The Pittsburgh Steelers experienced a scary setback following their Sunday night win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Head coach Mike Tomlin does not want to let the issue linger any longer than it should.
The Steelers’ plane was forced to make an emergency landing in Kansas City as the team was flying back to Pittsburgh. While the incident did not pose any serious danger to those aboard the flight, it did harm the team’s preparation schedule for Week 4.
Tomlin maintained a firm stance on the incident when asked about it Tuesday during his first media availability since the Steelers’ arrival.
“I don’t want it to become an excuse,” Tomlin stated repeatedly, via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly.
“We are going to make it a non-issue, to be honest with you. It is in our rearview now. As I stand here today, it is a non-factor. We only have so many days and hours to prepare.”
The flight was stalled for more than six hours on the runway. The Steelers finally arrived back at Pittsburgh on Monday afternoon — the day they were scheduled to start preparation for their Week 4 matchup against the Houston Texans. Instead, Tomlin canceled the team session and kept the scheduled Tuesday day off intact.
Tomlin told reporters, who were eager to ask about the incident, that the team has decided to veer away from talking about the entire ordeal.
The Steelers already worked with a shorter preparation schedule last week given that they played on Monday night in Week 2. Tomlin and his men will go through the same drill this week.
