Pittsburgh police say they were summoned to North Shore bar Tequila Cowboy on New Year’s Eve because of a “minor scuffle” involving Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley’s wife Christine. That information only came out after the team said Tuesday that Haley was hurt in a fall but would resume his coaching duties. Today, a report said Haley suffered a much more serious injury.
A “team source” informed Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Haley had a shattered pelvis and bruised left side. The coach squeezed everything he could out of the passive voice with today’s impressively vague statement:
After the team’s announcement Tuesday, Ian Rapoport had reported that Haley suffered a “hip injury.” Later that day, the statement from Pittsburgh PD said, “The scuffle was quickly ended. Todd Haley was not involved nor injured.” Does this mean Haley was hurt outside of the bar that night? How is an injury that severe to a team employee a non-issue?
If—as this source says—Haley did shatter his pelvis, he might have the highest pain tolerance imaginable, because on Wednesday he showed up at the team facilities and walked “with a very slight limp,” also according to Bouchette. From the beginning, Haley and the Steelers haven’t been clear about what happened at Tequila Cowboy. If you know anything, drop a line to tips@deadspin.com.