PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said it was his idea to fire offensive coordinator Bruce Arians and replace him with Todd Haley.
OK. So why did Tomlin initially say that he intended to bring both coordinators back?
And why did the Steelers initially announce that Arians had retired?
That was exposed as a lie when Arians signed on with the Indianapolis Colts.
The Steelers used to be one of sports' more forthright organizations. They've become increasingly secretive and deceptive.
Some of that is probably to be expected. A lawyer, Art Rooney II, is in charge now.
Tomlin is obviously protecting his turf. If it looks like he was told to drop Arians, it undermines his authority.
As far as the "retirement" announcement, who knows how that developed?
While the Steelers are pulling all the curtains in the bunker, they might consider just telling the truth.
It's easier that trying to remember all the misinformation they've put out there.
Tough task
The schedule maker didn't do the Pirates any favors.
After this weekend's season opening series against the Phillies, the Pirates hit the road for a nine-game trip to Los Angeles, San Francisco and Arizona.
The west coast is always tough, and this trip will have a big impact on the Pirates' start.
Major penalties
So why didn't NFL commissioner Roger Goodell punish the New England Patriots for "Spygate" as harshly as he did the New Orleans Saints for their bounty system?
The NFL does business with a lot of large corporations. There are 22 companies who each pay close to $100 million to be the "official" something of the NFL. This ranges from motor oil (Castrol) to soft drink (Pepsi).
These companies pump millions more into advertising and image building. They don't want to be associated with criminal activity.
Official sponsor General Motors doesn't brag that its cars are the best option to escape after a bank hold-up.
There is also a question of serious legal exposure.
Let's say a player who had been targeted for a bounty sustained a career-ending injury.
The case could be made that the excessive violence that led to the injury was motivated by the bounty.
That would put the team in legal trouble for sanctioning a bounty system, and it would put the NFL at legal risk for failing to crack down on the practice.
Goodell threw the book at the Saints because he had to.
Player safety is a concern, but so is protecting the NFL's business interests.
(Mehno can be reached at: johnmehnocolumn@gmail.com).
