MIKE TOMLIN REVEALS 12-YEAR MINECRAFT CITY PROJECT

Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin's tenure ended after 19 consecutive winning seasons, and the team has appointed Mike McCarthy as his replacement. In September, Tomlin told television presenter Craig Melvin he had spent around 12 years building a city in the video game Minecraft, starting when his children were young. Warren Sharp then posted figures on X comparing Tomlin's playoff record before and after he began playing in 2014. According to Sharp's figures, Tomlin won five of eight playoff games and reached two Super Bowls, winning one, in the seven seasons before, against three wins from twelve games and no Super Bowl trips since.

The Steelers last won the Super Bowl in 2008, under Tomlin. From 2014, the Steelers won playoff games against the Cincinnati Bengals, then the Miami Dolphins and the Kansas City Chiefs, beating the Chiefs 18-16 in Tomlin's final playoff win. The Steelers lost in the divisional round the following season, then failed to get past the Wild Card round in their next six playoff appearances. Their most recent playoff exit came last season, a 30-6 defeat to the Houston Texans.

Former Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, who played under Tomlin from 2013 to 2017, responded on social media, saying the team had been trying to win Super Bowls while Tomlin built cities in Minecraft. Tomlin had told Melvin, "I'm a big Minecrafter," during the September interview. McCarthy is now the Steelers' head coach for the coming season, following Tomlin's departure. The comparison between Tomlin's playoff record and his Minecraft project has circulated on social media alongside news of the coaching change.