4th-quarter ejection of Steelers guard Trai Turner displeases Mike Tomlin

Two players were flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct in the fourth quarter Sunday of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 26-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Heinz Field.

That Steelers guard Trai Turner was the only one ejected from the game bothered coach Mike Tomlin.

Turner and Raiders defensive tackle Solomon Thomas each were penalized after Najee Harris’ 25-yard touchdown catch from Ben Roethlisberger pulled the Steelers within 16-14 with 11 minutes, 15 seconds remaining.

Turner was shown by TV cameras spitting at a Raiders player, but Tomlin said the act was done in retaliation.

“Somebody spit in his face,” Tomlin said. “I understand the 15-yard penalties and so forth, gaining control of the game. But Trai is not a young guy. He’s not overly emotional. He’s a flat-liner. For him to respond the way he responded, what transpired, I was stating that case to them.

“I didn’t believe he did enough to be kicked out of the football game.”

Harris said he didn’t see the incident unfold because he was in the end zone celebrating his first NFL touchdown. Roethlisberger, though, witnessed some of it.

Turner initially balked at leaving the sideline, and Roethlisberger put his arm around his teammate and talked to him before Turner headed to the locker room.

“I caught the last (part),” he said. “I didn’t catch the very, very beginning of it, but just in talking to him, he said he got spit on. He didn’t like that, which I understand and respect as a man, and he went and tried to say something to the guy that spit on him.”

B.J. Finney replaced Turner at right guard for the final 11 offensive snaps.