By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Andy Starnes/Post-Gazette
Steelers' owner Dan Rooney Sr. walks with President Barack Obama near the David L. Lawrence Convention Center during the campaign last year.
When the NFL owners shook hands with the Steelers' Dan Rooney last week and wished him well in his new position as U.S. ambassador to Ireland, they weren't just saying goodbye to an old, dear friend. They could have been saying goodbye to the long-term health of their league.
You might think that's a bit overdramatic, but it's not. No one, other than former commissioner Pete Rozelle, has had a greater impact on the NFL's dizzying success than Rooney. The league will struggle going forward without him.
Maybe it would be different with a better economy. Certainly, it would be different if the NFL's first work stoppage since 1987 weren't looming. But the economy is rotten and, well, let's allow new NFL Players Association executive director DeMaurice Smith to address the work-stoppage threat: "There isn't a day where I do not hope for peace. But at the same time, there isn't a day that we will not prepare for war."
At a time the NFL needs Rooney more than ever, he's not going to be there. Not as long as the U.S. Senate approves his appointment by President Barack Obama.
Good luck to the league with that.
The day-to-day operations of the Steelers shouldn't be affected much with Rooney off in Ireland doing wonderful things for the Obama administration and the Irish people. Team president Art Rooney II -- Dan's son -- has played a prominent part in running the club for years. As he has said, his father will be just a phone call away for advice on the really big issues, a new contract for linebacker James Harrison, perhaps, or one for coach Mike Tomlin.
It's at the league level where Rooney will be missed the most, especially with the contentious labor negotiations ahead. One of his greatest strengths is his sense of reason, his ability to get his fellow owners to find a common ground with the union even during times when the two sides didn't like each other much. He was so good at it that he helped the NFL to become the best, most stable and most competitive professional sports league in this country, if not the world.
The NFL desperately needs someone to fill that role now.
Really, these next negotiations could get ugly.
Almost immediately after doing the most recent deal with the players in March 2006, the owners had regrets about giving away too much -- now 60 percent of their revenues. In November, they opted to re-open the contract. If a new basic agreement isn't reached, the 2010 season will be played without a salary cap. If that happens, the players have said they won't agree to a cap again. The owners appear ready to lock the players out after the 2011 draft.
Yes, we're talking ugly.
We're also talking about the possibility -- remote, maybe, but still a possibility -- of football turning into baseball.
Could you imagine a worse nightmare than the Steelers turning into the Pirates?
It's nice to think the NFL owners -- even without Rooney's steadying hand -- won't allow their league to follow that destructive path. But who knows? They might not even be able to agree among themselves about what is best for their sport. Rich owners Daniel Snyder of Washington and Jerry Jones of Dallas figure to have a different agenda than relatively poor owners Mike Brown of Cincinnati and Ralph Wilson of Buffalo. The result could be the chaos that baseball often experiences.
That's another area where Rooney will be missed. He wasn't just a mediator between the owners and players; he was a consensus builder among the owners. Snyder and Jones -- billionaires who aren't used to listening to anyone -- listened to him and respected his opinions. So did Brown and Wilson.
To whom will the owners listen now?
No one else in the league commands that respect.
That's why the owners did their goodbyes with Rooney at their meetings in Dana Point, Calif., with what had to be mixed emotions. They are happy for him, to be sure. The ambassadorship is a tremendous honor. It's not just a reward from Obama, whom Rooney prominently backed last year for office. It's well-deserved because of the trust Rooney has built up with the Irish people with his great work in Ireland over the years.
"It's an inspired choice," Chicago Bears owner Mike McCaskey told the Post-Gazette's Ed Bouchette of Rooney's appointment.
Absolutely, it is.
But what's good for Rooney, the Obama administration and Ireland clearly isn't good for the NFL. The owners had good reason to feel a lot of sadness in those goodbye handshakes with Rooney. They know the harsh truth: Their league won't be nearly as strong without him.
Ron Cook can be reached at rcook@post-gazette.com. More articles by this author
First published on March 31, 2009 at 12:00 am
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