Well Worth It: The Silence of Dan Rooney
The deafening silence from Pittsburgh continues. I wish I knew what to do. Last night I watched the Steelers demolish the Patriots in a cold New England rain, and all I could think was, "I can't enjoy this because of Dan Rooney."
My original post on this travesty is here. The first follow-up is here.
The civic-minded Mr. Rooney—President of the Pittsburgh Steelers—has dodged the Fool since April, when your never-to-be-humble correspondent called him out for his advocacy regarding violence against women.
Not advocacy for the victims of violence against women, but the perpetrators. Well, one perpetrator in particular.
Here's how it works: to gain favor with Mr. Rooney, one must (a) commit an act of violence against a woman, (b) use a religious pretext to justify the act, and (c) rack up fourteen sacks (so far) as a starting linebacker for a certain AFC team. Do this, and whatever little missteps you may make pursuant to getting your child baptized against its mother's will are well worth it. Way back in April, Mr. Rooney was willing to bet that the football-watching public in Western Pennsylvania would be more willing to forget the pecadilloes of James Harrison, since the 6'0" 240-pounder had the potential to lay down some impressive stats on the field. Thus, in Rooney's mind, the risk of not standing up and condemning outright the heinous actions of this big tough Christian pro athlete was—how shall I say this—well worth it.
James Harrison:
Big, Brave, and Born-Again
I wrote to the team way back in April. I told them (in part):
"Mr. Rooney’s comments indicate a poor understanding of the justifications for violence of any type, let alone violence against women. Apparently, Mr. Rooney is under the impression that Jesus would understand an NFL linebacker striking a woman if his purpose was to bring about the baptism of an infant.
...
The reputation of the Steelers organization has been severely damaged in my opinion, perhaps irreparably so. Mr. Harrison will have his day in court, and I expect justice will be done, but I cannot forgive Mr. Rooney as President of the team for what he has done to my perception of the team that I grew up with and have loved and supported...."
That's what I said, and I stand by it. I sent that to the team way back then.
I have still heard absolutely nothing from the Steelers. Not even one of those lame form letters saying, "Thanks for being a big Steelers fan." This is Dan Rooney's chance to fix things, if he has the guts.
I have watched the Steelers for a very long time. I've seen them win five Super Bowls. I have also seen them look so bad it was embarrassing to watch, but I still watched anyway, just because they were the Steelers. I do a pretty good Myron Cope impression. I have had beers with Chuck Noll. I own one of the original Terrible Towels! But I can't do this any more. Mr. Rooney, you owe me (and every decent person) an apology for what you said eight months ago. Not some PR jockey's spin doctoring; just a flat-out "I-was-wrong-and-I'm-sorry." I hope the Steelers' front office has someone who monitors online mentions of keywords like "Steelers," "Dan Rooney," and "James Harrison." I hope they bring this to your personal attention, and I hope you are enough of a man to respond appropriately.
If Rooney apologizes, I will say so here, on this blog. And I'll wear my Steelers home jersey every day for a month as a thank you. (Not Harrison's though. I'm thinking a nice vintage Joe Greene.) An email to Codswallop@comcast.net is all it would take to get the ball rolling. But until something happens, I have to go with principle.
I want to be a Steeler fan again, but Dan Rooney is making that impossible.
My original post on this travesty is here. The first follow-up is here.
The civic-minded Mr. Rooney—President of the Pittsburgh Steelers—has dodged the Fool since April, when your never-to-be-humble correspondent called him out for his advocacy regarding violence against women.
Not advocacy for the victims of violence against women, but the perpetrators. Well, one perpetrator in particular.
Here's how it works: to gain favor with Mr. Rooney, one must (a) commit an act of violence against a woman, (b) use a religious pretext to justify the act, and (c) rack up fourteen sacks (so far) as a starting linebacker for a certain AFC team. Do this, and whatever little missteps you may make pursuant to getting your child baptized against its mother's will are well worth it. Way back in April, Mr. Rooney was willing to bet that the football-watching public in Western Pennsylvania would be more willing to forget the pecadilloes of James Harrison, since the 6'0" 240-pounder had the potential to lay down some impressive stats on the field. Thus, in Rooney's mind, the risk of not standing up and condemning outright the heinous actions of this big tough Christian pro athlete was—how shall I say this—well worth it.
James Harrison:
Big, Brave, and Born-Again
I wrote to the team way back in April. I told them (in part):
"Mr. Rooney’s comments indicate a poor understanding of the justifications for violence of any type, let alone violence against women. Apparently, Mr. Rooney is under the impression that Jesus would understand an NFL linebacker striking a woman if his purpose was to bring about the baptism of an infant.
...
The reputation of the Steelers organization has been severely damaged in my opinion, perhaps irreparably so. Mr. Harrison will have his day in court, and I expect justice will be done, but I cannot forgive Mr. Rooney as President of the team for what he has done to my perception of the team that I grew up with and have loved and supported...."
That's what I said, and I stand by it. I sent that to the team way back then.
I have still heard absolutely nothing from the Steelers. Not even one of those lame form letters saying, "Thanks for being a big Steelers fan." This is Dan Rooney's chance to fix things, if he has the guts.
I have watched the Steelers for a very long time. I've seen them win five Super Bowls. I have also seen them look so bad it was embarrassing to watch, but I still watched anyway, just because they were the Steelers. I do a pretty good Myron Cope impression. I have had beers with Chuck Noll. I own one of the original Terrible Towels! But I can't do this any more. Mr. Rooney, you owe me (and every decent person) an apology for what you said eight months ago. Not some PR jockey's spin doctoring; just a flat-out "I-was-wrong-and-I'm-sorry." I hope the Steelers' front office has someone who monitors online mentions of keywords like "Steelers," "Dan Rooney," and "James Harrison." I hope they bring this to your personal attention, and I hope you are enough of a man to respond appropriately.
If Rooney apologizes, I will say so here, on this blog. And I'll wear my Steelers home jersey every day for a month as a thank you. (Not Harrison's though. I'm thinking a nice vintage Joe Greene.) An email to Codswallop@comcast.net is all it would take to get the ball rolling. But until something happens, I have to go with principle.
I want to be a Steeler fan again, but Dan Rooney is making that impossible.
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