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As promised by Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, wide receiver Diontae Johnson answered for his low-effort play in Week 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Johnson assured his teammates and reporters, and thus Steelers Nation, that they would never see a play like that from him again.
“I addressed the situation to my teammates,” Johnson told reporters, via TribLive.com’s Chris Adamski on November 29. “I owned up to it. I’m not perfect.
“They didn’t say nothing. Really, it was more of me owning up to what I did on Sunday to the team. Just let them know that it won’t happen again.”
On a third-and-2 during the first quarter against the Bengals, Johnson barely moved with the snap, and Steelers running back Jaylen Warren fumbled. The replay appeared to show that the loose ball bounced right by Johnson, who had his head turned away from the play.
The Bengals recovered the loose ball.
“Yeah … Diontae Johnson has completely given up with the Steelers,” A to Z Sports’ Brandon Little wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Mike Tomlin Calls for Diontae Johnson to Address Lack of Effort
The expectation was that the veteran wide receiver would say something about his effort on Warren’s fumble on November 29. That’s because, in so many words, Tomlin said that Johnson would.
“It’s something that he needs to answer for, and so I will give him an opportunity for him to do that,” Tomlin said during his November 28 press conference. “His teammates will give him an opportunity to do that. And I won’t provide any color until he does.”
On the play prior to Warren’s fumble, Johnson nearly had a touchdown. But he didn’t control the ball to the ground on a pass into the end zone, so the officials ruled the play incomplete.
Tomlin implied that play impacted Johnson’s effort on Warren’s third-and-2 run.
“Diontae [Johnson] can’t let the emotions of the previous down affect his next down. But I’ll give him an opportunity to address that with you guys.”
Johnson finished the matchup against the Bengals with 4 receptions for 50 yards on 8 targets.
Steelers Center Mason Cole Responds to Johnson’s Promise
In addition to Johnson, Steelers center Mason Cole spoke to reporters on November 29.
Cole accepted Johnson’s response to the team and explained how he felt seeing the replay of the receiver’s effort.
“I know Tae. I know he won’t let that happen again,” Cole told reporters, via 93.7 The Fan. “Seeing the clip, it’s just late in the play, the ball pops out, you don’t know if it’s live or not. So you never know what’s going through a guy’s head. What he sees, even though if it looks like he sees it, you don’t know if he’s really seen it or not.
“So, I trust that Diontae won’t let that happen again.”
More than likely, reporters will be asking for other responses from Steelers players to Johnson’s effort and his promise in the next couple days. But it appears that the team is going to try and move forward.
“If I could make the play again, I’d jump on the ball,” said Johnson.
“It’s not something I try to do on purpose. Nobody is out there just trying to mess up. I’m human, just like everybody else out there.
“Like I said, I’m not perfect. I just try to make plays at the end of the day. Sometimes things might not go your way or whatever. I’m doing the best I can to keep playing.”
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