Tomlin will speak to JuJu about dancing on other teams' logos
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster's TikTok dances on opposing teams' logos before games have drawn negative reactions recently, and head coach Mike Tomlin plans to address the issue with the wideout.
"I am aware of it. And I do plan to talk to JuJu. We're professionals," Tomlin said Tuesday, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "I doubt any of those antics are legitimate motivating factors. It's about respect. We'll have a conversation."
Smith-Schuster's pregame dance received attention after the team's Sunday Night Football contest against the Buffalo Bills two weeks ago. The Bills beat the Steelers, and safety Jordan Poyer said the wideout's pregame behavior gave Buffalo "extra fire" entering the matchup.
The camera loves @TeamJuJu 🤩@steelers | #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/kZz2mobK51
— Sunday Night Football (@SNFonNBC) December 14, 2020
Despite the criticism, the pass-catcher said he wouldn't stop being himself.
Smith-Schuster then danced on the Cincinnati Bengals' logo before the two teams met Monday night, and that didn't sit well with Cincinnati either.
The Bengals' Twitter account referred to Smith-Schuster as the "Pittsburgh TikTok star" while sharing a replay showing safety Vonn Bell forcing Smith-Schuster to fumble after a hard hit.
.@Vonn knocks it out from Pittsburgh TikTok star.
— Cincinnati Bengals (@Bengals) December 22, 2020
WATCH on ESPN pic.twitter.com/n4BNZHcJ0J
Cincinnati went on to hand Pittsburgh its third straight loss, and Bell called the receiver's dance "kind of disrespectful," according to ESPN's Ben Baby.
After racking up 55 yards and one touchdown on six catches against the Bills, Smith-Schuster was held to three receptions for 15 yards versus the Bengals.
The 11-3 Steelers will now host the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday before finishing their regular season on the road against the Cleveland Browns.