Posted on Sun, Sep. 21, 2008
PITTSBURGH - As a new NFL season invariably does, the Steelers' Sept. 7 opener with the Houston Texans instilled a steely pride in Pittsburgh's sagging civic spirit.
Like swarms of bees, fans in black-and-yellow jerseys descended the hills and highway ramps that feed into Heinz Field. Their mood was as sunny as the day, their anticipation as thick and sweet as the tang of burgers and sausage grilling in the surrounding lots.
"We live for this day," said Ron Czarnecki, whose face, beneath a Cher-like Troy Polamalu wig, was being painted in Steelers colors.
Inside the seven-year-old riverside stadium, the mood was no different. Smiling team chairman Dan Rooney made his usual Sunday morning rounds, stopping to talk with workers, players and coaches, all of whom approached the white-haired man with the reverence of religious pilgrims.
On this particular Sunday, though, the familiar pregame scene, one that reflected the deep affection between the city and its Steelers, was not entirely revealing. What remained unseen - and generally unsaid - was the uncertainty that suddenly has enveloped this storied franchise.
As the 2-0 Steelers head into today's game with the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field, the Rooneys' lifelong grip on the franchise their father, Art Sr., founded in 1933 seems much less secure than anyone here had imagined.
A perfect, unsettling storm has left the Steelers' future as uncertain as the status of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's shoulder.
Dan Rooney, 75, the executive partner and oldest brother, wants to hold onto the team. He and his four siblings - Tim, John, Pat and Art Jr. - each hold 16 percent stakes. The other four brothers want to sell and have put their combined 64 percent on the market. (The remaining 20 percent is owned by the family of Jack McGinley, Art Rooney Sr.'s brother-in-law. The family is not interested in selling.)
If a single individual were to snap up the other Rooneys' shares, Dan, the league's longest-tenured and perhaps most-respected owner, would become a minority voice, a nearly unthinkable calamity here.
"I can't imagine a league without Dan Rooney," said Bill Cowher, the Pittsburgh native who coached the team for 15 seasons before departing after the 2006 season. "He's the voice of reason. A league without him would be a less-efficient one."
The motivations behind the proposed sale of a franchise that Goldman Sachs valued at between $800 million and $1.2 billion as well as the nature of the apparent family rift behind it remain shrouded in the secrecy the Rooneys have imposed since news leaked out in early July.
None has spoken publicly about the situation. The Steelers' media-relations staff demands assurances from all reporters seeking interviews with Dan Rooney that questions about ownership will not be raised.
This much is clear: Sometime in the last few years, Dan - along with his son, Art II, the team president - has attempted to buy out one or more of the other brothers. By at least doubling his stake, Rooney would come into compliance with NFL guidelines that require the principle owner to hold at least a 30 percent stake. His status was grandfathered when the rule was instituted.
But either because his offer was too low or because of lingering fraternal animosities - Dan fired Art Jr. as general manager 21 years ago and the wounds haven't fully healed, team insiders said - nothing has transpired.
The four younger brothers are motivated to sell, those same insiders noted, because of worries about the potentially enormous tax implications for the heirs to a team their father bought for $2,500 75 years ago.
Then there are the gentle demands coming from commissioner Roger Goodell, picked for his job in 2006 by a Dan Rooney-led committee.
Goodell has reassured those who want to keep Steelers management intact by reminding them that any change in ownership would require approval by three-quarters of the NFL's owners. Given Rooney's widespread influence, it seems extremely unlikely that they would approve any radical change.
There's also the matter of the Rooneys' ownership of racetrack-casinos in Yonkers, N.Y., and Palm Beach, Fla. The league apparently was willing to look the other way when the facilities hosted only harness and dog racing. But now there are poker tables in Palm Beach and more than 2,000 slot machines at Yonkers.
Dan Rooney's name appeared on the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission as recently as two years ago. But, a league spokesman said, he has since divested himself of those interests.
The current troubles on Wall Street will make it more difficult for Dan Rooney to find the financing he is seeking, so it's easy to see why a lot of Steelers fans can't sleep easy.
Almost no one here believes the worst-case scenario, Dan Rooney losing control and the team being moved, is possible.
But in a city weary of too many corporate takeovers and takeaways, the situation with its beloved Steelers has an all-too-familiar and unpleasant ring.
"I'd hate to see Dan Rooney go," said Czarnecki, "but I guess I could live with that. But if they ever pulled a Modell, they'd burn this city to the ground." (Owner Art Modell moved the Browns from Cleveland to Baltimore for financial reasons.)
Just three weeks before the start of training camp for the Steelers, coming off a 10-7 season and a first-round playoff elimination, the city awoke to the news of the proposed sale.
The four younger Rooneys, unhappy with the progress of negotiations with Dan, had been in discussions to sell their stake to Stanley Druckenmiller, a Pittsburgh native and hedge-fund billionaire.
On Aug. 5, Goodell summoned all five Rooneys to his New York office for a 21/2-hour meeting.
"[In] the discussions in which I have been involved, it is the desire of the entire family to attain a result which provides similar success in the decades ahead," Goodell said. "I hope to be involved in achieving that objective."
Three weeks later, all the brothers met with Druckenmiller, who made an offer - $550 million, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Reports suggested the financier wanted their 80 percent ownership interest and vowed to leave Dan Rooney in charge.
But at least one of the brothers apparently balked, and on Thursday Druckenmiller withdrew his offer.
"Based on recent developments, it has become clear that the Rooneys need substantial additional time to assess their options," Druckenmiller said in a statement. "I do not wish to complicate these efforts.
"Given my love for Pittsburgh and what I know the team means to the city, I wish them all the same success they have had in the past," he said. "Go Steelers!"
On Friday, Art II and Dan Rooney released a joint statement.
"We will continue our efforts to maintain the ownership of the Steelers in our family," they said. "We have been told on many occasions the other family members prefer to keep the franchise in the family. We look forward to ongoing dialogue within the family toward that goal. . . . We hope that further discussions can remain cordial and private, and not become a distraction during the football season."
Despite all the uncertainty, the Steelers, who are off to a 2-0 start, insist it hasn't affected them. Trying to short-circuit any wild speculation, Rooney met with the team July 29, the day players reported to camp at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa.
"We met with Mr. Rooney and obviously he told us about the situation and what was going on," Steelers defensive end Brett Keisel said after his team's 38-17 opening-day victory. "But now no one ever talks about it. No one worries about it. All we're worried about is going out on Sundays and trying to win.
"I mean, I guess we could all chip in and buy 1 percent," Keisel added, "but that probably wouldn't change too much."
And that might be just want Pittsburgh wants.
Contact staff writer Frank Fitzpatrick at 215-854-5068 or ffitzpatrick@phillynews.com.
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