Unexpected Details Emerge On Why Mitch Trubisky Was Benched, Mike Tomlin Refuses To Confirm Or Deny

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Mitch Trubisky was reportedly benched against the Jets after a fight in the locker room.

Rookie Kenny Pickett made his NFL debut in early October against the Jets, and fans now know why Trubisky was pulled after halftime.

The former second overall pick was sent to the bench following a locker room argument with receiver Diontae Johnson, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Johnson was angry Trubisky wasn't targeting him more. That frustration led to a verbal argument between the two, and when the dust settled, Pickett had replaced Trubisky as QB1 for the second half.

Interestingly, Mike Tomlin refused to reveal whether or not the benching did, in fact lead to Trubisky losing his QB1 job.

"If it were, do you think I'd share it with you in this environment? Probably not … I'm not going to acknowlege it, or confirm it or deny it in these setting. I'm just not. I ain't got enough hours in my day for it," Tomlin told the media Tuesday. He also noted that it wouldn't be a bad thing if it did happen.

Will Mitch Trubisky ever start another game for the Steelers?

Pickett has held onto the starting job since, but needed to be replaced by Trubisky this past weekend against the Buccaneers after getting hurt.

The former Bears starter led the Steelers to a win and threw for 144 yards and a touchdown coming off the bench.

Now, the question appears to be whether or not Pickett will be ready for Sunday night against Miami. If not, it's clear Trubisky will start. That much is obvious after Sunday.

However, it's clear not everything is great behind the scenes. At the very least, there was at least one blow up before the former UNC passer was benched.

Not only was Trubisky benched, but he wouldn't have gotten the job back if Pickett hadn't gotten hurt.

The greatest way to fix problems in the NFL is to win. That's what happened Sunday for the Steelers, and as long as that continues, it's unlikely Trubisky or any other QB on the roster will be getting into locker room altercations.

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David Hookstead is a reporter for OutKick covering a variety of topics with a focus on football and culture. He also hosts of the podcast American Joyride that is accessible on Outkick where he interviews American heroes and outlines their unique stories. Before joining OutKick, Hookstead worked for the Daily Caller for seven years covering similar topics. Hookstead is a graduate of the University of Wisconsin.