April 21, 2026 • 8 mins
Steelers President Art Rooney II joins the show to share his enthusiasm for the long awaited NFL Draft being held in Pittsburgh this week.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Joining us right now from the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's team
president Art Rooney. The second we get mister Rooney, round
a clause here on the flagship station of the button
Gold TV.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Mister Roney, how are you good morning, Randy?
Speaker 3 (00:11):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Fantastic? Is great to see it.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
The Mel Blunt roast of Charlie Batch this past Friday.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Hey, a great job though. Was some good stuff you
had that night? That was funny?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Well, thank you. Yeah, we had a blast.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
And it's always fun when Terry Bradshaw's there and he's
you know, he's in town. He told me he's going
to be doing stuff for the draft. So I'm anxious
to hear what the Steelers have lined up in terms
of every time a city hosts the NFL Draft, that
city's team gets to sort of celebrate the legacy. And
boy do we have a lot of legacy to celebrate
(00:43):
here in Pittsburgh. What do you guys have on tap?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Well, we got a lot going on, that's for sure,
all over town. And but the nice thing is, as
you say, when you're hosting the draft, the league lets
you do some things that you don't normally get to
do during the draft so you know, it's part of
the opening moment of the draft tomorrow or on Thursday.
We've got a lineup of Terry will be there and
(01:08):
Ben and Mel Blunt, TJ cam hinz Ward and Lynn
Swann are all going to be out on stage to
kind of help kick the thing off. And then Jerome
Bettis is going to be making our first pick with
the some of the the people that he supports that
his foundation, three girls and three boys that play sports,
(01:31):
you know under his program. John Stalworth is going to
be on stage for a Day two pick to introduce
Bill Nunn's family. Charlie Batch and his his crew is
going to be making a pick. There's some kids from
Children's Hospital coming out with Zach Frasier to make a
(01:51):
pick on Day three, uh, and a few more. So
it's a lot going on, And like I said, it's
fun that the league lets you do more of these
kinds of things when you're hosting the draft.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah, when you initially said they let you do things
that they don't normally do during the draft, I thought
maybe you could just block the other team from picking
guys you didn't want them to.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I thought that that would have been a cool thing.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Well, you know, I did ask that, you know, on
the normal seating chart, I noticed that the Ravens fans
were sitting in front of the Steeler fans in one
section of the draft theater. So I asked them to
make that change, and they agreed to make that.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
That was smart. That's just good thinking right there.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Art.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
You know, those stories go way back with the draft,
and I've heard tales about there was a time when
the Steelers were in the Roosevelt Hotel and there'd be
three or four reporters standing on the street and somebody
would stick their head out of a third floor window
and say, hey, we picked this guy from SMU, and
that's how the information was disseminated. Can you believe what
(02:50):
this has become?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
It is hard to believe. I mean, I I'm old
enough to remember some of those days at the Roosevelt
Hotel and it's pretty pretty accurate. There were only about
the four or five reporters who would be there, and
so it's unbelievable. I think there's going to be like
over two thousand media credentialed media members here for this
draft and a few hundred thousand people and it's just
(03:16):
hard to believe.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
We're talking with Art Rooney, president of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This is a huge deal to get the draft here
in Pittsburgh, and there's been this perception from people that,
you know, it's going to be this overwhelming event that
won't be.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Easy to navigate.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
And I think there was a lot of confusion at
the outset, which is slowly starting to clear up. And
it sounds like from what you're describing too, that this
is a celebration of Pittsburgh and the Steelers as much
as it's the NFL Draft, that Pittsburgh's going to want
to make an effort to get down there and be
a part of Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
No, I think I think Steeler fans are going to
want to be down there and be part of it. It's,
you know, maybe a once in a lifetime kind of
thing for for some of us at least. And uh,
I think it's you know, it's just going to be
a celebration, like you said, and really, you know, we
we do want to celebrate not just Steelers, but some
(04:12):
of the great players that were drafted who are from
Western Pennsylvania. Obviously a lot of players from Aliquippa and
and you know other small towns in western Pennsylvania have
sent you know, a lot of players to the league,
so I think they're going to be opportunities that, you know,
celebrate guys like that too.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
There's a lot going on with the Pittsburgh Shields right now,
and Mike, you and I were talking earlier about Omar
and coach McCarthy speaking to the media yesterday.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
And there's still some will he or won't he going
on with Aaron Rodgers. Where are we in that discussion
right now?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Well, I wish I could tell you we're at the
end of the discussion, but we're We're still still talking
to Aaron and he still decided what he wants to do.
