As the Steelers prepare for training camp this weekend, players and coaches will head onto the fields of St. Vincents College with preparations to meet fans, sign autographs and pose for pictures, and run drills. They’ll also have to try and ignore the 500 pound gorilla that will be following them from training camp, to pre-season through the regular season. This gorilla comes in the form with the current negotiations for the sale of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s hard to ignore 500 pound gorilla’s when they’re hanging around, especially ones like this because they tend to be unpredictable, and in today’s edition of The Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Ed Bouchette reports that Mike Tomlin agrees that this gorilla may be a distraction and could possibly effect the Steelers season, though he’s optimistic.
Mr. Tomlin did say that a "good" team won't let ownership issues or other off-field subjects become distractions.
"You got a good football team when they're capable of doing that," he said, "and not only on that specific subject, but on any subject that has nothing to do with playing football and preparing yourself to win football games.''
Over the years, we’ve seen numerous teams bought and sold. Sometimes new ownership has brought bad teams back from the brink, others as in the Robbie’s sale of the Miami Dolphins, we start to see good teams go into a slow spiral to being awful. Should the Rooney’s lose majority interest in the team, the question would become what changes in management would be instituted to put the “new owners” mark on it. Of course, right now this is speculation.
The question now is, will the players be able to focus on their game. Any one who has ever been in a company that has undergone a sale, merger or acquisition, knows that there’s always the underlying questions as to the status of the company once it’s all said and done.
Also how would the change of ownership effect the atmosphere in the locker room? It’s not a secret that Art Rooney Sr. had strived to create a feeling of family with his players. This is evident when you listen to past and present players talk about the Rooney’s. Long time Steelers fans are well aware of the active and positive part the Rooney’s took, not only with the team itself, but also with the NFL. Those of us who’ve been around long enough, will always remember the image of “The Chief” walking down to the locker room to “console” Terry Bradshaw, and even the younger fans seeing Bill Cowher handing the Lombardi Trophy to Dan Rooney. In a way, an end of era will be coming.
No doubt, throughout this transaction, the fans and the media will be watching this situation and the players and management will continue to field questions about the 500 pound gorilla that will be following them. Will the players be able to ignore the beast enough for it not to effect their play?