Mark Madden: ESPN interview 1 of Mike Tomlin's most significant moments as Steelers coach

I’m not necessarily a big Mike Tomlin fan.

Given the resources at hand, Tomlin’s Pittsburgh Steelers teams mostly have underachieved over the past decade. I also think whoever replaced Tomlin wouldn’t be as good or do as well.

But that’s another debate for another time.

What Tomlin did when he spoke on ESPN’s “First Take” on Monday was very important. Tomlin knew that. He never does media during the offseason.

But you can’t let a lie be told repeatedly about one of your players.

What the Cleveland Browns’ Myles Garrett said — again — not only reflects badly on Mason Rudolph, but it reflects badly on Tomlin and badly on the Steelers organization.

You also can’t let others pile on, as ESPN did during the “Outside the Lines” segment that followed Garrett doubling down on his claim that Rudolph said the N-word.

As a black coach, Tomlin couldn’t be silent. It would look like tacit confirmation of Garrett’s claim.

But Tomlin wasn’t silent when all this went down Nov. 14, and he certainly wasn’t silent Monday. He defended Rudolph. He attacked the fake news of that “Outside the Lines” segment. He made it clear the Steelers won’t be pushed around on this.

As a black man, this wasn’t without risk for Tomlin.

As ESPN’s Ryan Clark said, “In doing this job, being an African-American and being a former black player, I’m supposed to support everything that’s black. The moment you don’t … you’re not supporting. You’re selling out. You’re dancing for ‘massa.’ ”

Clark, an ex-Steeler, disagrees with that notion. So does Tomlin, obviously.

Tomlin wasn’t supporting white when he spoke on ESPN. He was supporting right.

TheUndefeated.com is an ESPN website directed toward the African-American audience. Jesse Washington of that website tweeted, “(Tomlin is) not the type of brother to lie on this. If he thought his QB said that, he’d deal with it.”

That’s the kind of credibility Tomlin has. That’s why it’s important he spoke.

ESPN triggered Tomlin — got him “hacked off” — with the now-infamous “Outside the Lines” segment. ESPN wants so badly for Garrett’s claim to be true.

Said Ariel Helwani, “I kind of feel like (Rudolph has) gotten off scot-free here.”

Said Michele Steele, “I think it makes the Steelers look bad, and by extension makes the league look bad, because the inference there is that you have a player saying racist things on the field without any discipline.”

The nonexistent possibility that Rudolph said the n-word was maximized. The overwhelming probability Garrett lied was minimized.

The NFL investigation that exonerated Rudolph was mentioned, sure. But the comments of Helwani and Steele ignored it. The entire segment mostly ignored it.

Tomlin didn’t. He went on ESPN and buried ESPN. He humiliated one of the NFL’s broadcast partners on its own turf. That’s epic.

It depends on what Garrett and Rudolph do next, but Tomlin’s strong stand might be the beginning of the controversy’s end. It’s being reported the Cleveland Browns organization is upset Garrett revisited his allegations.

Everything Tomlin said on ESPN was correct.

Stephen A. Smith tried to play the “what if” game. Smith asked Tomlin how he knew the NFL’s investigation was thorough, as Tomlin had characterized it.

But Tomlin didn’t back down. He’s didn’t dilute. He didn’t debate. As Rudolph later tweeted, Tomlin was a “leader of men.”

Monday on ESPN wasn’t a playoff win. But it was one of Tomlin’s best and most significant moments as Steelers coach.