The Elephant in the Room: Do Mike Tomlin's problems have to do with Western Pa. racism?

... Rep. Jack Murtha: "There's no question Western Pennsylvania is a racist area" 

When the Steelers hired Mike Tomlin as their head football coach in 2007, a friend and I had a conversation about the move.

"Do you think that Western Pa. fans will accept a black man as head coach of the Steelers?" my friend wrote.

My answer: "Yes, as long as he wins."

In his second year, his team defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII for their sixth Super Bowl win. Two years later, they were back in the Super Bowl, and even if it did not result in a win, the Steelers were in two Super Bowls in Tomlin's first four years.

He was the toast of the town, a "boy genius" in the eyes of the national media.

Certainly, there were some dissenters, but who could argue with that record?

Tomlin's change to some fans

Then, the team started aging, and change was needed. The problems were on the offensive line, on the defense, pretty much everywhere. That led to a pair or 8-8 seasons, and during this time, Tomlin suddenly became fodder for the angry white males who form the foundation of Steeler country.

[White] "Elephant in the Room"

Steel City Insider columnist Frank LaGratta wrote about the problem of Tomlin's being chastised by Terry Bradshaw and others in the bars and towns of Western Pa. He said what most other columnists had been avoiding: Race is a factor is the criticism of Tomlin.

In "Elephant in the Room," LaGratta writes that some of the criticism of Tomlin is racist. He starts this way:

"Walk in any tavern. Tune in any local sports talk show.

The lyrics may change, but the song remains the same.

'Tomlin doesn’t know how to manage a clock…'

'Tomlin doesn’t his discipline players.'

'Tomlin goin’ for two was stupid.'

Now, if LaGratta thinks that those criticisms are based on racism, I have news for him. They are all legitimate. He has demonstrated serious clock management issues and his going for two points for PATs has been problematic at times.

As for the other, I have been very critical of his lack of discipline, particularly in his treatment of Le'Veon Bell and LaGarette Blount after they were arrested for marijuana possession, use, and in Bell's case, a DWI.

However, I am not a racist. I was as critical of Bill Cowher, who is white, as I am of Tomlin for poor discipline. I point to losing a trip to the Super Bowl in 2002 when his players were putting out a rap video about going to the Super Bowl -- before losing to the two-touchdown underdog New England Patriots and Bill Bellichick.

That is not a racist argument.

So, what is racist?

LaGratta said that Tomlin is well aware of the racist-tinged criticism and demonstrated it in an interview two years ago:

"When he lets down his guard, as he did in a 2014 Fox Sports interview when he was asked if he was a 'player’s coach,' it’s obvious it DOES bother him; that he interprets comments about his intellect and 'buddy-buddy' relationship with his players as a 'dog whistle' for - 'Whatta yinz expect? He’s black!' "

In that interview, Tomlin said this about his criticism about being too close to the players, "You know, it doesn’t bother me because I don’t worry too much about what people define me as. You know, but at the same time it’s something I get tired of addressing or answering over the last eight years because invariably, you know, I think it means something about my age and my race, you know."

LaGratta then talks about something that is common knowledge about Western Pa. The late Rep. Jack Murtha upset many people in 2008 when talking about whether or not Pennsylvanians would vote for a black candidate, Barack Obama -- whom they did vote for, twice.

"There's no question Western Pennsylvania is a racist area," Murtha told the Post-Gazette editorial board.

People were outraged. "How dare him call me a racist. I go to church every week and believe in my lord and savior Jesus Christ."

Well, okay, but that does not mean that you are not a racist. The majority of Christians probably have a racist tinge to their beliefs that they will have trouble explaining to God when trying to enter the pearly gates.

A famous political consultant has often described Pennsylvania as being Philadelphia and Pittsburgh with Alabama in between. I was once offended by that, but after thinking about it, I realized that the bible belt in Pa. did indeed contain a tremendous amount of racism.

As does Western Pa.

Terry Bradshaw

I have written enough about Bradshaw's comments about Tomlin, but after reading LaGratta's piece, I thought that maybe I was giving Bradshaw a little too much latitude. Bradshaw grew up in Louisiana, which is a member of the Confederacy. Slavery and racism were prevalent there, and you do not lose all of that when you leave there.

He also probably voted for Donald Trump, the most racist presidential candidate since the Civil War.

Did this influence Bradshaw's comments about Tomlin?

LaGratta tries to give the former Steeler QB a pass, saying that he is not a racist. Just dumb.

"However, for old time’s sake, lets give Bradshaw a pass on this one. Lets assume his off-the-wall assessment of Tomlin was a lame attempt to get a little attention for his big ego while, at the same time, increase eyeballs for that hour-long gab-fest, 'NFL Sunday'.”

And he also gives many of Steeler Nation a pass -- at least tongue-in-cheek.

"Lets [sic] also give the majority of Steeler nation a pass and figure most of the vitriol directed at Tomlin - after a failed two-point attempt, or a wasted timeout in the third quarter, or when he doesn’t get all up in Antonio Brown’s face after yet another in a too-long string of the receiver’s asinine end zone celebrations - is motivated by an overabundance of spirit, both in the heart and the glass."

Well, not really

Then LaGratta really nails everybody.

"None of that changes the fact that some of the venom spewed at Coach Tomlin, just like that directed at President Obama, comes from a place that most of us like to pretend doesn’t exist.

A hateful place. 

A place where skin color still matters.

Mike Tomlin obviously believes that.

And that’s sad.

And dumb…

Dumber than anything you’ll ever hear Terry Bradshaw say."

Conclusion

Yes, indeed, some of this results from Western Pa. racism. I see them write on Facebook about Obama, how horrible a man he is -- and then they vote for a thrice-married, serial adulterer who has a trophy wife who posed nude in magazines.

And Obama is not a "true Christian."

Then they write about how wonderful a man George W. Bush was because he was "religious."

Yes, good old-fashioned Western Pa. racism. It is not the only reason to criticize Tomlin, but it forms the basis of the virulent hatred of the man by too many.