During his weekly cup of tea with the football-focused among Pittsburgh's sporting media, Mike Tomlin on Tuesday was about as direct as one could be on the subject of wide receiver Martavis Bryant's recent sojourn into the social-media subculture and how it affects his circumstance with the Steelers.
The coach broke it down into these categories.
1. “It will be dealt with. That ball is in my court," Tomlin said, contradicting reports Bryant would face no discipline for criticizing teammate JuJu Smith-Schuster on Instagram following Sunday's victory over the Bengals.
2. It is not anyone's business how Tomlin will deal with it. Except for Bryant.
3. It is "somewhat of a distraction" to be addressing questions about the relative happiness of a wide receiver following consecutive victories, which the coach reinforced by pointing out such matters are "not that high on my damned agenda."
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Although he expounded on the Bryant issue about as much as he ever will on this sort of subject, Tomlin said far more with his subtext, with hints he dropped into his dialogue with reporters. He mentioned that Bryant's conversation changes "when he's not around us" and also brought up the fact there are a lot of people who make money in football, "not just players and coaches."
It wasn't hard to discern that Tomlin recognizes Bryant is entering a far different circumstance when he leaves the Steelers facility and returns home. And it's easy enough for any of us to conclude that situation has not been favorable for Bryant's advancement as a professional football player.
We don't know for certain who dropped the story about Bryant demanding a trade to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. But we do know it was timed perfectly for Bryant not to be available for reporters to confront him about that news following the Steelers' Oct. 15 road win in Kansas City.
We also know Bryant's girlfriend that same night used her Twitter account to criticize the team's use of Bryant, who now has 18 receptions through seven games.
And we heard Tuesday from not only Tomlin, but also quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who spoke on his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan about how Bryant "really is a good teammate" and delivered a solid effort in helping defeat the Bengals, albeit without much of a statistical contribution.
"I didn't see any of that — pout, quit, anything — from him on the field," Roethlisberger said. "He's giving effort."
So we can see the dichotomy there. It is not uncommon in modern professional sports. The money at stake is so extraordinary that the pressure on the athlete can be transformed from performing for the sake of his team's success to performing so those around him are pleased. Ask any of the college coaches in football or basketball how many phone calls they've received from interested parties who aren't really worried about their guy's C-minus in English 204.
It is not an easy situation for any athlete to manage, and it has consumed athletes with far stronger constitutions than that of Bryant. He is an adult and is accountable for his actions, but not accounting for his motivations is every bit as puerile.
There have been any number of public pleas for the Steelers to release or trade Bryant, to be done with the distraction that so obviously annoyed Tomlin. That would seemingly satiate those in Bryant's circle who figure the team ought to give him a chance elsewhere if it's not going to throw him the football.
It'd also be terrible management.
Tomlin mentioned immediately upon bringing up the subject of Bryant that the Steelers have "invested a lot" in him. It's not just about salary or the fourth-round draft pick that acquired him years back. It's about sticking with Bryant through two suspensions for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, one of which destroyed his entire 2016 season. It’s about now carrying the contract of a player whose actions depleted his own market value to the extent Bryant's worth to the Steelers on Sundays is exponentially greater than whatever the team would receive in a trade.
Bryant is tied to the Steelers for 1.67 more seasons, with every team in the league aware that one more positive drug test means another long suspension.
MORE: Why Steelers won't trade Bryant
Roethlisberger said he already had spoken by phone to Bryant and expected to meet with him Wednesday. The quarterback was frustrated that Bryant had not aired his concerns directly. “Come talk to me. How can I help you?” Roethlisberger said.
When surrounded by the Steelers, though, Bryant doesn't seem to need as much help. He'd like the football more, no doubt, but both Roethlisberger and Tomlin testified that the Bryant who can be found on social media is not the one showing up for work every day. (Well, except Monday, when he called in sick.)
Tomlin said he is not bothered by a player arguing for more playing time or a greater role "as long as it's conducted in the appropriate way. Social media is not the appropriate way.”
Social media is not the problem, though. It is only a symptom.
The problem is closer to home.
