Mike Tomlin spent 19 seasons as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers. During much of that time, he also made room for video games—especially Minecraft—as a way to connect with his children. His interest in gaming has since become a talking point, but Tomlin has explained that the games were never simply a hobby competing with his coaching career. They gave him a chance to spend time with his family.
Tomlin discussed the subject during an appearance on Cam Heyward’s *Not Just Football* podcast, where he spoke with Heyward and Hayden Walsh. He said the public narrative had made his gaming sound more significant than it was, when his main motivation was being an involved father.
“The narrative has been shaped up to be a big deal. Like, man, like I was running home to Minecraft,” Tomlin said. “It was more about Daddin’ for me.”
He explained that after a football season ended, he had weekends available but sometimes found it difficult to engage with his children, who were spending much of their free time playing video games in their rooms. Joining them gave him a way to be present without making them feel interrupted.
“We would spend hours playing, but that was just hours where I had an opportunity to hear about things going on in their life,” he said. “Listen to them interact and kind of infuse a little knowledge.”
The conversation also turned to Tomlin’s decision to leave the Steelers. Heyward asked Walsh about the reason for Tomlin’s departure, and Walsh jokingly suggested it was because *Grand Theft Auto VI* was coming out on November 19. Tomlin joined in on the joke, saying, “I’m foaming at the mouth,” a playful response that reflected his excitement about the highly anticipated game.
The exchange was humorous, not a serious explanation for his departure. Tomlin stepped down after the Steelers’ wild-card loss to the Houston Texans, ending a 19-year run as the team’s head coach. He has previously described his decision as something he considered carefully rather than a sudden choice.
When he first addressed it publicly in April, Tomlin said the decision was not an “overnight decision.” He also said he believed the timing could be right for both him and the organization. In explaining his thinking, he pointed to veteran players such as Heyward, T.J. Watt and Boswell, whom he felt deserved the energy and optimism that could come with new leadership.
The decision followed a difficult stretch in the postseason for Pittsburgh. The Steelers had not won a playoff game since 2017 and had lost seven consecutive postseason games. Their wild-card matchup with Houston was Tomlin’s final game as the team’s head coach.
On the podcast, Tomlin offered more detail about when he knew he was ready to leave. He said that by the time he pulled into his driveway after the playoff defeat, he had decided he was stepping down. He also reflected on the accumulated demands of a long coaching career.
“I never wanted to stay too long,” Tomlin said. “Also, there’s a cumulative component to coaching. I had 19 years of baggage. And sometimes your teams have to carry your bags.”
He believed the Steelers had the potential to become a championship contender, but wondered whether his own accumulated “baggage” might slow the team’s progress. His comments suggested that stepping away was connected to his assessment of what might best serve the organization and its players.
Since leaving the coaching role, Tomlin has continued to talk about gaming. In September, he announced a YouTube series featuring the Minecraft city he had been building for 12 years. He has said he first got into Minecraft when his sons were in middle school. As they became more independent, playing together offered a way to remain close and share an activity.
That background helps explain why Walsh’s GTA VI joke landed naturally. Tomlin’s enthusiasm for games is genuine, but his stories about Minecraft point to a larger reason for playing: it gave him time with his children. When GTA VI arrives, it may provide another opportunity for the former Steelers coach to share a game with his family.
