From coach life to proud dad life.
Mike Tomlin made his first public appearance since stepping down as the Steelers’ coach on Tuesday to attend daughter Harley’s college gymnastics meet Friday night.
Tomlin, 53, sported a Georgia sweatshirt while watching his daughter’s eighth-ranked squad edge No. 2 LSU at Stegeman Coliseum in Athens, Ga.
Harley, a sophomore, competed in the balance beam and floor exercise segments.
That Tomlin traveled south just days after his shocking exit from the Steelers ties into why the organization believed he stepped down after 19 non-losing seasons.
“I think he wants to spend time with his family and do some of the kinds of things he hasn’t been able to do for the last many, many years,” Steelers owner Art Rooney II said earlier this week.
Tomlin stepped down earlier this week after a legendary run with the franchise from 2007-25 that included one Super Bowl triumph.
Though the Steelers never finished below .500 with him at the helm, Monday’s 30-6 loss to the Texans marked a seventh straight postseason loss.
The last five all came by at least 10 points, and the Steelers last won a playoff game in 2016.
While Rooney prepared to run it back with Tomlin, Tomlin indicated to the players that he felt the team needed to make a move.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers reportedly apologized to Tomlin during the speech, while star pass rusher T.J. Watt kept saying, “No.”
“In the business of the NFL, there’s consequences for not doing your job,” Tomlin said to his now-former players, per The Athletic. “As a professional in this business, you have to live with those consequences. Some of us will be here next year; some of us won’t.”
There are rumors that one of the NFL’s broadcasting partners could pursue Tomlin, and it’s uncertain if he will try to be on a sideline in 2026.
Should he get the itch to return, possibly for the 2027 season, the Steelers still own his rights since Tomlin had two years left on his contract.
For now, though, Tomlin is enjoying being a family man.