Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin didn't hold back in his response to rumors his name was being considered for the head coaching gig at USC. In a recent press conference, Tomlin shut down that question emphatically.
"Hey, guys, I don't have time for that speculation, I mean, that's a joke to me. I got one of the best jobs in all of professional sport. Why would I have any interest in coaching college football? That will be the last time I address it. Not only today but moving forward. Never say never, but never. OK? Anybody else got any questions about any college jobs? There's not a booster with a big enough blank check. Anybody asking Sean Payton about that? Anybody asking Andy Reid about stuff like that?"
Brady Quinn and LaVar Arrington provided some additional context to why Mike Tomlin would find a job like that beneath him, especially after everything he's accomplished at the pro level.
LaVar Arrington: "I don't know that it's intentional disrespect. I mean, it is disrespectful. Who could recruit a coach from the Pittsburgh Steelers? If you stop and think about that, that's gotta be the most arrogant S--- that you could ever throw out there as a college or university. Like, 'Yeah, we're looking at the Pittsburgh Steelers head coach to bring in for our program.' Somebody needs a little bit of assisting in terms of how their thought process works and the connection between fantasy and reality."
Brady Quinn: "Mike Tomlin will go into the Hall of Fame who's coached for 14 years in the NFL and has never had a losing season. It's unbelievable. And to your point of going after a Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, and Tomlin kinda said, 'This is a great job, one of the best in all of pro sport.' It's been 50 years, and the Steelers have had 3 head coaches. Why in the world would anyone contemplate going to a lower level of what you do to have to recruit, which is almost like a second job, and lead that situation?"