Sep 19, 2021; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin before they play the Las Vegas Raiders at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was not happy about offensive guard Trai Turner getting ejected for spitting at a Las Vegas Raiders player.
After pulling off a massive upset victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 1, the Pittsburgh Steelers fell back down to earth in the form of a 26-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. It was certainly an eventful day, as evidenced by the ejection of offensive guard Trai Turner, who was seen spitting toward a Raiders defensive player.
Following the game, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin expressed his belief that Turner should not have been ejected from the contest. In fact, Tomlin says that a Raiders player spit on Turner first. Below is the incident in question.
Steelers: Mike Tomlin says Trai Turner was spit on during Sunday’s Raiders game
“Somebody spit in his face,” Tomlin said, via Joe Rutter of the Tribune Review. “I understand the 15-yard penalties and so forth, gaining control of the game. But Trai is not a young guy. He’s not overly emotional. He’s a flat-liner. For him to respond the way he responded, what transpired, I was stating that case to them.
“I didn’t believe he did enough to be kicked out of the football game.”
The incident occurred in the fourth quarter after quarterback Ben Roethlisberger threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to rookie running back Najee Harris. Turner was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct, along with Raiders defensive tackle Solomon Thomas who stepped in during the incident. However, it was Turner that was ejected from the game.
Right guard B.J. Finney replaced Turner for the remainder of the game.
It will be interesting to see what kind of punishment Turner will receive from the NFL after what happened on Sunday. The Steelers will look to secure their second win of the season next week when they play the rival Cincinnati Bengals.