Steelers News
Mike Tomlin Gives Steelers Black Air Force 1s for Cincinnati Trip
On Friday, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin requested 146 pairs of custom-painted black-on-black Nike Air Force 1s from Pittsburgh-based artist Cody Sabol. Nike was out of stock of black Air Force 1s, so that’s why Tomlin went to Sabol.
Saturday, he gave them to the team ahead of the trip to Cincinnati for the season opener against the Bengals on Sunday.
“Bro gave us all black Air Forces,” Najee Harris said laughing in an Instagram post.
Sneakerheads view people who wear Black Air Force 1s as savages and menaces, someone who doesn’t value life at all and can’t be trusted. It’s a popular meme in the sneaker culture.
Harris’ video trended on Twitter, and it even got around to LeBron James. “Coach Tomlin hilarious for that,” James tweeted with 12 crying laughing emojis. “He definitely setting the tone as well with that gift.”
Former Steelers free safety Ryan Clark also said “that’s my coach!” on Twitter.
Tomlin even had a pair of black Air Force 1s for himself, as he wore them on the team’s charter flight to Cincinnati. Tomlin’s son, Mason, said on Twitter, “Absolute menace. Runs in the family.”
Absolute menace. Runs in the family. https://t.co/KKIyxnBNCc
— mayce tomlin (@maycetomlin) September 10, 2022
So, why did Tomlin give his unit Black Air Force 1s? It’s unclear as of right now. It could have been sparked by George Pickens’ viral draft day reaction, as a lot of people were saying that Pickens displayed black Air Force 1 energy.
But it does appear that the Steelers are carrying a chip on their shoulders this year with the oddsmakers projecting a losing season for the first time since 2003 and all the doubt from analysts about how the team will succeed without Ben Roethlisberger. The Steelers have the worst odds to win the AFC North, but could be a destabilizing force if they’re able to upset Cincinnati.
The Steelers and Bengals will kick off their 2022 seasons from Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati on Sunday. The game will start at 1 p.m.
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