The Pittsburgh Steelers have developed a reputation of being cheap and content with tradition. Art Rooney II, the Steelers' owner, has taken a lot of heat recently for allegedly allowing this proud franchise to not chase greatness anymore. The NFLPA report cards emphasized that as well, as they gave Rooney an F for his unwillingness to spend the money necessary to improve the facilities and the team. If the players have issues with ownership, then there likely is some sort of validity to the claims against Rooney.
About a month after the report cards game out, Rooney spoke out about them to the media during the NFL's Annual Owners Meetings. He claimed that the NFLPA uses it as a publicity stunt as opposed to an honest and genuine call to action.
The Steelers ranked 28th in the league overall in the report card, with Mike Tomlin being the only part of the team that was rated above average. Steelers players had numerous complaints, but the biggest one was Rooney himself, who was ranked 31 out of all 32 owners for his supposed unwillingness to support the facilities financially.
While Rooney's ire is likely directed at the wrong place, he does have a legitimate concern. The NFLPA could send the owners the full results of the team without naming names. They could keep releasing the brief version of the report cards to the team while providing owners around the league with all the necessary details on how the players expect them to improve the facilities.
Rooney also claimed that owners around the league take the report cards seriously. While there is likely some truth to that, it's hard to take anything seriously when you question the integrity and honesty of any particular thing. He might understand the feedback, but he likely doesn't pay too much attention to it, as the NFLPA doesn't bother to let them see it first.
Are The Steelers Truly Too Cheap Under Rooney?
Charlie Batch, who commentates Steelers games and used to play for the team, personally called out Rooney after an ugly loss to the Cleveland Browns, claiming that anyone can tell how cheap he is just from hanging around them. He specifically called out his unwillingness to fire coaches due to the fact that he would still have to pay them anyways.
However, Rooney called Batch's bluff as the team fired Matt Canada just two days after Batch made that comment. Firing a coach midseason had been unprecedented for the Steelers under Rooney and his father, Dan Rooney. Whether this is a step in the right direction, or just a one-time occurrence is to be determined, although he hopefully won't have to make that decision again for a long time.
There are obviously issues all across the Steelers' facilities, as the players gave low grades for nearly every category, but the NFLPA should at least make an attempt to advise the owners on how to be better with their facilities and money. Great players can do a lot for you, but if the facilities are not up to standard, then the players will not have everything they need to reach their full potential.
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