Rooney Brothers Continue To Mull Ownership Situation

Steelers investor Art Rooney Jr. confirmed he has had two meetings recently with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and another "four or five" with former Commissioner Paul Tagliabue regarding the Steelers' ownership situation, according to Prine & Brown of the Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW. Tagliabue for "nearly a year" has been "trying to broker a sale of all or parts" of the shares of Art Jr. and brothers Timothy, Patrick and John to Steelers Chair Dan Rooney and his son, President Art Rooney II, or to an outside investor. Timothy Rooney in an e-mail said that he has not been "in direct talks with the NFL or the other brothers," but that his siblings "might try to hammer out a deal." Art Jr.: "With the economic conditions in the country right now, we might not see a better chance to work this out for a while." Goodell: "Credit is harder to get. It's more expensive to get and so that affects all of us that way, directly. A lot of our business partners are going through tremendous restructuring." Meanwhile, Timothy Rooney said that Duquesne Capital Management Chair Stanley Druckenmiller, who bid for the team in August, is "out of the picture." Art Jr. said of Druckenmiller, "If you had to sell to an outsider, Mr. Druckenmiller was the person, a true sportsman. The only reason why you would even consider selling, however, was to do it for your family. You try to do the best thing for your family. If it was up to me, personally, I would die a Steeler" (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 11/5).