FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- Asked about Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's postgame speech, which Steelers receiver Antonio Brown posted on his Facebook Live feed late Sunday night without Tomlin's knowledge, New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick turned to one of his favorite social media jokes.
“As you know, I’m not on SnapFace and all that, so I don’t really get those. I’m really just worried about getting our team ready to go," Belichick said Monday on sports radio WEEI's "Dale & Holley Show."
"I’m not really too worried about what they put on InstantChat, or whatever it is.”
In deflecting the topic, Belichick has purposely mixed up the names of different social media platforms in the past.
Asked about specific social media rules for his own team, Belichick turned serious on the program and said: "We're really just focused on trying to play well and win this week in the AFC Championship Game. That's really what it's about."
Steelers players said they don't have a problem with Tomlin's message and that it won't become a distraction for them.
"When you get to this point in the journey, man, not a lot needs to be said," Tomlin told his team, as heard in Brown's video. "Let's say very little moving forward. Let's start our preparations. We just spotted these a--h---s a day and a half. They played yesterday. Our game got moved to tonight. We're going to touch down at 4 o'clock in the f---ing morning. So be it. We'll be ready for their ass. But you ain't got to tell them we're coming. Keep a low profile, and let's get ready to ball like this up again here in a few days and be right back at it. That's our story."
Meanwhile, the topic came up in interviews with Patriots receiver Julian Edelman and linebacker Dont'a Hightower.
Said Edelman: "I've seen some clips of it. It is what it is. ... That's how that team is run. I personally don't think that would be something that would happen in our locker room. But hey, whatever, some people like red and some people like blue. Some people like tulips and some people like roses. Whatever."
Asked what would happen if Belichick's speech was taped and put on Facebook Live, Edelman said: "I wouldn't do that. I'd be more worried about just kind of celebrating with my teammates and keeping it internal."
Said Hightower of Tomlin's remarks about the Patriots: "I don't care. Is that supposed to hurt my feelings?"