Steelers' Art Rooney II Already Showed Signs Of Horrible Lack Of Awareness Regarding The Team's Awful NFLPA Grades

The Pittsburgh Steelers take pride in being seen as one of the more stable franchises in the NFL. However, that image may have taken a hit on Wednesday after the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) released its annual report grading teams on a variety of aspects, including locker rooms and ownership. While the Steelers may be atop the league regarding their six Super Bowl trophies, that wasn't the case in the NFLPA's report.

Steelers' Scores Are Far Below Expectations

Last year's report had the Steelers ranked 22nd in the NFL, but Wednesday's report has Pittsburgh dropping down to 28th overall in the league.

The Steelers found themselves right at the bottom in three areas, in particular: F- for Treatment of Families, F for Locker Room, and, most surprisingly, an F for Ownership. Brooke Pryor posted on X/Twitter regarding the Steelers' 2024 grades and how Art Rooney II had approached the issue earlier in the year. Rooney's evaluation of the Steelers' locker room and facilities didn't inspire the kind of hope for change that Pittsburgh fans may have expected. During his end-of-season presser, Rooney spoke to Pryor about the possible need for improvements and his answer may explain why the grade was lower than many believed it would be.

"I haven't met too many players that are architects yet. We're not opposed to player feedback... Look, we do look at what are the benchmarks around the country, what do players need to be successful these days. To be honest with you, we're not as deep into the, let's say, assessment of this facility as we are into the stadium. But that will come."

Considering that Pittsburgh is considered more of a family situation than many teams in the NFL, hearing Rooney seem to shrug off the concern could be cause for worry. One doesn't have to work too hard at reading between the lines to realize that Rooney is practically telling the players to stay in their lane. It's one thing to want feedback from players, but the disregard shown in his response to Pryor could mean that any concerns aren't being taken too seriously.

Steelers' Ownership Grade Is Due To A Lack Of Investment

It would be one thing if the NFLPA report stated that the players were simply fed up with ownership in general, but that isn't the case. The grade was based on how willing the players felt the ownership had been regarding the upgrading of facilities. On this week's report, the Steelers' failing grade for Ownership was given because the players didn't feel like Rooney II saw improving the facilities as a priority.

"Club Owner Art Rooney II receives a rating of 5.8/10 from the Steelers players when considering his willingness to invest in the facilities (31st overall)."

This particular metric wasn't used on last year's NFLPA report, but the other two failing grades showed significant drops. Treatment of Families last time around was graded at a D-, while the Locker Room received a D+, yet both are at an F or worse in the report one year later. For a franchise that is in the midst of a rebuild, both on the roster and in public profile, none of these scores are good.

The one saving grace for the Steelers in the 2024 NFLPA report was Mike Tomlin. It is fitting that the head coach, who has never had a losing season in Pittsburgh, is the main reason why the Steelers hung on to their 28th overall rank. The Steelers were among the top teams in the league for head coaches, graded at A (5th in the NFL). That high grade, along with Strength Coaches (B+ at 20th) and Food/Cafeteria (B- at 16th), are what pulled the Steelers from the true bottom feeders.

Pittsburgh takes a great deal of pride in their football franchise, and for good reason, with a long history of success. However, it is still a business, and when the team finds itself ranked among the lower-end franchises, it doesn't speak kindly to the state of the team. Fans will have to wait another year to see whether the Steelers take these grades seriously, or whether 2025 will show an even steeper decline.

Where will the 2025 NFLPA report rank the Steelers?