respect for dan rooney

by NoCal-SteelCity on Aug 27, 2008 12:04 PM EDT Comment 6 comments

I read this article this morning to try and stay up-to-date on the ownership situation... It seems that Goodell, while a very strict commissioner, also has a heart.

However, one thing really stood out to me about the article, and something that I had not thought about, is the fact that the owners of the league must vote to approve the sale of the organization, and according to the Tribune-Review, along with Goodell, the league might not take too fondly to the idea of not having the Rooney family in control of the Steelers:

"During the meeting at NFL headquarters in Manhattan, Goodell said he made it clear to Art Jr., Tim, Patrick and John Rooney that any sale of the team is subject to approval by 75 percent (24 of 32) of the league's owners.

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney is a highly influential and popular owner. Given his stature and the respect Rooney commands among fellow owners, any deal not compatible with his goal of retaining control of the franchise could have a difficult time passing a league vote.

'He's had a tremendous influence on the game of football. He's in the Hall of Fame for a reason," Goodell said of Dan Rooney. "There's great respect for the Rooney family in the National Football League, and we want to do everything we can to ensure the Steelers will continue to be operated by the Rooneys and the way they've been operating.'"

I couldn't agree more. Even though Drunkenmiller seems like a good fit for the Steelers, he's not a Rooney. The history, tradition and success of the Steelers can be attributed directly to a large, loyal and rabid fan base, and the Rooney family. I hope that something can be worked out to keep the Steelers where they belong.

Thoughts?

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Thumbs up to Godell

I give this guy a lot of credit, not just for how he is handling this situation but of how he seems to conduct business in general especially his tough treatment on “criminal” players. He definitely has a respect for the games tradition and future and is proving that once again. I personally don’t see the team being sold outside the rooney family because of the 3/4 rule. There are too many owners that are old school themselves and can relate with Dan and the situation he is in. As far as the other Rooneys I understand the situation they are in owning thier gaming businesses as well as the steelers. They claim that they want to sell to help protect thier family for the future which is what anyone in thier shoes would do. I don’t understand why the Rooney bros. don’t just divide thier ownerships of both the steelers and the tracks between thier kids. FOR EXAMPLE:
I do not know the Rooney family tree so this will be hypethetical.
Say Art JR has 2 kids Tim has 3 Pat has 4 and John has 5.
Art gives one kid the steeler shares and the other the track
Tim would be more complicated but he would just figure on which is more profitable now and which has the best long term expectancy…for this hypethetically we will say the tracks are worth more. tim gives on the steelers shares and the other two split the track.
Pat splits 2 and 2 and John does the same as Tim. The family still owns the steelers and the tracks and everyone will be millionaires for life along with there kids and there kids’ kids. I know it isn’t that simple but it could be done. I have a brother and sister and I guarantee we would rather take a hit to the wallet and own the Steelers than profit and own a dog track in Florida. That is simple old me though!

by black&goldtilldead&cold on Aug 27, 2008 12:49 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

in theory that works well

but, what the other Rooney bros are worried about is the inheritance tax that their heirs will have to pay when their shares in the Steelers are passed down. But i agree with you…I would rather own a share of the Black and Gold than any dog track.

by NoCal-SteelCity on Aug 27, 2008 3:19 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Thats it right there. The long and the short of it is that you can slice and dice a cash account to escape and shelter from many kinds of tax. it’s not possible to do the same with a share of a pro football team that you are contractually obligated to keep in your name. There wont be any offshore Patrick Rooney Holdings LLC sham companies to hold a 16% stake in the Steelers like there will be to hold the $180 mil (each.. ish) that Dan eventually will have to cough up to his brothers.

Guns don't kill people. Lamar Woodley kills people.

by BostonWahoo on Aug 27, 2008 3:27 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

Can't remember where dangit...but..

there was an article since all this hullabaloo kicked up (maybe the PG or the Trib) that was noting that the Rooney’s wouldn’t probably face the same taxation as others due to the nature of the business they would be passing on – with the shares not being public and it being a family business and so forth. Wish I could remember where I saw it.

Oh yeah…really glad to hear that coming from the NFL, but if they vetoed a sale, would it stand up in court?

by SCSteeler on Aug 27, 2008 6:31 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs

yes

NFL has cartel status, pretty much, they can do what they want on matters relating only to the league. While we as fans certainly feel (deservedly) like who owns the team matters as consumers, legally speaking, there isn’t a leg to stand on, if the NFL vetoed the sale and the potential buyers wanted to sue. Courts could only potentially get involved if the issue affected the consumers, I would bet…..but there are people here with law backgrounds who would know much better than me.

by TheMostViolentTeam on Aug 27, 2008 7:29 PM EDT up reply actions 0 recs

if there's a fair way

to do it, I would love to see the Rooneys continue to own the Steelers outright. I firmly believe their ownership is one of the best aspects of the Steelers. I am most familiar with Dan (as familiar as I can get 5000 miles away), but his actions have solidified my support of the team. I would have still rooted for a Rooney-less Steelers most likely, but perhaps not become a life-long fan.

by tkired on Aug 29, 2008 12:47 PM EDT reply actions 0 recs