The Tomlin-ism of the day was “wallowing in it,” as he suggested that change in some form was coming, but declined to provide specifics or to say whether Brown might be available to other franchises. However, he did admit that there is a point at which a player becomes a problem if he’s unavailable at a team’s “darkest hour.”

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“As we’re wallowing in it today,” Tomlin said, “I’m open to change, because I’m not open to doing this again next year.”

Tomlin said he had not spoken with Brown since before Sunday’s finale, but added, “We’re going to address him and the circumstance.” That would seem to indicate that Brown’s future could lie elsewhere.

While Tomlin was speaking, Brown tweeted his best wishes for the new year along with “Be great” and added: “My options may seem limited by people or circumstances. It is then I remind myself I am in command of my attitude. I am divinely blessed with free will. I utilize that gift, choosing to take charge of my life; to express the creativity, vitality and wholeness that truly define me.”

Some of Brown’s other social media posts have been more abstract.

Brown also fired back at former teammate Ryan Clark, who had criticized Brown on ESPN in recent days.

One of the issues for Tomlin is that Brown last week did not have an MRI on his knee, as Tomlin had requested. The coach noted that Brown had missed practice Friday, which isn’t a dealbreaker for veteran players to be eligible to play Sunday, especially in the second matchup of the season against a division opponent.

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“After Friday’s business was done, it became difficult to communicate with him and on Saturday, when we were unable to communicate with him, it became something altogether different,” Tomlin explained. “Woke up Sunday morning, got a call from his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, who expressed that he was feeling better and would be able to participate. I outlined to Drew that decisions weren’t made like that, but I would be interested in visiting with him at the stadium prior to the game, but playing wasn’t on the menu.”

He and Brown spoke briefly before the game and Tomlin said he told him that the way to help was to cheer on the team. He said he later heard that Brown had left the stadium before the game ended, but could not confirm that. “He was absent due to injury and lack of communication,” Tomlin said.

Tomlin promised to handle the matter “in-house” and seriously, adding that Brown was not present at the team’s facility Monday. “We take his lack of presence . . . as something very significant and will be handled appropriately,” he said, declining to speculate on whether that might include a trade. Where Brown is concerned, “there’s disappointment, there’s no denying that,” Tomlin said.

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Tomlin promised change and accepted responsibility for doing repair work. “I foster and develop every aspect of our culture,” he said. “That’s leadership.”

The latest drama came two days after the Steelers' narrow playoff hopes went poof, and amid reports that Brown had been benched for Sunday’s game against Cincinnati after a heated dispute with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger last week.

In a weekly radio appearance Tuesday, Roethlisberger was nonchalant about the matter. “If there was a blowup or something, I sure as heck didn’t see it,” Roethlisberger said, adding that the focus on his exchange with Brown was “baffling” to him. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport said he understood Brown “exited the field in frustration on Wednesday” and “yelled, ‘I’m done!’ Then wondered why they don’t trade him.” Rapoport described Brown’s comments as “more venting in anger than anything” and claimed that the six-time Pro Bowler “has not made any actual trade request, officially.”

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Jesse James went straight to the Kardashian comparison after a season in which, among other things, the team’s star running back, Le’Veon Bell, held out the entire year. “We were in the front of the ticker on ESPN too much for just reasons that weren’t related to football and not for us playing great ball,” the tight end said, via Penn Live. “It was more distractions. . . . Ah man, we are — Kardashians."

Maybe, if the Kardashians' show took place on a roller coaster and featured physical violence. After starting 1-2-1, the Steelers rolled to 7-2-1 and finished 9-6-1. The year began with a report that some of the Steelers' limited partners, who have no say in the matter, were nonetheless lobbying for Tomlin to be fired after the surprising playoff loss to the Jaguars. They were especially angered by poor clock management, according to the report.

In addition to everything else, Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw’ repeatedly has criticized Tomlin.

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