Wide receiver George Pickens and rookie offensive tackle Broderick Jones, both connected through their college ties at Georgia, spent the holiday with coach Mike Tomlin and his daughter Harlyn.
The special gathering for Thanksgiving took place at Coach Tomlin’s home, with a unique and warm atmosphere for the players. It’s not every day that fans see a coach opening up his house to his young players for a holiday celebration, making it a cool and memorable experience for Pickens and Jones.
#Steelers WR George Pickens and rookie OT Broderick Jones spent Thanksgiving with coach Mike Tomlin and his daughter Harlyn – she goes to Georgia like they did.
They were visiting Mike's house for the holiday – pretty cool to see a coach host his young players for an holiday… pic.twitter.com/Bh8WfKtiOa
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 24, 2023
Surprisingly, George Pickens found himself on the injury report recently. Despite Coach Tomlin not mentioning it in his usual press conference, Pickens had to skip practice due to a shin injury. We don’t know how serious it is or if he’ll miss more action, but it’s something to keep an eye on.
Coach Mike Tomlin, who used to be a wide receiver at William & Mary in the ’90s, has a unique family connection to sports. His wife, Kiya, was a gymnast at the same college, and interestingly, none of their children—Michael Dean “Dino,” Mason, and Harlyn—were forced into football or gymnastics. Yet, they all ended up following similar paths.
Dino is now a redshirt senior wide receiver at Boston College, while Harlyn, a high school senior, recently committed to Georgia for gymnastics. The Tomlins’ parenting philosophy seems to have played a role in letting their kids choose their own paths.
