Steelers Now
PITTSBURGH — Head coach Mike Tomlin gave his weekly summary of the injuries and ailments surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he had scant few details to share about the situation surrounding outside linebacker T.J. Watt.
Watt suffered a partially collapsed lung last Wednesday after undergoing a dry needling procedure following his workout at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. He was taken to a local hospital and had a procedure to repair the injury, and was released.
Watt missed the team’s Week 15 home game against the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football, and while Tomlin didn’t rule Watt out for next week’s contest against the Detroit Lions, he also didn’t provide much of an update on his status.
“I’ve got no new news on T.J.,” Tomlin said. “I’m sure I will a later in the week, but I haven’t heard any new updates regarding his availability or what that looks like as he starts to work his way back to us.”
When pressed for more details about Watt’s status and how the injury occurred, Tomlin stonewalled. Tomlin first said he didn’t know if Watt had yet returned to the team’s facility.
“I don’t know if he’s been in the facility yet, because I’ve been in a dark room in the back,” Tomlin said. “He might be in the facility as we speak. I don’t have a lot of the answers to that. I was just trying to be transparent when I said I didn’t have any new information as I stood here today.”
Asked specifically about the dry needling procedure that apparently injury Watt, and whether there will be changes to the team’s procedures as a result, Tomlin declined to answer.
“I have no new information regarding that,” Tomlin said. “None whatsoever.”
Watt has not spoken publicly since the incident, with his brother, CBS Sports analyst J.J. Watt releasing a statement about his injury last week.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin Mum on Details Surrounding T.J. Watt Injury
