The Pittsburgh Steelers graded rather horribly in the NFLPA’s latest player report card. Outside of head coach Mike Tomlin, current Steelers player found plenty to grumble about. Owner Art Rooney II found himself chief among player concerns—but for one rather specific and narrow reason.
Rooney earned an ‘F’ grade and ranked 31st among owners, behind only the Kansas City Chiefs’ Clark Hunt. But don’t expect him to respond to this in a meaningful way, either through word or deed. After all, the situation hasn’t changed since last year. They graded poorly in 2023 and players expressed similar concerns about Rooney. And he didn’t have much to say about it.
The ownership part of the equation is getting more attention because the report card now has a specific grade for it. But the NFLPA only changed how it displays the information, not the information it gathers. The ownership grade is based on players’ belief in the owner’s willingness to invest in the facilities.
That is the specific metric that the report references. Last year, the NFLPA report noted that only 44 percent of Steelers respondents felt Rooney is willing to make those investments, which ranked 29th in the league. But throw a big fat ‘F’ on the whole thing and it sure sounds worse.
When asked about the survey last year, he said he had questions about how many players participated in it and added that the Steelers did expand the facilities a few years prior. “We’re always open to ideas [about] what we need to improve”, he continued, adding, “we have an open door policy”.
Do you think he’s going to say anything different this year? I don’t. Do you think they’re going to make significant changes based on the NFLPA report card? I don’t. They didn’t last year, so why would they this year? You can argue that they changed their strength and conditioning staff, but they earned an A- grade last year.
The biggest complaints players have about the Steelers tend toward scale. They complain about not enough staff, rather than the quality of the staff. They don’t want the people they have to lose their jobs—they just want more people to help. That especially applies to the training staff.
I’m sure Rooney will issue some kind of statement as he did last year through media members. But he’s not going to announce that they’re building an additional floor to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. I doubt we’re going to hear about installing a sauna.
Let’s make one thing clear, though: I’m not here endorsing the status quo. I’m just saying what I think the future holds. I don’t think the NFLPA report card has enough cache right now to make the Steelers budge. Maybe it does in the future, and I can see that happening. Players want the best circumstances they can find.
But ultimately, players want money, and they want a great head coach. The Steelers pay their players, and they have Mike Tomlin. As long as they have that, they’re fine, for the time being. And this isn’t about players disliking Rooney. Remember that the owner grade is limited to one very specific and narrow focus. Maybe the Steelers can invest more in their facilities, but players respect how Rooney treats them as men. That’s more valuable than having workplace access to a sauna or nicer locker rooms.
