When I think about model franchises in all of sports over 3+ decades, only a couple teams come to mind. Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, New York Yankees, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys. Boston Red Soxs. Detroit Red Wings. There are some other great franchises currently, like the New England Patriots, that have been great this past decade, but dont have the history that spans 30 years. Other teams, like the Montreal Canadian and Toronto Maple Leafs, have done well in the past, but currently have not been competitive as of late.
One can make the case that the Pittsburgh Steelers is the model franchise in all the NFL, if not all of sports.
They have played in 7 Superbowls, one behind Dallas, and won a record 6 of them. The team has been owned by Rooney family since 1933, and has stayed within the family for over 70 years. The current owner, Dan Rooney, is one of the most respected owners in the entire league. He is credited with implementing the “Rooney Rule”, which requires NFL teams with coaching and GM openings to interview at least one minority candidate. On top of that, Barack Obama just recently made him the ambassador to Ireland.
As a result of the constant stability of ownership and the owner’s loyalty and trust, there has only been 3 coaches since 1969: Chuck Knoll from 1969-1991, Bill Cower from 1992-2006, and Mike Tomlin from 2007-present. In an era where coaches constantly leave for a better job and better opportunities, this is absolutely unheard of. This is also a reflection of the amazing ownership of the team. Even in down years in the 1990s when the Steelers werent playing well, the Rooney family instilled enough confidence in Bill Cower and remained loyal to him and didnt fire him. They stuck by his side, and allowed him to finally win his first Super Bowl in 2006.
Steelers players have also been a model of class throughout NFL history. Players like Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Jerome Bettis, and Hines Ward have been great ambassadors for the team and for the league as a whole.
Having lived in Pittsburgh for 5 years, I have witnessed how much Steeler fans love their team and their players. No other fans are as passionate about their team as Steeler fans.
That’s why its troubling to see the two of the Steeler’s best (and maybe most important) players in so much trouble recently. Ben Roethlisberger has been the subject of two sexual assault charges in the past year. Santonio Holmes has been the subject of multiple drug possession charges over the past couple years, and is also accused of recently assaulting a woman in an Orlando nightclub.
Why is all of this happening? Have Roethlisberger and Holmes found success too soon? Roethlisberger has already won 2 Superbowl titles in his first 6 seasons in the league, and Holmes was the Superbowl MVP in 2009. Do they think they’re on top of the world now and feel that they’re invisible and can do anything they want?
Is this a reflection on coaching and ownership? Mike Tomlin is only 38, and is the third youngest head coach in any of the 4 professional sports league. He’s only 10 years older than Roethislerger (12 for Holmes). Is he not feared and respected by Roethlisberger and Holmes because of his age? Do they take not take him seriously? Are they not worried about punishment and discipline because they know they are the two most important players on offense for the team? Is Dan Rooney becoming older and more out of sync with the team, being the ambassador to Ireland and such? Is he not fostering a sense of family and responsibility to the team and community in Roethlisberger and Holmes?
It’ll be very interesting to see what happens in the next coming weeks with regards to disciplining these two players. In the past, the Rooney’s have had a policy that players are never bigger then the team. Both Plaxico Burress and Antwaan Randle-El were let go after both these WR asked for gigantic contracts.
However when players have been the subject of legal problems, the Rooney family has been the center of controversy. In the past couple years, three players have been the subject of domestic abuse cases: Najeh Davenport, James Harrison, and Cedrick Wilson. Davenport and Wilson were let go from the team, while Harrison, the NFL Defensive player of the year, was not punished. Rooney got a lot of criticism and was accused of a double standard: Wilson and Harrison were accused of both domestic violence, yet Harrison wasn’t punished. As great as the Rooney family is, did they show favoritism in trying to “justify” the actions of one of their best players?
This past month, Oregon Ducks coach, Chip Kelly, suspended his star QB, Jeremiah Masoli for the entire season after Masoli pleaded guilty for a burglary charge. Masoli was a potential Heisman trophy candidate for next season, but Kelly made the difficult decision to suspend him, despite knowing that his changes of playing in the national title game next year took a big hit.
What will the coaching and ownership do with regards to Roethlisberger and Holmes? Will Dan Rooney claim that Roethlisberger was never convicted or charged and let him off free? Will they do the same for Holmes? Or will they make the difficult decision and punish both these players, even if it may cost them a couple games next season?
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