environment? Probably not,” Tomlin said, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “Our business is our business and I understand it today’s climate, oftentimes there’s leaks, our business getting the street. But I’m not gonna acknowledge it or confirm it or deny it in these settings. I’m just not, I ain’t got enough hours of my day for it.
“The things that happen among competitors from time to time is normal business. Everyone wants to win. If it transpired, it’s good. It probably means there’s a couple guys that wanted to win. If it didn’t transpire, it probably means that it should have because we are aggressively pursuing victory. Sometimes that’s emotional.”
During the confrontation, Johnson reportedly yelled at the quarterback to throw him more passes. This came after Johnson missed a pass in the first half, resulting in an interception, and stepped out of bounds during a potential touchdown play. Trubisky then shared with Johnson his concerns, and the conversation got out of hand, according to the report.
Trubisky may start this coming Sunday night vs. the Dolphins after Pickett suffered a concussion last Sunday. The rookie is in concussion protocol as of Tuesday.
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