Steelers’ Mike Tomlin, with help from Najee Harris, turns kids’ street fight into a positive, creates lifelong memories
The Steelers’ Mike Tomlin is known as a player-coach, but he’s also a man of the people.
According to NFL insider Jay Glazer, Tomlin spotted a group of kids fighting on the road while driving in the Pittsburgh area. The second-longest-serving coach in the NFL pulled up, got out of the car, and defused the fight (just by awe-inspiring the kids, according to Glazer).
Tomlin then reportedly spent the next few hours with the children.
He then went one step further and invited them to practice as the team’s guests on Thursday. This is the result of this simply wonderful video.
The best I’ve seen on my camp tour so far. A little background story. @CoachTomlin was driving his car when he saw these kids fighting in the street. Tomlin pulls over and the kids, obviously shocked at who got out of the car, have stopped fighting. (Read the full story below) pic.twitter.com/08pFlZTtfx
— Jay Glazer (@JayGlazer) August 18, 2022
Najee Harris coached the kids in ladder drills, which the youth clearly enjoyed (it’s fair to say Harris has the running back as her favorite player). Better yet, Tomlin legitimately coached them through the exercises and told them to keep their eyes peeled.
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As Harris zoomed up the ladder through an icky shuffle, Tomlin showed mercy and said the kids could look down for this part of the exercise.
Harris also seemed to be having a lot of fun, even breaking it off with them after practice.
That’s cute: @ohthatsNajee22 practice with some young fans from Pittsburgh’s Sheraden area under the watchful eye of Coach Tomlin. That’s what makes the training camp so cool for the fans. #Here we go @KDKA pic.twitter.com/8ekSYgPB7b
— Ian Smith (@ismithKDKA) August 17, 2022
Tomlin also noted that a boy named “Meatballs” went missing.
Love @CoachTomlin has for the kids off @JasmineCampus, and the love they show him for it is second to none. Pure joy. pic.twitter.com/u4jvwMVR5s
— Teresa Varley (@Teresa_Varley) August 18, 2022
The hits really keep coming.
This is fantastic. Mike Tomlin sent a shout out to this kid’s grandma. 😂 #Steeler #NFL pic.twitter.com/El8VPMm6CN
— BlitzVideos✨ (@BlitzVideos) August 18, 2022
According to the Bleacher Report, the children were from the Jasmine Nyree campus in Pittsburgh.
On the field, Tomlin is preparing for Week 2 of preseason against the Jaguars on Saturday. Pittsburgh is trying to figure out its quarterback situation as Mitchell Trubisky competes with Kenny Pickett. This time with the kids was probably a nice respite for Tomlin, who seems to have had the time of his life creating memories for these kids to last a lifetime.