Mike Tomlin accepted his $100,000 fine Wednesday with equanimity, but the Pittsburgh Steelers reportedly were not happy behind the scenes about possibly losing a draft pick because of the ordeal.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette credits a team source who was "very upset" about the threat of losing a draft pick.
"There is no precedent for that," the source told the paper.
Well, the Steelers' sources can relax. It sounds very unlikely that the team will have to forfeit a selection.
"It is no certainty" the Steelers will lose a draft pick, NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport noted Wednesday on "NFL Total Access." Rapoport said he was told to keep an eye on "unforeseen ramifications" of Tomlin's act.
"For instance, Tomlin essentially robbed the Ravens of four points. Points are used in a tiebreaker. Does that matter?" Rapoport said on NFL Network.
The odds on the point-differential tiebreaker being used to determine a playoff seed are infinitesimal. It's the sixth tiebreaker used and almost never comes up.
The Post-Gazette also reports that the league is not closing the book on potential draft-pick punishments because of those four points. That's it.
In short: It sounds like punishment will begin and end with Tomlin's fine, barring those tricky "unforeseen ramifications."
The latest "Around The League Podcast" debates the Seahawks' Super Bowl chances and asks "Who do you trust?" as the playoffs approach.
