Two days after ripping Pittsburgh Steelers GM Omar Khan and questioning when he was going to find a franchise quarterback, ESPN’s boisterous Stephen A. Smith took aim at team owner Art Rooney II Friday morning.
Fresh off the ESPN report that the Steelers finished No. 32 in the NFL in the NFLPA annual report card, with criticism centered on the facilities, the playing surface at Acrisure Stadium, and more, Smith is fed up with the Steelers’ direction under Rooney.
“No wonder Mike Tomlin left. Clearly he can take a year off and there’ll be better situations. He’ll never speak against the Pittsburgh Steelers ’cause they gave him the opportunity of a lifetime and he coached there for 19 years. But this organization under Art Rooney II, right now it looks like a disgrace compared to what his family has established for so many years,” Smith said on First Take, according to video via ESPN. “They’ve had three head coaches in the franchise history. They hired Chuck Noll in his thirties. They hired Bill Cowher in his thirties. They hired Mike Tomlin in his thirties, and then they go out and they get a 62-year-old.
“Art Rooney II is clearly doing things differently, but certainly not better because while the Steelers, his predecessors, his daddy, his family members were winning championships, this man can’t win a playoff game.”
Tomlin resigning after 19 years came as a surprise and forced the Steelers to pivot quickly. The belief was that Rooney and the Steelers would do what they had done previously when searching for the next head coach: identify a young, up-and-coming defensive-minded coach and hire him.
Jeff Hafley, Chris Shula and Anthony Weaver all fit that profile were interviewed. But in the end, the Steelers went with Mike McCarthy, breaking tradition and leading to some initial backlash.
Then, the NFLPA report card came out, ranking Rooney as one of the worst owners in football, while also criticizing the practice facility as among the league’s worst, not to mention the playing surface at Acrisure Stadium. The Steelers are reportedly resurfacing the stadium ahead of the 2026 season, but there are no plans for upgrades to the facility — or even building a new one — anytime soon.
So, the Steelers are stuck not only in purgatory of not being able to get over the hump in the playoffs, they’re stuck in a bad situation where players aren’t happy with the facility, the field, even the owner, and more.
“It is not a good situation when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Steeler Nation deserves a lot better. They are obviously loyal to their franchise, as they should be, but this man and what he’s doing to represent this franchise right now, it’s not impressive. Plain and simple,” Smith added. “We expect better from the Rooneys and this is Art Rooney II’s job to hold down the fort and he ain’t doing it. And it’s just that simple. …We are not satisfied with this man and this report card grade is just the latest piece of evidence, the latest nugget of evidence that the Steelers are not what they used to be.
“Steeler Nation should be very concerned about the leadership that they have in place moving forward.”
Smith isn’t the first person to rip Rooney, and he won’t be the last. The struggles the Steelers have had in the last decade under Rooney’s guidance has led to plenty of frustration. Concerns about the organization being somewhat cheap with things not related to the actual football on the field, not getting caught up with the times, having a small coaching staff year after year, and more has led to mounting criticism for Rooney.
He hears it all. Will anything change? That remains to be seen.
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