Rookie LB Writes Apology Letter to Tomlin and Steelers Teammates After Being Late to First Training Camp Practice

But the story didn’t end with Mike Tomlin’s warning.

Just 24 hours after the incident, rookie linebacker Carson Bruener took a step few expected from a first-year player: he wrote a personal letter of apology to Coach Tomlin and the entire Steelers locker room.

“I let the standard slip before I even earned the right to wear this jersey,” Bruener wrote.
“To Coach Tomlin, my teammates, and this organization — I’m sorry. I’ll earn it back.”

According to team sources, Bruener hand-delivered the letter to Tomlin and then read a version of it aloud in a team meeting. Several veterans were reportedly moved by the gesture, noting that while rookies make mistakes, owning them publicly takes a different kind of strength.

One unnamed veteran said, “We’ve all messed up early in our careers — but the kid stood up and faced it. That says something.”

Tomlin, who is known for emphasizing accountability over perfection, acknowledged the letter privately and told Bruener that how he responds from this point forward is what matters most.

As for Donte Kent, the other rookie who arrived late, team officials say he addressed the team separately and is also working to regain trust.

For Bruener, the letter isn’t damage control — it’s the first real play he’s made in the NFL. And in a city like Pittsburgh, where humility and hard work are the currency of respect, he may have just earned his first stripe the right way.