I think, you know, I think we're close. He each
kind of told us, you know his timeframe and you
know what he's going to be up to over the
next couple of weeks, So you know, I think we'll
have an answer soon. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Hard, if I was going to guess that that answer
was going to come before the start of OTA's, would
I'd be way off or warm?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Warm? It'd be warm.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Another question I wanted to ask you the seats you
changed up the seats in the stadium. Now there's like
black flex amongst the gold at Akroshuer Stadium. Was that
just to kind of break up the monotony or was
there some sort of science behind that or anything.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
No, it was really just to break it up, you know,
the sea of gold is. You know, we just decided
to mix in some black in there this time, just
to see how it would work. And and so we'll
see how it goes. I don't know, I haven't seen
it sort of fully done yet, so we'll see how
it looks when it's all done.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
We're driving past the over the fourteen bridge and looking
at the site of the NFL draft and where that's
all going to take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday here
in Pittsburgh. And I mean, this is quite an impressive
production that is going on.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
And I know it was years in the making.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
You have to be pretty glad to see this all
come to fruition right there next to Akroscher Stadium.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Yeah, it's really it's great to see and it has
been a long time coming for for some of us.
And uh so, you know, to drive over the bridge
as you say, and see all that there, and it's
you know, it's going to be so much fun to
see all these people showing up over the next few days.
So a lot of you know, a lot of people
from kind of all aspects of life have come together
(06:38):
to make this happen, from you know, all levels of government,
the business community, and you know, our friends that visit
Pittsburgh have done a great job pulling things together. So
it's it's really been a collective effort. And I think
the weather looks like it's going to cooperate, so everything's
on green at this point. Al Right.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
I don't know if the NFL is interested in ever
holding another cold weather super Bowl, but would that be
next on your list of stuff to bring to our city?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, I wouldn't take it off the table. I mean,
it's it's definitely a long shot, and you know there's
a lot of other cities like us that would love
to do that, So you know, maybe maybe it's down
the road a little ways, but you know, I wouldn't
take anything off the table. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Pittsburgh will never become a dome city, will it.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Uh not in my lifetime, Let's put it that way.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, I just I hate that part of it the
aesthetic of seeing the snow in the winter time, and
it just feels so much a part of the NFL.
I hate that these other teams are going towards, you know,
facilities that are all year.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Round, and they're they're more concerned about the weather than.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Just the aesthetic that the NFL is supposed to be
played in, which is winter weather.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
I agree football is an outdoor sport as far as
I'm concerned, and I think most Pittsburghers would agree. There's
nothing better than going out and seeing the game with
the snow flying and it's it's a lot of fun
on those kinds of days. All right.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
You mentioned some of the people that are around involved
announcing the picks and being involved in the process that way.
I just wanted to let you know I'm available to
actually make a pick if you need any help.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, well, just as long as we're not picking you.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Mister Rooney. Thanks as always for making time for us.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I hope you have a blast like we all plan
to over the next four or five days here, and
thanks for bringing this to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Great to be with you.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Thanks, Okay, we'll see it
Joining us right now from the Pittsburgh Steelers. It's team
president Art Rooney. The second we get mister Rooney, round
a clause here on the flagship station of the button
Gold TV.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Mister Roney, how are you good morning, Randy?
Speaker 3 (00:11):
How are you?
Speaker 2 (00:12):
Fantastic? Is great to see it.
Speaker 1 (00:13):
The Mel Blunt roast of Charlie Batch this past Friday.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
Hey, a great job though. Was some good stuff you
had that night? That was funny?
Speaker 2 (00:21):
Well, thank you. Yeah, we had a blast.
