Art Rooney II and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ itinerary to Ireland was going to be a storyline before Week 4. But it wasn’t supposed to make multiple news cycles ahead of the team’s matchup against the Minnesota Vikings on September 28.
It’s officially growing into a significant storyline ahead of the NFL’s first regular season matchup in Ireland.
The NFL’s senior VP of football and international communications Michael Signora told reporters Friday afternoon in Dublin that the league didn’t influence when the Steelers had to fly to Europe for the Week 4 matchup. The statement directly contradicted a report from The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac on Tuesday.
“It is up to each team to decide how early or late in the week it wants to arrive for an international game,” Dulac tweeted that Signora said. “Sometimes, those decisions are based on hotel and practice site availability.”
On Tuesday, Dulac reported the Steelers wanted to fly to Ireland on Monday or Tuesday. However, Dulac wrote the league blocked the team from doing so.
“FYI, the Steelers wanted to go over early in the week, but the NFL said no and making each [team] arrive at the same time,” Dulac wrote Tuesday. “I don’t know the exact reason for the change.
“Maybe it has to do with something about a competitive advantage. But it wasn’t the Steelers’ decision.”
Rooney offered little clarification when he spoke to reporters Friday. Instead, he arguably added more to the travel planning confusion.
“Art Rooney said the decision to travel to Ireland after Thursday’s Pittsburgh practice was a ‘football decision,’” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor tweeted. “He said they consulted the league and made a ‘joint decision.’”
Steelers’ Art Rooney II Back in the Crosshairs Over Ireland Travel Itinerary?
Due to the annual spring NFLPA report cards the past couple years, there’s a growing narrative that Rooney isn’t an overly generous spender. Specifically, the Steelers have fared poorly in categories such as treatment of families, nutritionist/dietician and strength coaches.
Ben Roethlisberger helped add fuel to that fire with a comment about the size of Pittsburgh’s coaching staff after the January 2025 playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Steelers have one of the smallest coaching staffs in the league.
“Expand the strength and conditioning staff; expand the training staff. Expand equipment staff, all that stuff. But that’s money,” Roethlisberger said on Jan. 28. “And we all know that the Rooneys aren’t putting a lot of extra into that stuff.”
When Rooney shared in May the Steelers planned to travel to Ireland on Thursday ahead of their Week 4 matchup, some fans argued on social media he didn’t want the extra hotel cost for the week.
That criticism shifted Tuesday with Dulac’s report. But it’s now potentially back on Rooney following Signora’s statement.
The Steelers have played in Europe just one time in their history. For that matchup, the team flew to London on Thursday before a Sunday matchup against the Vikings in 2013.
Roethlisberger shared on his podcast in 2023 that the Steelers were “so exhausted and gassed” at the end of that game. He suggested they were tired because of the team’s late week arrival.
Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward has told similar stories on his podcast. Heyward shared that coaches were so tired Friday after landing that some slept during team meetings.
If the Steelers have a lackluster performance Sunday, it will not be shocking if fans quickly point to the team’s travel plans to Ireland as a potential reason.
Aaron Rodgers Doesn’t Help Steelers Ireland Travel Narrative
Rodgers is typically forthright with the media. On Friday in Dublin, he may have been a little too honest for Rooney’s liking.
“I’ve always wanted to get over here,” Rodgers told reporters, via Pryor. “I wish, you know, it is what it is. But if the schedule had been a little different, if I could have chosen it, maybe we get over on Monday. Tuesday is a day off, get to go out, see some things.
“It’s a beautiful country it seems like from pictures.”
It will be interesting to see if more surfaces on what went into the Steelers’ travel decision. But again, it will be a much bigger storyline during the team’s bye week if the Steelers don’t play well Sunday.
The Steelers and Vikings will square off at Croke Park at 9:30 am ET on Sunday.
