Ronneys, Steelers not happy with SEA

[TIGER-PAUL]

http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/...l-bid-nhl-stadium-series/stories/201703010222

By Jason Mackey / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers president Art Rooney II blasted the Pittsburgh-Allegheny County Sports & Exhibition Authority on Wednesday, saying the Steelers’ partnership with the SEA is “not a functioning relationship.”

“I don’t know that there’s a real commitment here from our landlord to do what’s necessary and work with us in a way that’s cooperative,” Rooney told the Post-Gazette. “It’s hard for me to explain what the reason is. It’s been something that’s becoming more difficult as the years have gone on in our lease.”

Rooney’s comments come in the wake of a successful Stadium Series game staged at Heinz Field, between the Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers. The football stadium has now staged two of the five best-attended outdoor games in NHL history, the first being the 2011 Winter Classic.

The Steelers would like to open Heinz Field to more signature events, including the Super Bowl, ACC football championship and international soccer matches. But Rooney said the team’s ability to attract those events is threatened by their relationship with the SEA.

“There’s a high level of cooperation and advanced planning that goes into attracting those events — the Stadium Series or even the Super Bowl,” Rooney said.

“It requires an awful lot of advanced planning and various people working together. Our problem is, at this point, we just don’t have that kind of relationship with our landlord, the Sports & Exhibition Authority. It’s a concern for us going forward whether we can continue to compete for those kinds of events.”

At issue is a host of improvements the Steelers have or want to make to Heinz Field, including new sound and Wi-Fi systems, a new main scoreboard and a $25 million expansion of the Great Hall to accommodate more event space. The Steelers apparently have been growing frustrated over the pace of negotiations with the SEA over how to pay for the changes.

Rooney said he was unsure of any specific reasons behind the discord.

“We have plenty of money coming into the building in terms of the capital reserve fund. It’s not necessarily a funding issue,” Rooney said. “It’s how we use the money. It’s what kind of commitment we have to planning for the future. Obviously the development that we do around the stadium, that requires a lot of advanced planning.

“For whatever reason, working with these people … to get anything done, it’s like pulling teeth.”

Morgan Hanson, the SEA solicitor, said in response he was “puzzled” by Rooney’s statements.

“In the past six weeks, I personally have participated in at least three meetings with the Steelers organization in which the Steelers and SEA discussed the Steelers’ request for funding for Heinz Field. In all instances, the parties have worked together diligently and professionally in order than the stadium be maintained,” he said.

“Obviously, SEA is the steward of the public’s monies. Accordingly, SEA must ensure that the Steelers’ requests fall within the public’s responsibility under the lease before approving them, a principle that both SEA and the Steelers have recognized from the beginning of their relationship.”

The NHL essentially bought the Penguins out of a regular season game and decided to again go with the Steelers as a host based on a previous, positive working relationship with the team.

It was the most-watched regular season game in three years, while Rooney lauded the buzz around the game.

“The Steelers run a great organization,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said Saturday. “Having been here before, we knew working with them would be a delight.”

Such harmony is the opposite of where things seem to stand with the Steelers and the SEA.

“For a lot of these kinds of events, we’re competing with other cities, other markets,” Rooney said. “You just have to have a relationship, particularly with our landlord, that’s functioning. Right now, our relationship is not a functioning relationship.”

The Steelers and the SEA have clashed before, over additional seats in 2012 and who should pay for them.

Among the issues Rooney did cite, building upkeep, adequate parking and traffic planning were among the areas that “have to work together for all these things to be viable events.”

 

[benchwarmer04]

first shot fired in a new stadium request

 

[ThePanthers]

first shot fired in a new stadium request

No its not.

 

[pitt-girl]

first shot fired in a new stadium request

I did not get that at all from reading that article.

 

[bayardstreet]

Rooney's know how to stir the pot. The Mayor doesn't have time for stadium issues because he is too busy planning to make Pittsburgh a sanctuary city

 

[Burgh15]

first shot fired in a new stadium request

Not even close. Likely the first shot at finding alternative ways to pay for upgrades that he wants to see at Heinz Field.

 

[PantherDave724]

This is the Rooney's game. This absolutely is their way of angling for a new stadium in 15 years. You'll soon hear how their facilities have fallen behind the rest of the national football league prompting a new stadium request eventually.

Pitt BETTER be planning for the future here. Rooneys got sick of Three Rivers in 30 years. That means 14 years left at Heinz Field.

 

[ERICCARTMAN]

Time for the university to enter the upgrades conversation demanding the PITT brand be more prominent throughout the stadium. PITT originally agreeing to move to the north side absolutely helped secure state and county funding for Rooney's stadium.

