Steelers will not file complaint over headsets, say issue was resolved

The Pittsburgh Steelers do not intend to file a formal complaint with the NFL league offices over their electronic communication system malfunctioning during Thursday night’s loss to the New England Patriots.

A team spokesman told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Friday that the team has provided the NFL with information regarding the headset issues but the problem was resolved during the game.

“We have provided information to NFL representatives regarding issues that occurred Thursday night at Gillette Stadium with our coach-to-coach headset communications system,” Burt Lauten told Schefter. “The problem was addressed during the game and we did not have further problems in the second half. We did not file a formal complaint, nor do we plan to do so.”

An earlier report from Yahoo Sports indicated the Steelers were “irate” that their coach-to-coach communications were interrupted by the Patriots’ radio broadcast and that they would be filing a complaint on two fronts — the equipment failing and officials not forcing the Patriots to turn off their headsets.

Perhaps cooler heads prevailed.

Despite the Steelers’ official website accusing the Patriots of an elaborate cheating scheme, Bill Belichick claims his team also had problems with its headset communications. We have also heard accounts from current and former coaches that prove headset issues are common in all NFL stadiums.