Steelers Coach Mike Tomlin Calls Patriots ‘assholes’ in Antonio Brown’s Facebook Live Stream

This year’s NFL Playoffs have given football fans their fair share of great on-the-field and off-the-field social media moments. From Odell Beckham and the Giants stunting on a yacht to the Steelers’ James Harrison getting a workout in at 6 AM after a win, it seems as if social media and the NFL have been synonymous over the past few weeks.

After Sunday’s Playoff win over the Kansas City Chiefs, Steelers All-Pro wide receiver Antonio Brown hopped on Facebook Live and gave viewers a front row seat to the team’s post-game celebration. From handshakes with teammates to candid comments about the team’s next opponent from Coach Tomlin, it was clear nothing was off limits for Brown during this behind-the-scenes moment (business definitely was “BOOMIN”). As Brown’s camera was rolling, you can hear Coach Tomlin discussing the protocol going into the team’s AFC Championship game against the New England Patriots. He reminds the players emphatically to “keep a low profile.” A bit ironic as Brown is casting this conversation to the 30,000+ viewers he had tuned in for his live feed (by Monday morning, the video had 1.3 million views before being removed from Facebook).

While it didn’t seem to look like Brown was too concerned with giving his Facebook followers a glimpse into the Steelers locker room jubilation, the NFL may have something to say about this. Players are prohibited, according to NFL rules, from recording video inside the stadium and posting to social media outlets, such as Facebook Live and Periscope. Initial violations of this rule result in players having to dip into their pocket and cut the league a check.

As if the Steelers next opponent, the New England Patriots, needed anymore motivation for this weekend’s upcoming game, the not-so-high praises of Tomlin (which were let out during Brown’s video) should be quite the catalyst for a team who has been in this spot before. New England quarterback Tom Brady said that it is, “against our team policy, so I don’t think that would go over well with our coach,” when asked about his thoughts on the Brown video and his (Brown’s) use of social media.

While the NFL wants to keep its image as fan-friendly as possible, are Brown’s actions entirely out of line or is this simply just the integration of social media in today’s society? It can be argued that insight such as this could, in fact, help grow and reel people in, making the connection between players and fans stronger. Either way you look at it, it certainly makes for great conversation leading into the biggest weekend of the season thus far.

The NFL Playoffs are all about story lines and match ups, and the AFC Championship game on Sunday will be no different. All eyes will be on Brown during – and potentially after – the game as his followers wait to see if they will be able to join in again for the post game festivities.