Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was furious with headset problems that hindered the ability of the Steelers’ coaching staff to communicate with one another Thursday night in New England. The Steelers were getting the Patriots radio broadcast in their headsets instead of the ability to communicate and discuss strategy during the first half of the 28-21 loss to New England.
Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said their staff was having radio issues as well.
NFL spokesman Michael Signora released a statement Thursday night regarding the issue of the problematic headsets.
“In the first quarter of tonight’s game, the Pittsburgh coaches experienced interference in their headsets caused by a stadium power infrastructure issue, which was exacerbated by the inclement weather. The coaches’ communications equipment, including the headsets, is provided by the NFL for both clubs use on game day. Once the power issue was addressed, the equipment functioned properly with no additional issues.”
The issue could very well be as simple as an electrical wiring issue that caused the problems to surface. However, in an offseason devoted to Deflategate, and on the heels of two separate stories from ESPN and Sports Illustrated suggesting the Patriots frequently seek to circumvent the rules, it’s much tougher to give them the benefit of the doubt.