The Pittsburgh Steelers and team president/owner Art Rooney II didn’t fare very well in the most recent NFLPA survey. The Steelers had one of the worst team grades in the NFL from the players’ perspective, and Rooney was one of the worst-ranked owners in the sport.
For the first time since the release of the NFLPA survey in late February, Rooney had a chance to address the survey results. Speaking with reporters Tuesday from the NFL Owners Meetings in Orlando, Rooney pushed back on the survey results, stating that he views the survey as more of a media opportunity for the NFLPA than constructive criticism to teams. Rooney added that he prefers direct feedback from the players rather than the anonymous survey, according to a tweet from The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly.
“It doesn’t get presented to us; it gets presented to the media. So as far as I’m concerned, it’s a media opportunity for the players association as opposed to a serious effort of constructive criticism,” Rooney said regarding the NFLPA survey, according to Kaboly’s tweet.
The Steelers came in ranked 28th out of 32 organizations in the NFLPA survey, which was a decline in a handful of spots from the previous year.
Based on the NFLPA survey results, the Steelers ranked 28th or worse in a number of categories, including Treatment of Families (F-, 29th), Nutrition/Dietician (D, 30th), Locker Room (F, 30th), Training Room (D+, 29th), Team Travel (D, 28th) and Ownership (F, 31st)
The Steelers ranked fifth in the head coaching rankings thanks to Mike Tomlin, but that was the only real positive from the NFLPA survey for the Black and Gold, one of the pillar franchises in the NFL. The Steelers also received a B- in Food/Cafeteria and a B+ in Strength Coaches, but it’s worth noting that the team recently overhauled its entire strength and conditioning staff, a move that Tomlin stated was necessary to fit the new-age players.
Pittsburgh’s poor showing in the survey certainly generated quite a bit of talk and a lot of criticism of Rooney, especially after the team ranked No. 22 in the survey one year ago.
Pittsburgh has made some investments into Acrisure Stadium in recent years, but the South Side practice facility is the only one in the NFL that shares space with a collegiate program, and the stadium is a bit outdated overall.
Rooney certainly seemed upset with the discourse that came out regarding not only himself but also the franchise following the NFLPA survey, pushing back a bit by calling it a media opportunity for the players association, even while adding that he respects it and takes it seriously. Hopefully he received some of the direct feedback that he wants from the players.