 

[Jpripper88]

There is no doubt at all the Rooneys want a plan for a new stadium or unbelievably huge upgrades in the next decade.

 

[ThePanthers]

There is no doubt at all the Rooneys want a plan for a new stadium or unbelievably huge upgrades in the next decade.

New stadium, no.

Upgrades yes

 

[PantherDave724]

New stadium, no.

Upgrades yes

They're not interested in upgrades. They're interested in a new stadium.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Upgrades make sense to a point, like adding the new seats a few years ago, adding the new scoreboard, etc... What kind of upgrades are the Rooneys going to look for? There is a large gap in the NFL between relatively plain stadiums (everything in the AFC North) and some of the newer palaces that have been built.

 

[BuffetParrothead]

PITT doesn't appear to have the basic competencies to hire AD's or coaches let alone putting together a contingency plan in the event the Rooneys and the SEA go to war.

At a minimum a plan B is required but I bet we'll punt on that one and hope things work out?

If they upgrade Heinz some on here will be upset when they remove the trough urinals since there'll be nothing to do on a Sat or Sunday afternoon.

 

[Saboteur]

If one actually looks at the SEA and it's Board of Directors, Rooney's statement falls along the lines of "what did you expect".
Mary Conturo is the ED of the SEA and has been for well over a decade.
She is clueless. A nice person, but clueless.
The SEA is a convenient place to give people jobs in the Democratic machine.
I'm not arguing Dem v Rep....I am simply stating a fact.
Look at their staff and BOD...it is an Island of Misfit Toys for political hacks.
Even this tiny piece proves Rooney's point. The SEA has inside legal counsel, yet outside counsel offers the retort to Rooney.
Politicians at any level have morals shaped by votes. No one inside the SEA is brave, bright or cool enough to respond to Rooney. So with a ballooned staff, they pay outside counsel to respond. Outside counsel who has zero independent accountability.
In the wake of the Convention Center deal and construction fatality, to get their way, the Pirates, Steelers and to a far lesser degree the Penguins help create a bureaucrat filled, mindless entity.
Of course dealing with them is akin to pulling teeth....they are not there because they are smart Art....if they were smart, you would have an adversary.
Instead you have a classic case of bureaucrats running a quasi business with zero business sense and incapable of independent thought.
You got what you asked for Art.
Final note: I will say what I admire about Mary. She is smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Art is not.

 

[ThePanthers]

They're not interested in upgrades. They're interested in a new stadium.

Only in your mind.

 

[PantherO]

I can't feel bad for the Rooney's. They have more than enough money to put in the upgrades themselves. They chose not to fund the stadium even though they could have, and this was the solution. If my tax dollars are going for the upgrades, I say screw it. There are better ways to spend the tax dollars other than stadiums.

 

[happjack]

The Rooney's are going to milk the taxpayers for $30 to $50 million in upgrades every few years, they'll add seats then a few years later take those seats out for a "party deck", they'll add and upgrade the suites and add more "clubs" with a corporate sponsor name, don't be shocked if they ask for a temporary roof or cover the seating area like Dolphins just did.

There's no way the Rooney's are packing up shop and moving out to The Meadows or Murrysville, they have way to much invested in the North Side to do that.

 

[upj87]

New stadium, no.

Upgrades yes

gray seats would be nice

 

[Swervin27]

gray seats would be nice

black seats, for the steelers since it is one of their colors, is really a no brainer. someone made a bold decision on those seats, it wasn't an accident and honestly, I don't know what they were thinking.

 

[Pittx9]

This is the Rooney's game. This absolutely is their way of angling for a new stadium in 15 years. You'll soon hear how their facilities have fallen behind the rest of the national football league prompting a new stadium request eventually.

Pitt BETTER be planning for the future here. Rooneys got sick of Three Rivers in 30 years. That means 14 years left at Heinz Field.

I doubt heinz lasts that long. Last year or so there were already rumblings that they did want a new stadium within like 5-7 years to make pgh more attractive as a cold weather super bowl host.

In reading this article though I thought, the ACC football championship would be awesome. But would they do that in cold weather?

 

[upj87]

black seats, for the steelers since it is one of their colors, is really a no brainer. someone made a bold decision on those seats, it wasn't an accident and honestly, I don't know what they were thinking.

I'm just thinking what goes best to blend in with the concrete of the structure for Pitt games...Definitely remove the dino-cat from their sides.

