The NFL has made its final decision regarding "Tomlin-Gate."
The Pittsburgh Steelers will not lose a draft pick for the incident during last year's Thanksgiving night game in Baltimore where Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin interfered with Jacoby Jones on a kickoff return, Steelers President Art Rooney II said Thursday, per the team website.
Tomlin was already fined $100,000 for the incident, and at the time the league informed the Steelers that they could also be docked a draft pick as a form of punishment. No additional punishment will be handed down, however, Rooney said.
On the play, Tomlin came onto the field and forced Jones to turn inside where he ended up getting tackled short of the end zone. Tomlin had his back to the action and was watching the return on the RavensVision boards inside the stadium. He said the incident was unintentional, and characterized his actions as a "mistake" and "blunder."
"I take full responsibility for my actions, and I apologize for causing negative attention to the Pittsburgh Steelers organization," Tomlin said in December after receiving the fine. "I accept the penalty that I received."
The Ravens ended up winning that game 22-20, and the play did not end up having any significant impact on the season. If the play had affected a playoff tiebreaker based on points, then it could have led the league to taking away a pick from the Steelers.
