Steelers’ Cam Heyward rips former teammate for Mike Tomlin criticism

Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Cam Heyward has had it with a prominent former teammate taking shots at coach Mike Tomlin in the media.

Former Pittsburgh linebacker James Harrison, who played 14 seasons with the Steelers, said on FS1 Thursday that Tomlin deserved the blame for Pittsburgh’s potential playoff absence, arguing that the coach failed to make the most of a talented defense. Heyward wasn’t having that narrative.

“Right now, he is a mouthpiece. That’s it,” Heyward said, via Mark Kaboly of The Athletic. “I couldn’t care less what he thinks. I don’t really care what James thinks right now (because) he’s not in this locker room and he’s not going to help us win if we talk about him.

“(Harrison) is the one bringing it up; nobody else is even talking about it. What’s his beef with him?”

His beef likely goes back a year, when Harrison had a rather spectacular falling out with Tomlin and the Steelers over what he perceived to be broken promises about his playing time and usage. He ended up joining one of the team’s rivals, the New England Patriots, and has used media appearances to be publicly critical of Tomlin ever since. This looks like another instance of him having an axe to grind.