 

[NTOP]

If one actually looks at the SEA and it's Board of Directors, Rooney's statement falls along the lines of "what did you expect".
Mary Conturo is the ED of the SEA and has been for well over a decade.
She is clueless. A nice person, but clueless.
The SEA is a convenient place to give people jobs in the Democratic machine.
I'm not arguing Dem v Rep....I am simply stating a fact.
Look at their staff and BOD...it is an Island of Misfit Toys for political hacks.
Even this tiny piece proves Rooney's point. The SEA has inside legal counsel, yet outside counsel offers the retort to Rooney.
Politicians at any level have morals shaped by votes. No one inside the SEA is brave, bright or cool enough to respond to Rooney. So with a ballooned staff, they pay outside counsel to respond. Outside counsel who has zero independent accountability.
In the wake of the Convention Center deal and construction fatality, to get their way, the Pirates, Steelers and to a far lesser degree the Penguins help create a bureaucrat filled, mindless entity.
Of course dealing with them is akin to pulling teeth....they are not there because they are smart Art....if they were smart, you would have an adversary.
Instead you have a classic case of bureaucrats running a quasi business with zero business sense and incapable of independent thought.
You got what you asked for Art.
Final note: I will say what I admire about Mary. She is smart enough to keep her mouth shut. Art is not.

The Rooneys have deep roots in Pgh politics. They got a new stadium after the PEOPLE voted 2-1 against it. Art II was the architect of that. Plus, the Rooney tunnel for the "T". $600 million. They'll get what they want.

 

[Swervin27]

I'm just thinking what goes best to blend in with the concrete of the structure for Pitt games...Definitely remove the dino-cat from their sides.

I remember a few years back, we were playing at Rutgers, think it was a Friday night game, around Halloween. I remember Dion Lewis had big game. Anyways, im a typical pitt fan, pantherlair poster who is shamed by our attendance so I notice the crowd at RU stadium. Looked kind of full til I noticed the crowd actually sucked, real bad. Problem was, it was dark bleachers so no one noticed..

 

[NTOP]

I doubt heinz lasts that long. Last year or so there were already rumblings that they did want a new stadium within like 5-7 years to make pgh more attractive as a cold weather super bowl host.

In reading this article though I thought, the ACC football championship would be awesome. But would they do that in cold weather?

Only if Food Lion & Mellow Mushroom come to Pgh. Ya think the hoops tournament would ever be in the Paint Can???

 

[Pittx9]

Only if Food Lion & Mellow Mushroom come to Pgh. Ya think the hoops tournament would ever be in the Paint Can???

I think that's more likely. Pretty sure I heard the plan is to move it around. Used to be in Greensboro, d.c. One year, this year Brooklyn. I could see Pittsburgh one year.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

The Rooney's are going to milk the taxpayers for $30 to $50 million in upgrades every few years, they'll add seats then a few years later take those seats out for a "party deck", they'll add and upgrade the suites and add more "clubs" with a corporate sponsor name, don't be shocked if they ask for a temporary roof or cover the seating area like Dolphins just did.

There's no way the Rooney's are packing up shop and moving out to The Meadows or Murrysville, they have way to much invested in the North Side to do that.

There really isn't another place to add seats unless they want to add an upper deck to the south end zone (I don't see that happening). IMO they really screwed themselves when they built such massive upper decks so far above the lower tier while not aligning them with the north end zone upper deck. Most of these newer NFL stadiums were built with three full tiers with the second tier aligning with the end zone upper decks, presumably to make adding seats in the corners possible if necessary.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Only if Food Lion & Mellow Mushroom come to Pgh. Ya think the hoops tournament would ever be in the Paint Can???

Can't forget Bojangles.

 

[NTOP]

I think that's more likely. Pretty sure I heard the plan is to move it around. Used to be in Greensboro, d.c. One year, this year Brooklyn. I could see Pittsburgh one year.

Nope. Won't be in the Cuse or the Ville, either. I'd love it, the NCAA's here have been pretty successful. That hockey game was great for the city. People from Philly & elsewhere were pretty impressed.

 

[NTOP]

Can't forget Bojangles.

I've been trying to.

 

[Pittx9]

Nope. Won't be in the Cuse or the Ville, either. I'd love it, the NCAA's here have been pretty successful. That hockey game was great for the city. People from Philly & elsewhere were pretty impressed.

Louisville I'm not sure, seems to be a nice arena. Syracuse I really don't know how or why they would ever have it up there. That's gotta be the least likely of any ACC school to host it. At least in Pittsburgh though it would be at PPG Paints if they don't want it actually at someone's home arena.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

If the Rooneys were building Heinz Field again I'd have to think it would be a retractable or fixed roof stadium like Minnesota's. I know covered stadiums are a touchy subject for fans but its the only way they would ever be able to host a Superbowl, let alone NCAA Regional Finals/Final Four. I think we one day see such a stadium here, even if it is 30 years from now.

The Rooneys talking about hosting the Superbowl at Heinz Field is laughable.

