I’m not always on board with every decision The Rooney Family has made when it comes to running the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s to be expected when they are tasked to run an NFL franchise where important decisions are made literally every single day. From ‘The Chief’ to Dan to Art II, the Rooney’s have held firm in their way of doing things and while I don’t always agree I find that I appreciate them more every time another owner opens their mouth.
There were two such cases in point this week.
Patriots’ owner Robert Kraft announced to the media at the Owners’ Meetings that he had submitted a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell requesting that he re-instate their lost first round pick in the draft. They lost that as a result of ‘DeflateGate.’ Why Kraft needed to write a letter is beyond me. His buddy-buddy relationship with Goodell tells all of us that they probably talk weekly if not more often but apparently Kraft felt the need to be ‘official.’
Perhaps what Kraft needs to remember is that the loss of the first round pick is much more as a result of the cover-up then whether or not balls were purposefully deflated (see text messages, ahem!). Kraft feels he’s above everyone else and his arrogance stems from his team’s success over the last 15 years. In other words, close proximity to the league offices and winning a lot of games must give Kraft the feeling that he is the most important owner in the NFL. Must be nice…
The other owner who needs to shut up is Jerry Jones down in Dallas….
Pushed on whether he believes there is a link between CTE and playing football, Jones responded, “No, that’s absurd. There’s no data that in any way creates a knowledge. There’s no way that you could have made a comment that there is an association and some type of assertion. In most things, you have to back it up by studies. And in this particular case, we all know how medicine is. Medicine is evolving. I grew up being told that aspirin was not good. I’m told that one a day is good for you. … I’m saying that changed over the years as we’ve had more research and knowledge.
Well Jerah! There is data that suggests that football and CTE are linked. Perhaps you missed that “Concussion” movie while trying to decide if signing Johnny Manziel would be a good idea.
I don’t like the fact that football is changing and has become “softer” either but I’m not going to sit here and act like the data doesn’t exist showing that repeated blows to the heads causes long-term trauma.
This is why as Steelers’ fans we need to appreciate how the Rooney’s go about their business. While there are times when I wish Art II was more vocal especially in situations where his team is getting slighted, I like the overall fact that they conduct business quietly. They don’t run to the first microphone they see or the first reporter who happens to be outside the team’s headquarters.
Ya, there are times when I really do question just what the Steelers are doing but it’s hard to argue with how things are done when the overall picture is presented. When owners like Kraft and Jones speak, I find myself that much more grateful to be a Steelers’ fan.
Quote courtesy espn.go.com
