James Harrison may not think Mike Tomlin has a coaching tree, but the coach’s wife, Kiya, just fired back with a passionate defense of a legacy she says isn’t measured in job titles, but in changed lives. Soon after James Harrison criticized Mike Tomlin’s legacy, Tomlin’s wife offered a powerful and personal redefinition that every fan needs to hear.’

“From the very beginning, his purpose was clear: To make young men become great individuals,” wrote Kiya Tomlin on her IG story. “Coaching and fatherhood became the avenues through which he lived out that calling. To me, the men who passed through his locker rooms over more than 30 years of coaching, our own children, and the hundreds of young people across the region he personally poured into – that is his true legacy.”

She concluded her post by adding, “They are his coaching tree, and that is the achievement we are most proud of.”

Tomlin’s NFL coaching career spanned 19 seasons, and not a single one of those was a losing one. And as Kiya said, everyone who passed through his locker room has gone through a transition. The two names that come to mind are quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Aaron Rodgers. Both of them were at the end of their career and missed the playoffs with their previous franchises before coming to Pittsburgh.

Wilson missed the playoffs with the Broncos, but under Tomlin’s Steelers in 2024, he made it to the playoffs, and that too as their QB1. The same happened for Rodgers when he joined the team after leaving the Jets in 2025. He, too, got a postseason nod at 42. Tomlin’s guidance brought the best out in them.

When they lost to the Texans, reports claimed that Aaron was crying and saying, ‘I’m sorry,’ to Tomlin, showing how much he admired the HC and how disappointed he was for letting the person down who gave him another shot at the postseason.

It is not just the QBs, though. James Harrison also had the best time of his career under him. He won his second Super Bowl, the Defensive Player of the Year, and five Pro-Bowl calls, all under Tomlin. In 2004, when Harrison was thinking of leaving football after being cut for the fourth time, it was Mike Tomlin who got him on the team and gave him another chance.

The list just goes on, and for Kia, Tomlin is not just a head coach, but also a loving husband, caring father, and inspiration to many. All his records make it difficult to ignore that he is one of the greatest coaches ever, and his coaching tree is a massive one. But Harrison disagrees as he feels differently about Tomlin’s legacy.

James Harrison believes Mike Tomlin has inspired no one

“No,” answered James Harrison, when asked whether Tomlin is a Hall of Fame coach. However, Harrison was fully prepared to back his hot take as he continued.

“He hasn’t made disciples,” he said. “You’re telling me you’re a Hall of Fame coach, but no one has followed you? … He’s the only coach that has coached this long and does not have a tree, bro.”

No assistant of his has ever been promoted to a head coach. Other long-term HCs, such as Bill Belichick, Andy Reid, and John Harbaugh, had assistants who later became HCs. Surprisingly, Harbaugh was Reid’s special teams coordinator when he was the Eagles‘ HC. Similarly, Seahawks‘ HC Mike MacDonald was one of Harbaugh’s assistants. Unfortunately, Tomlin never had anyone who rose through the ranks to become an HC.

The linebacker later added to his argument, “When you look at the greats, the measurement of greatness for all-time greats, like everybody is saying right now, nobody has a negative postseason record.”

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Just like Tomlin, his division rival HC, Harbaugh, also has one Super Bowl win, but his postseason record is far better than Tomlin’s. The former Steelers head coach may not have a losing season, but his postseason record is 8-12, with Harbaugh’s being 13-11. Despite ranking ninth among all-time HCs with the most regular-season wins (tied with Chuck Noll at 193), he lost his charm in the playoffs. Before stepping down, the loss against the Texans marked his seventh consecutive playoff game loss, a record he is not proud of.

Also, it is not the first time the five-time Pro Bowler was critical of Tomlin. When the Steelers lost to the Bills in Week 13, he had a similar opinion.

“As much as I hate to say this, I have never been a person who thought Coach Tomlin was a great coach.”

He was also one of the individuals who wanted Tomlin gone if he failed to win the Super Bowl this year. Many trace Harrison’s dislike of the former HC back to his contract extension before the 2013 season.

The linebacker was 34, with a $10 million salary at that time. On top of being an aging defensive player, he missed eight games in the last two seasons. It prompted the Steelers to reevaluate their contract situation, suggesting that he take a portion of his salary in incentives, which would provide them with some relief under the salary cap.

Unfortunately, Harrison and the Steelers never saw eye-to-eye and parted ways. While the disconnect cannot be directly pointed towards Tomlin, it did happen when he was their HC.

Coming back to the present, Harrison’s claims can’t deny the fact that Tomlin is not a Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. He has achieved enough in his career at 54. Presently, it remains unclear where or when he will coach next. But for Kiya and many, Mike Tomlin’s coaching tree and his achievements earn him the HoFer status.