Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin previously made it clear what side of the fence he was on when Donald Trump first ran for President in 2016. Tomlin might be busy trying to win his second Super Bowl as a head coach, but that doesn’t mean he stays out of the political arena.
Football coaches often get political
Tomlin isn’t the only head coach to wade into politics. Former college football coach Tommy Tuberville won a senate seat in Alabama following his career at Cincinnati. One of the NFL’s greatest coaches, Bill Belichick, wrote a letter to Donald Trump during the 2016 election. It would only make sense that one of Belichick’s biggest rivals on the football field was also a rival in politics.
Mike Tomlin has donated to Democrat candidates
Per a CBS Sports article by John Breech in 2016, Mike and his wife Kiya, have made numerous donations to candidates for the Democratic Party. The Tomlins gave $70,000 to Obama’s Victory Fund in 2012. Mike hosted a luncheon for Hillary Clinton in 2016:
As a matter of fact, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin will be putting himself in the thick of things on Tuesday, when he’s expected to host a luncheon that will serve as a fundraiser for presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.
According to an event invitation obtained by TribLIVE.com, tickets to the event will cost anywhere between $10,000 and $33,400. The more expensive ticket will include a meeting with both Clinton and Tomlin.
The Pittsburgh Steelers coaching staff have worn political clothing
Tomlin has brought his political advocacy to the football field. As Allison Koehler with Steelers Wire noted in 2023, Tomlin and his staff made a bold choice last year with his choice of clothing on the sideline:
Tomlin’s choice of sideline wear — a variation also worn by his staff — spoke volumes louder than his team’s performance. Instead of his usual toned-down single Steelers logo shirt and team jacket, Tomlin sported a Steelers-branded long-sleeve shirt that read: “Justice, opportunity, freedom, equality, NFL.”
The 2024 regular season will be played in the midst of a hotly contested Presidential election. Trump, now a convicted felon, is set to face off against President Joe Biden. One wonders if Tomlin will voice his opinions on the race during a season in which he could be on the hot seat.