Speaker 1 (00:22):
And it's always fun when Terry Bradshaw's there and he's
you know, he's in town. He told me he's going
to be doing stuff for the draft. So I'm anxious
to hear what the Steelers have lined up in terms
of every time a city hosts the NFL Draft, that
city's team gets to sort of celebrate the legacy. And
boy do we have a lot of legacy to celebrate
(00:43):
here in Pittsburgh. What do you guys have on tap?
Speaker 3 (00:45):
Well, we got a lot going on, that's for sure,
all over town. And but the nice thing is, as
you say, when you're hosting the draft, the league lets
you do some things that you don't normally get to
do during the draft so you know, it's part of
the opening moment of the draft tomorrow or on Thursday.
We've got a lineup of Terry will be there and
(01:08):
Ben and Mel Blunt, TJ cam hinz Ward and Lynn
Swann are all going to be out on stage to
kind of help kick the thing off. And then Jerome
Bettis is going to be making our first pick with
the some of the the people that he supports that
his foundation, three girls and three boys that play sports,
(01:31):
you know under his program. John Stalworth is going to
be on stage for a Day two pick to introduce
Bill Nunn's family. Charlie Batch and his his crew is
going to be making a pick. There's some kids from
Children's Hospital coming out with Zach Frasier to make a
(01:51):
pick on Day three, uh, and a few more. So
it's a lot going on, And like I said, it's
fun that the league lets you do more of these
kinds of things when you're hosting the draft.
Speaker 1 (02:03):
Yeah, when you initially said they let you do things
that they don't normally do during the draft, I thought
maybe you could just block the other team from picking
guys you didn't want them to.
Speaker 2 (02:10):
I thought that that would have been a cool thing.
Speaker 3 (02:12):
Well, you know, I did ask that, you know, on
the normal seating chart, I noticed that the Ravens fans
were sitting in front of the Steeler fans in one
section of the draft theater. So I asked them to
make that change, and they agreed to make that.
Speaker 2 (02:24):
That was smart. That's just good thinking right there.
Speaker 3 (02:27):
Art.
Speaker 4 (02:27):
You know, those stories go way back with the draft,
and I've heard tales about there was a time when
the Steelers were in the Roosevelt Hotel and there'd be
three or four reporters standing on the street and somebody
would stick their head out of a third floor window
and say, hey, we picked this guy from SMU, and
that's how the information was disseminated. Can you believe what
(02:50):
this has become?
Speaker 3 (02:52):
It is hard to believe. I mean, I I'm old
enough to remember some of those days at the Roosevelt
Hotel and it's pretty pretty accurate. There were only about
the four or five reporters who would be there, and
so it's unbelievable. I think there's going to be like
over two thousand media credentialed media members here for this
draft and a few hundred thousand people and it's just
(03:16):
hard to believe.
Speaker 1 (03:18):
We're talking with Art Rooney, president of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This is a huge deal to get the draft here
in Pittsburgh, and there's been this perception from people that,
you know, it's going to be this overwhelming event that
won't be.
Speaker 2 (03:33):
Easy to navigate.
Speaker 1 (03:35):
And I think there was a lot of confusion at
the outset, which is slowly starting to clear up. And
it sounds like from what you're describing too, that this
is a celebration of Pittsburgh and the Steelers as much
as it's the NFL Draft, that Pittsburgh's going to want
to make an effort to get down there and be
a part of Yeah.
Speaker 3 (03:52):
No, I think I think Steeler fans are going to
want to be down there and be part of it. It's,
you know, maybe a once in a lifetime kind of
thing for for some of us at least. And uh,
I think it's you know, it's just going to be
a celebration, like you said, and really, you know, we
we do want to celebrate not just Steelers, but some
(04:12):
of the great players that were drafted who are from
Western Pennsylvania. Obviously a lot of players from Aliquippa and
and you know other small towns in western Pennsylvania have
sent you know, a lot of players to the league,
so I think they're going to be opportunities that, you know,
celebrate guys like that too.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
There's a lot going on with the Pittsburgh Shields right now,
and Mike, you and I were talking earlier about Omar
and coach McCarthy speaking to the media yesterday.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
And there's still some will he or won't he going
on with Aaron Rodgers. Where are we in that discussion
right now?
