NFL NEWS

Steelers’ Tomlin apologizes; Brown to face discipline

The Sports Xchange

January 17, 2017 at 12:27 pm.

Jan 15, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin speaks at a press conference after the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. Pittsburgh won 18-16. Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Jan 15, 2017; Kansas City, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin speaks at a press conference after the game against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Divisional playoff game at Arrowhead Stadium. Pittsburgh won 18-16. Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he regrets the language he used while discussing the New England Patriots in his postgame address to the team after Sunday’s AFC divisional playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

Tomlin’s speech, in which he said the Steelers “spotted those (expletive Patriots) a day and a half” of preparation time for next Sunday’s AFC title game, was streamed live on Facebook by wide receiver Antonio Brown.

The 10th-year Steelers coach was unaware his comments were being recorded, and on Tuesday said that Brown’s decision to film them was “foolish,” “selfish,” and “inconsiderate” of the five-time Pro Bowler.

“I’d like to say the language on the video is regrettable; language by me and by others,” Tomlin told reporters Tuesday. “And it’s regrettable because this thing that is the National Football League, this platform that we have is a precious and awesome thing and not something that we take very lightly.”

“… I’ll be bluntly honest here. It was foolish of (Antonio) to do that. It was selfish for him to do that. And it was inconsiderate for him to do that. … So there’s consequences to be dealt with from his perspective, we will punish him, we won’t punish us. And we’ll do so swiftly, and we’ll do so internally.”

Brown’s locker room video was a violation of NFL policy, meaning a league-imposed sanction may also be in play.

He caught six passes for a game-high 108 yards in the Steelers’ 18-16 win over the Chiefs, setting up a date with New England in the AFC Championship Game this Sunday in Foxborough, Mass.

Brown caught 106 passes for 1,284 yards and 12 touchdowns this season for Pittsburgh.