Art Rooney II is set to address reporters here in the early afternoon, touching on the approved proposals at the NFL annual meeting. I’ll have updates below.
• Rooney opened by saying how thrilled he was that the Steelers were awarded Germany as their third global market opportunity, joining Ireland and Mexico.
• Rooney said he was initially not in favor of the new kickoff rule, saying, "There was not a lot of enthusiasm." But, wound up voting for it when it became apparent that it would pass. He said, "It's going to be interesting, let's put it that way."
• Rooney said special teams coach Danny Smith was part of the group of coaches that helped put this proposal together.
• Sounds like the Steelers will not be playing in Brazil this year. Rooney said, "Not as far as we know."
• However, Rooney did say the Steelers expect to have an international game "soon." He did also say the Steelers "would love to play a game" in any of the three countries the team has a global marketing program (Ireland, Mexico and now Germany). He's just not sure how quickly that may happen.
• Rooney's full response to the Steelers' poor marks on the NFLPA's report card:
"We prefer to get our feedback directly from the players," he said. "Not even sure where that comes from. It doesn't get presented to us. It gets presented to the media. As far as I'm concerned, it's more of a media opportunity for the Players Association than a serious effort of constructive criticism. Having said that, we look at improving our facilities every year. We'll continue to do that."
• I asked Rooney about why it was important for the owners to approve the proposal that banned the swivel hip-drop tackle:
"As you may recall, we lost Le'Veon Bell for a whole season because of a tackle like that," he said. "We've had concerns about it for a while now. The biggest question is our officials have a hard enough job. It is a hard foul to call. It'll be interesting to see how it gets called. But there's no question it can be a dangerous play."
• Rooney on the Steelers' moves during a busy offseason: "I like where we are so far. The draft is the next priority. We've gotta do a good job with the draft." Also mentioned that the moves that have been made so far represent the team's desire to "get better as quickly as possible."
• Rooney said he continues to remain optimistic that the Steelers will be awarded with their proposal to host the draft in Pittsburgh. Said "most likely" they'll find out during the owners' next meeting in May.
• In regards to the NFL having a game on Christmas this year, Rooney confirmed that the teams that play on Christmas will have to play a Saturday game the week prior since the holiday is on a Wednesday.
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THE ASYLUM
Chris Halicke
4:15 pm - 03.26.2024OrlandoRooney’s meeting with reporters
Art Rooney II is set to address reporters here in the early afternoon, touching on the approved proposals at the NFL annual meeting. I’ll have updates below.
• Rooney opened by saying how thrilled he was that the Steelers were awarded Germany as their third global market opportunity, joining Ireland and Mexico.
• Rooney said he was initially not in favor of the new kickoff rule, saying, "There was not a lot of enthusiasm." But, wound up voting for it when it became apparent that it would pass. He said, "It's going to be interesting, let's put it that way."
• Rooney said special teams coach Danny Smith was part of the group of coaches that helped put this proposal together.
• Sounds like the Steelers will not be playing in Brazil this year. Rooney said, "Not as far as we know."
• However, Rooney did say the Steelers expect to have an international game "soon." He did also say the Steelers "would love to play a game" in any of the three countries the team has a global marketing program (Ireland, Mexico and now Germany). He's just not sure how quickly that may happen.
• Rooney's full response to the Steelers' poor marks on the NFLPA's report card:
"We prefer to get our feedback directly from the players," he said. "Not even sure where that comes from. It doesn't get presented to us. It gets presented to the media. As far as I'm concerned, it's more of a media opportunity for the Players Association than a serious effort of constructive criticism. Having said that, we look at improving our facilities every year. We'll continue to do that."
• I asked Rooney about why it was important for the owners to approve the proposal that banned the swivel hip-drop tackle:
"As you may recall, we lost Le'Veon Bell for a whole season because of a tackle like that," he said. "We've had concerns about it for a while now. The biggest question is our officials have a hard enough job. It is a hard foul to call. It'll be interesting to see how it gets called. But there's no question it can be a dangerous play."
• Rooney on the Steelers' moves during a busy offseason: "I like where we are so far. The draft is the next priority. We've gotta do a good job with the draft." Also mentioned that the moves that have been made so far represent the team's desire to "get better as quickly as possible."
• Rooney said he continues to remain optimistic that the Steelers will be awarded with their proposal to host the draft in Pittsburgh. Said "most likely" they'll find out during the owners' next meeting in May.
• In regards to the NFL having a game on Christmas this year, Rooney confirmed that the teams that play on Christmas will have to play a Saturday game the week prior since the holiday is on a Wednesday.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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