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Mike Tomlin’s full answer about the maskless celebrations in the locker room after clinching the AFC North on Sunday: pic.twitter.com/WIlfM9rCqF
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) December 29, 2020
The Pittsburgh Steelers clinched the AFC North in dramatic fashion, overcoming a 24-7 second half deficit to upset the Indianapolis Colts in their 28-24 victory. Such a big win prompted players to celebrate in the locker room, and videos of their dancing and merrymaking spread quickly across social media.
It recalls a similar incident earlier this year when the New Orleans Saints were smacked with $500,000 in fines and the loss of their seventh-round pick in the 2021 draft. Videos of Saints players and coach Sean Payton’s jubilant, maskless gathering circulated widely online, though they’ve taken great precautions since to abide by the NFL’s new rules amid a pandemic.
And the league office took notice of the COVID-19 violations in Pittsburgh, which Steelers coach Mike Tomlin confirmed on Tuesday.
“It is a continual education process in terms of making sure that our guys understand how important it is that we adhere to the protocols of the pandemic,” Tomlin told ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “That being said, sometimes the education is punitive in nature and that’s just the reality of it.”
Like the Saints, the Steelers would be interpreted as repeat offenders against the NFL’s COVID-19 policies. New Orleans and Payton were each fined heavily early this season for failing to toe the line, as were Tomlin and the Steelers organization, who lost a combined $350,000 in November. So it’s possible that Pittsburgh could also forfeit a 2021 draft pick in addition to the cash fines.
These are dramatic losses for teams to suffer, but at least the NFL appears to be taking an even-handed approach (even if details on what specific penalties the Steelers may be facing are not yet available). The league has come too far to afford a slip-up in protocol this late in the season.
With the playoffs just weeks away, a possible outbreak couldn’t appear at a worse time, risking the entire tournament’s structure. So expect the league and its teams to step up their already-intense measures as the stakes continue to heighten.
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