It is fair to say that the Pittsburgh Steelers’ decision to remain in the locker room during the national anthem to avoid taking a side has pretty thoroughly backfired on the team.
Now we know that the decision has turned into a divisive issue among the team, with few happy with how things went.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, tensions remain over the decision to stay in the locker room, and even now there is some dissatisfaction with how things are being handled going forward.
Coach Mike Tomlin had told the Chicago Bears last week that the team intended to stand arm-in-arm during the anthem, but their failure to do so irked the Bears. Tomlin stood alone on the sideline during the anthem with three coaches, leaving the team in the tunnel, which has reportedly led some players to be upset with their coach. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger’s decision to issue a critical public statement before Alejandro Villanueva could do so after he did step out of the tunnel to stand has also alienated some teammates.
Even now, the Steelers are divided, though they intend to present a united front by standing arm-in-arm this week. Some players, La Canfora reports, would still prefer to kneel.
Tomlin made the decision to keep the team off the field to avoid forcing players to pick sides and make a statement. The decision looks to have done the opposite instead.
