It’s official: Tomlin is Steelers’ coach

Mike Tomlin, the Minnesota Vikings’ defensive coordinator, was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers -- the first black head coach in the team’s 74-year history.

He accepted the job Sunday night and the hiring was announced Monday, with Tomlin expected to make about $2.5 million a year under a four-year contract. He is the Steelers’ third coach in 38 years, following Chuck Noll (23 seasons) and Bill Cowher (15 seasons).

Tomlin, an NFL coordinator for only one season, acknowledged it was difficult not to be overwhelmed with the opportunity to coach what he called “one of the storied franchises in sports.”

“I’m still coming to grips with what that means,” said Tomlin, who, like Cowher in 1992, will be about the same age as some of his players. “But I am what I am as coach -- I don’t call myself a 34-year-old coach or an experienced coach, I’m a football coach.”

Tomlin might have benefited from the NFL’s so-called Rooney Rule. Steelers owner Dan Rooney successfully lobbied in 2002 for a rule that requires NFL teams to interview minority candidates for coaching jobs.

On Monday, Rooney strongly denied reports that the Steelers told assistant head coach Russ Grimm he would be Cowher’s successor, then changed their minds and hired Tomlin.

“Our integrity means more than anything to us. It means more than anything,” Rooney said after Tomlin’s news conference.

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Michael Vick will not face drug charges and was cleared of any wrongdoing, four days after Atlanta Falcons General Manager Rich McKay said the star quarterback had “let a lot of people down.”

Vick’s water bottle was seized by security personnel at Miami International Airport on Wednesday. Police said it smelled of marijuana.

Laboratory tests found no evidence of drugs, the Florida state attorney’s office said.

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The New York Giants hired Steve Spagnuolo, the Philadelphia Eagles’ linebackers coach the last three seasons, as defensive coordinator.

Spagnuolo will replace Tim Lewis, who was fired this month after three seasons with the Giants.

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Cincinnati cornerback Johnathan Joseph was arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, the ninth Bengal arrested in the last nine months.

Joseph was arrested by a Boone County, Ky., sheriff’s deputy in Union, Ky.

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The Indianapolis Colts’ 38-34 victory over the New England Patriots in Sunday’s AFC championship game got a 28.1 national overnight rating with a 40 share, CBS announced.

The rating/share peaked from 7-7:30 p.m. at 33.2/46.

The 28.1 overnight rating is the highest for an AFC championship game since Jacksonville and Indianapolis got a 28.3 in 1997. And the 28.1 is 14% higher than the 24.6 for Pittsburgh and Denver last year.

The NFC title game on Fox also did well, despite the Chicago Bears’ pulling away to a 39-14 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Fox reported a fast national rating of 25.1 with a 45 share, which is a 21% increase over the 20.8/31 for last year’s AFC championship game between Seattle and Carolina. Fox said it had 43.2 million viewers on average during the telecast.

The L.A. rating/share for the AFC title game was a 20.8/38, the lowest for any of the nation’s 55 largest markets. The NFC game got a 17.8/41, which ranked 54th among 55 markets.

-- Larry Stewart