Former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates has shared his regret over ignoring veteran teammates' advice to rest a torn meniscus, a decision he says derailed his NFL career. In a recent podcast appearance, Coates detailed how pushing through the injury led to surgeries and his eventual trade from the team. Now a high school coach, he urges young players to listen to experienced advice.
Sammie Coates burst onto the NFL scene in 2016 as a third-round pick from Auburn for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After a promising start with 421 yards and two touchdowns in his first five games, injuries began to hinder his progress. Coates revealed on the Raw Room podcast that he played through a torn meniscus for much of his third year in the league, relying on heavy painkillers just to get through practices.
Veteran teammates tried to intervene. Linebacker James Harrison advised him to sit out, saying, 'Man, you need to sit out. Bro, you’ll be alright. Just sit out, you can prove that you can play in this league.' Cornerback William Gay echoed the sentiment, warning Coates not to 'let [the team] push you to doing something you don’t need to be doing' by playing injured. Despite this counsel, Coates continued, later expressing profound regret: 'To all the young players out there, when you got a older head that’s looking out for you, you better lock in. Listen. You better listen. So I didn’t lock into it at the end of that year, it cost me.'
The toll was evident in his stats: after the strong opening, he managed just two receptions for 14 yards over the next nine games and was deactivated for the final two of the regular season. Postseason, Coates underwent three surgeries and missed the entire offseason workout. Another procedure followed right before 2017 training camp, leaving him as the odd man out in a crowded receiver room. He was traded to the Cleveland Browns, where he recorded six receptions for 70 yards in 12 games.
Coates' career faded further with one catch for the Houston Texans the next season, followed by stints on the Kansas City Chiefs' offseason roster, the XFL, and the CFL. He has since retired and taken up coaching as head coach at Columbia High School in Huntsville, Alabama. There, he imparts lessons from his Steelers days, emphasizing smart injury management and heeding veteran wisdom.