Steelers' Diontae Johnson Has Mental Toughness Questioned In Morning Rant That Inspires Harsh New Reactions

During most of the Super Bowl era, the Pittsburgh Steelers have not been a particularly juicy source for stories about internal strife. When the Killer B’s, Le’Veon Bell, Antonio Brown, and Ben Roethlisberger’s tenure together was ending, that changed. Mike Tomlin has banked an extraordinary amount of credit because of the perception he kept a lid on the craziness behind the scenes, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Art Rooney II has allowed some of the Steelers' dysfunction to leak into the public eye as an owner. The organization still does a good job controlling the narrative, but this season, it departed radically from its standard operating procedure. They fired Offensive Coordinator Matt Canada during the season after public outbursts from Najee Harris, George Pickens, and Diontae Johnson.

Johnson is among the few Steelers wide receivers who got a second contract in Pittsburgh during the free agent era. Hines Ward and Brown are the only two who had previously earned a hefty payday from the organization. Johnson, who has been ripped from pillar to post this week for pouting after a touchdown reception was taken off the board, was the subject of a fresh attack by Adam Crowley of the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show.

“Do not boo Diontae Johnson on Sunday. If you boo him, he’s going to go in the tank,” Crowley stated. “If they announce him as a starter, clap for him. Swing those terrible towels. Support this man. Even though, on the inside, you hate his guts. He is not mentally tough enough to handle it. He will go in the tank. It will cost Kenny Pickett valuable developmental reps. It could cost the Steelers on the scoreboard, it could cost them in the standings, don’t boo him.”

The Steelers will face the Arizona Cardinals at 1 pm ET on Sunday at Acrisure Stadium. Fans and media members have been calling for meaningful punishment of Johnson for his indefensible attitude after Tomlin failed to challenge what should have been a touchdown for Pittsburgh. The poor effort displayed would probably not have resulted in a recovery of Jaylen Warren's fumble on the next play, but it likely would have limited the ensuing return if he had been engaged. 

Steelers' Diontae Johnson Says He Issued Bona Fide Apology To His Teammates

Nobody is a fan of what he did or how he acted, but some suggested remedies have ranged from the outrageous suggestions that the Steelers cut him, to impossible fines and suspensions. The NFL CBA is an almost impenetrable defense of a player's bad behavior. It isn't the 20th century NFL, and Tomlin should not be expected to act as if it was, no matter how badly most of Steeler Nation would like to see it. 

The rant on The Morning Show boiled over to The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller. Andrew Fillipponi has frequently criticized Johnson and openly questioned the Steelers' decision to extend him last season. The afternoon radio show host expressed disdain for his colleague's attempt to channel his inner Gregg Popovich. 

"What do you think of what Crowley said here," Fillipponi asked his co-host and the audience. "Urging the 68,000 plus, me included, you can't boo Diontae Johnson because he's so mentally weak and fragile that he's not going to be able to handle it. He's going to go in the tank, and that's going to hurt valuable developmental opportunities for Kenny Pickett. It's like a plea to the Kenny Pickett fans."

Fillipponi, who recently abandoned the presidency of the Pickett fan club, has shown signs of at least rejoining the group after the second-year quarterback's best performance in 2023. The outspoken house was one of the last people to jump off the Pickett bandwagon and has publicly signaled he is considering jumping back on. Chris Mueller, his co-host, is not a fan of Pickett. He also is not a fan of Crowley's attempt to sway the fans who will attend the game on Sunday. 

"We have a new worst take on the station today," Mueller observed. "If Diontae Johnson mentally can't handle being booed, then mentally is not tough enough to be a professional athlete. Which he obviously is. I don't think the guy is so mentally soft or distracted right now that booing him is going to get in his head. Crowley commits my cardinal sin. I hate telling fans what they should or shouldn't boo. If you want to boo, you're in that stadium, boo. I cannot ardently support this take."

In fairness, Crowley could have meant his plea sarcastically, but it wasn't perceived that way. Johnson has had multiple incidents with dropped passes, an alleged locker room altercation with Mitch Trubisky that led directly to the quarterback being benched, and a sideline outburst against the Cleveland Browns that is one of the straws that finally broke the camel's back on Canada. 

Notwithstanding the vitriolic reaction to Johnson's latest incident, one ridiculous play does not rise to the level of running him out of town. The Steelers could part ways with Johnson in the offseason if Omar Khan can find a new home at the right price for the embattled wide receiver. Fans of the black and gold are quick to give up on receivers and label them as unhinged divas like Brown and Chase Claypool. 

Johnson is not them. He is likelier to succeed like Emmanuel Sanders did when the Steelers chose Brown over him. Old school fans might enjoy the discipline, but by the second quarter, will also miss the production. It's a new century. Folks might as well embrace it as long as they can keep from standing on my front lawn. 

What do you think, Steeler Nation? Would you leave it at one vocal fan outburst on Sunday, or did you want the Steelers to act more aggressively? Please comment below, or on my Twitter/X: @thebubbasq. 

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