Speaker 3 (04:49):
Well, I wish I could tell you we're at the
end of the discussion, but we're We're still still talking
to Aaron and he still decided what he wants to do.
I think, you know, I think we're close. He each
kind of told us, you know his timeframe and you
know what he's going to be up to over the
next couple of weeks, So you know, I think we'll
have an answer soon. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 4 (05:10):
Hard, if I was going to guess that that answer
was going to come before the start of OTA's, would
I'd be way off or warm?
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Warm? It'd be warm.
Speaker 2 (05:19):
Yeah, that makes sense.
Speaker 1 (05:21):
Another question I wanted to ask you the seats you
changed up the seats in the stadium. Now there's like
black flex amongst the gold at Akroshuer Stadium. Was that
just to kind of break up the monotony or was
there some sort of science behind that or anything.
Speaker 3 (05:36):
No, it was really just to break it up, you know,
the sea of gold is. You know, we just decided
to mix in some black in there this time, just
to see how it would work. And and so we'll
see how it goes. I don't know, I haven't seen
it sort of fully done yet, so we'll see how
it looks when it's all done.
Speaker 1 (05:54):
We're driving past the over the fourteen bridge and looking
at the site of the NFL draft and where that's
all going to take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday here
in Pittsburgh. And I mean, this is quite an impressive
production that is going on.
Speaker 2 (06:07):
And I know it was years in the making.
Speaker 1 (06:10):
You have to be pretty glad to see this all
come to fruition right there next to Akroscher Stadium.
Speaker 3 (06:16):
Yeah, it's really it's great to see and it has
been a long time coming for for some of us.
And uh so, you know, to drive over the bridge
as you say, and see all that there, and it's
you know, it's going to be so much fun to
see all these people showing up over the next few days.
So a lot of you know, a lot of people
from kind of all aspects of life have come together
(06:38):
to make this happen, from you know, all levels of government,
the business community, and you know, our friends that visit
Pittsburgh have done a great job pulling things together. So
it's it's really been a collective effort. And I think
the weather looks like it's going to cooperate, so everything's
on green at this point. Al Right.
Speaker 4 (06:56):
I don't know if the NFL is interested in ever
holding another cold weather super Bowl, but would that be
next on your list of stuff to bring to our city?
Speaker 3 (07:05):
Yeah, I wouldn't take it off the table. I mean,
it's it's definitely a long shot, and you know there's
a lot of other cities like us that would love
to do that, So you know, maybe maybe it's down
the road a little ways, but you know, I wouldn't
take anything off the table. Let's put it that way.
Speaker 2 (07:20):
Pittsburgh will never become a dome city, will it.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Uh not in my lifetime, Let's put it that way.
Speaker 1 (07:26):
Yeah, I just I hate that part of it the
aesthetic of seeing the snow in the winter time, and
it just feels so much a part of the NFL.
I hate that these other teams are going towards, you know,
facilities that are all year.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
Round, and they're they're more concerned about the weather than.
Speaker 1 (07:44):
Just the aesthetic that the NFL is supposed to be
played in, which is winter weather.
Speaker 3 (07:49):
I agree football is an outdoor sport as far as
I'm concerned, and I think most Pittsburghers would agree. There's
nothing better than going out and seeing the game with
the snow flying and it's it's a lot of fun
on those kinds of days. All right.
Speaker 4 (08:02):
You mentioned some of the people that are around involved
announcing the picks and being involved in the process that way.
I just wanted to let you know I'm available to
actually make a pick if you need any help.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
Yeah, well, just as long as we're not picking you.
Speaker 2 (08:20):
Mister Rooney. Thanks as always for making time for us.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
I hope you have a blast like we all plan
to over the next four or five days here, and
thanks for bringing this to Pittsburgh.
Speaker 3 (08:29):
Great to be with you.
Speaker 2 (08:30):
Thanks, Okay, we'll see it
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