 

[ThePanthers]

I doubt heinz lasts that long. Last year or so there were already rumblings that they did want a new stadium within like 5-7 years to make pgh more attractive as a cold weather super bowl host.

In reading this article though I thought, the ACC football championship would be awesome. But would they do that in cold weather?

I think it will last a lot longer than people think. All of the development around the north shore is part of that deal. The Rooneys and the Pirates, just like the Penguins in uptown, are investors in that development.

The upgrades will be things like an expanded/upgraded great hall, probably new ribbons around the stadium, updated score boards over the years, etc. They most likely will not do another seat expansion, or it would be minimal if they did.

I don't ever remember hearing that they wanted a new stadium in another 5-7 years other than people on this board that want to make that narrative their lifes work.

You should be applauding these upgrades as it will help Pitt as well.

 

[PantherDave724]

Only in your mind.

You have no clue.

 

[ThePanthers]

You have no clue.

OK.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

The upgrades will be things like an expanded/upgraded great hall, probably new ribbons around the stadium, updated score boards over the years, etc. They most likely will not do another seat expansion, or it would be minimal if they did.

I'd love to see them get rid of the tacky rotunda umbrellas while they are at it. New seats seem like a logical next request as well.

 

[Jpripper88]

New stadium, no.

Upgrades yes

I don't think there are many upgrades possible that will keep a new stadium at bay for more than 20 years. It is much more likely the Steelers are playing in a brand new stadium in 2030 than they are playing in an upgraded Heinz Field in 2040.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

I don't think there are many upgrades possible that will keep a new stadium at bay for more than 20 years. It is much more likely the Steelers are playing in a brand new stadium in 2030 than they are playing in an upgraded Heinz Field in 2040.

Yes, Heinz in 20-30 years is going to be what Rich Stadium is today. I actually like Rich Stadium a lot but it is way behind the standard of what teams want and not suitable for upgrades in the way it was designed. People talk about how extravagant and over the top the Cowboy's stadium is. I think it was a very wise decision by Jerry Jones. Stay fifteen years ahead of the curve and you end up having a stadium that may be around for 50+ years. Heinz looked outdated from the moment I saw the first designs back in the late 90s.

 

[Pittx9]

Yes, Heinz in 20-30 years is going to be what Rich Stadium is today. I actually like Rich Stadium a lot but it is way behind the standard of what teams want and not suitable for upgrades in the way it was designed. People talk about how extravagant and over the top the Cowboy's stadium is. I think it was a very wise decision by Jerry Jones. Stay fifteen years ahead of the curve and you end up having a stadium that may be around for 50+ years. Heinz looked outdated from the moment I saw the first designs back in the late 90s.

Rich stadium, the Ralph, now new era field, whatever you wanna call it is my favorite stadium in america. Just a residential suburban neighborhood, you drive down the street past all the houses in the neighborhood then boom... NFL stadium. I'd recommend seeing a game in orchard park to anyone that likes to go to other venues. Bleacher seating though I'm pretty sure throughout the whole stadium if you can deal with that.

 

[NTOP]

I think it will last a lot longer than people think. All of the development around the north shore is part of that deal. The Rooneys and the Pirates, just like the Penguins in uptown, are investors in that development.

The upgrades will be things like an expanded/upgraded great hall, probably new ribbons around the stadium, updated score boards over the years, etc. They most likely will not do another seat expansion, or it would be minimal if they did.

I don't ever remember hearing that they wanted a new stadium in another 5-7 years other than people on this board that want to make that narrative their lifes work.

You should be applauding these upgrades as it will help Pitt as well.

The Rooneys keep cashing in on "development rights". They've soaked the city for billions. Now there's no space to put a new dump on the North Shore. I'd say they'll just milk the cashcow for a few years, then move the franchise. Pitt can then just play in a crumbling eyesore before ending FB.

 

[CaptainMurphy]

Rich stadium, the Ralph, now new era field, whatever you wanna call it is my favorite stadium in america. Just a residential suburban neighborhood, you drive down the street past all the houses in the neighborhood then boom... NFL stadium. I'd recommend seeing a game in orchard park to anyone that likes to go to other venues. Bleacher seating though I'm pretty sure throughout the whole stadium if you can deal with that.

It will always be Rich Stadium to me. My grandfather had season tickets up until the point where they started making deep playoff runs in the late 80s. My dad grew up across the street from their old stadium, The Rockpile.

Also bizarre driving up to the stadium as the lower bowl is buried and you only see the upper decks from the road. But they definitely got it right in making it a loud and hostile environment for visiting teams. I know they are scouting sites for a new stadium. I like the idea of building a stadium in Batavia which makes sense since there are thousands of fans who drive in from Rochester for games.

It seems like Pegula is looking to work with the city/region....I don't see him making demands. Could be wrong though.