It was last December. After a brutal hit against the Cincinnati Bengals on Monday Night Football got him in hot water with the league, Pittsburgh Steelers safety Mike Mitchell gave his concerns to the media in an animated press scrum. Although there were many thoughts thrown around in the 90-second rant, there was one comment that stood out above the rest.
“I signed up to play full-speed, contact tackle football and I feel like we’re not doing that,” Mitchell said in the video posted by The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly. “I feel like I have to ask a guy ‘Hey, are you ready for me to hit you?