PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers president Art Rooney II doesn’t understand Terry Bradshaw’s point of view after the Hall of Fame Steeler called current coach Mike Tomlin a “cheerleader guy” and not a great coach.
“I didn’t agree with it, obviously,” said Rooney when addressing a few local reporters Tuesday. “I’m not sure what prompted Terry to make that type of a comment. I haven’t talked to Terry about it. Maybe I will at some point. He’s still an all-time great Steeler and still love him for everything he did for this franchise. But he must have had a lapse in judgment.”
In December, Bradshaw, a four-time Super Bowl winner with Pittsburgh, said on Fox Sports 1’s “Speak For Yourself” that he wasn’t sure what Tomlin actually does as a coach. Tomlin said debating greatness is fair game but he didn’t appreciate Bradshaw’s “cheerleader” line. The coach then joked that he grew up a fan of “Hollywood” Henderson, a former Dallas Cowboys defender who once said Bradshaw “couldn’t spell cat if you spotted him the C and the A.”
Rooney praised Tomlin for leading the Steelers to nine straight wins after a 4-5 start. The Steelers lost 36-17 to the New England Patriots in the AFC title game.
“I think Mike did a great job, obviously getting to the AFC Championship Game and being in the final four is a good accomplishment,” Rooney said. “We were all disappointed the way the last game went, but as I said before, I think there are a lot of positives we can build on. Every season is its own journey and what it takes to get a team through the season and playing at a high level at the end, I think that’s kind of the test. Having a team that’s improving throughout the season, those are the things you look for. How a coaching staff is performing, by and large, we were sort of getting better as the season went on, which is what you want.”
