The Pittsburgh Steelers brought in DeShon Elliott in the 2024 offseason. Not only was this move intriguing due to Elliott’s history with the Baltimore Ravens—a longtime Steelers rival—but it also filled a key need on defense, bringing in a hard-hitting safety to support Minkah Fitzpatrick. Elliott's arrival has already made an impact, as he’s shown himself to be a versatile player and a powerful presence in the secondary, adding extra aggression to Pittsburgh's defense.
Steelers.com
Steelers' DeShon Elliott speaks to the media.
Elliott recently found himself at the center of a minor controversy when he posted a meme on Instagram featuring Head Coach Mike Tomlin, captioned as "Osama Bin Tomlin." The meme sparked surprise and criticism, with many in Steeler Nation questioning the appropriateness and timing of the post. Although the post was quickly deleted, fans were left speculating about Elliott’s motives and whether there would be any repercussions from team leadership.
On Wednesday, Steelers fans got some clarity as Elliott addressed the situation on the Punch Line Podcast with Marlon Humphrey. Elliott revealed that Steelers' Art Rooney II and Omar Khan expressed their disapproval, finding his humor distasteful and out of line with the team’s values.
"I'm just not trying to get canceled, bro," Elliott said. "I've said some wild things here the last couple of weeks, bro. I'm trying to keep my image together. I put out this one post. This meme account had tagged me and TJ Watt in this account, and it was a picture of Coach [Mike] Tomlin on the face of Osama Bin Laden. I put it in our group message because I thought it was funny. I put it in my dump [on Instagram]. Me, I genuinely post what I want to post. I say what I want to say. I didn't think it was going to get any backlash because it was funny. Then all of a sudden it blew up everywhere."
Elliott doesn’t seem to have much of a filter. He’s genuine, and as he said, he just found the meme he was tagged in funny.
Maya Giron / Post-Gazette
Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Art Rooney and GM Omar Khan stand together at a press conference announcing Khan's new position as the teams general manager on May 27, 2022.
He’s loved his time with the Steelers and playing for Tomlin, and there was no harm intended in the post. But that didn’t stop Khan from insisting he delete it.
"Mr. Rooney, I think he was getting letters to his house, something like that from certain companies that he knows very well," Elliott said. "And so then the GM Omar Khan reached out to my agent and had me delete it."
Steelers' Art Rooney II Needs His Players To Represent The Organization Well
Elliott had no problem deleting the post. Though he’s been a key player for the Steelers, Rooney holds the organization to a very high standard, so it’s not surprising that he or Khan didn’t appreciate the meme. For Elliott, it was a valuable lesson in being mindful of what he shares online; just because he found it funny doesn’t mean everyone else did.
Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers Owner Art Rooney II walks the sideline before a Steelers' game.
When you play for the Steelers, you’re expected to represent yourself in line with the Steeler Way. It’s interesting to get a behind-the-scenes look at how the organization viewed his social media post, and it’s likely Elliott will avoid posting any more controversial memes in the future.
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