Alejandro Villanueva wants Steelers' Mike Tomlin to have 'bigger role' in society than being HC - "Selling himself short"

Ever since he retired from the NFL in 2021, Alejandro Villanueva has been mostly living quietly, at least until now.

The former two-time Pro Bowl offensive tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers recently appeared on Jason and Travis Kelce's 'New Heights' podcast to discuss a variety of topics, from his NFL career to his military service.

At a certain point in the interview, he opined that current Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin could grow beyond his position:

"I think sometimes I get a little pissed off when I see him because I know that he can have a much bigger role in society than being a head coach. You know he’s got incredible leadership skills, incredible charisma..."

Travis Kelce responded by asking if he believes Mike Tomlin is selling himself short. To which Villanueva replied:

"No, a hundred percent he's not selling himself short. I think he sees people for you know where they're from… coach Tomlin was somebody who believed in coaching and he believed in being a part of your success story.”

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What else did Alejandro Villanueva say about his military service?

Alejandro Villanueva is unique among NFL players in that he attended a military school in college - the United States Military Academy in this case. As a result, he served in the Army before entering the NFL.

Serving as an officer between 2010 and 2015, he had multiple tours of Afghanistan, earning a Bronze Star Medal among other awards, and joining the Army Rangers.

In the same podcast episode, he reflected on his time in the military:

"It was very frustrating to go to a country where your mission was to protect the people... and then get to a country where you're not being welcomed or they're not collaborating with the information, where you're like, 'Hold on a minute, so you guys don't want us to be here?'"

He also said that based on his experience, the concepts in the military could also apply to the game of football:

“Football was created out of the lack of war between men in between war periods. So, men, in order to feel themselves, as you know worthy or whatever, they came out with this game of football.

“[Football] includes a lot of the same concepts as the military. So, football and the military have always used the same values, used the same structure, so it’s extremely similar. Now, in reality, it’s not the same at all."

Villanueva, however, added that he found the use of military parlance in the NFL rather amusing:

“It’s always been hilarious to see how NFL teams utilize the military and use a lot of lingo. We’re going to war boys. You’re not going to war.”