Steelers' Art Rooney II Gets Yet Another Direct Statement On Terrible Field: "Honestly, It Was Sh*t"

It seems like almost everyone within, and outside the Pittsburgh Steelers organization, has some sort of major gripe surrounding ownership and the way they handle the upkeep of the field at Acrisure Stadium. Owner Art Rooney II has been repeatedly called out for being cheap, and that has continued on through the 2025 season. He was previously called out for seemingly lying about being told by the NFL to wait until the Thursday before Pittsburgh's Ireland game to travel, as money seemed to be somewhat of a factor in the decision. Overall, some fans are waiting for change overall.

Even though the Steelers are now focused on their Week 7 game, there are still some sour feelings about the field conditions in their Week 6 win. Defensive captain Cameron Heyward, who is also an NFLPA representative, did not hold back on his feelings about the playing surface of Acrisure Stadium in that game. 

Heyward is now the third member of the team to complain about the field, behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers and Head Coach Mike Tomlin. Those are easily the three most influential members of the organization currently. If they all agree on the same issue, Rooney better listen up. That field was completely unacceptable, and that can't happen again. It has to be fixed by Week 8, when the Steelers play at home again.

As Heyward mentioned, safety Miles Killebrew suffered a non-contact knee injury, and like Rodgers, he also blamed the field for it. It was a routine kickoff play where the special teams captain's knee seemed to just give out on him. Luckily, he has not been placed on Injured Reserve (IR), so it seems like the injury is not as terrible as it seemed to be in real time.

Also in that game, kicker Chris Boswell slipped on the terrible field when attempting to make a field goal in the fourth quarter. He was also lucky to not suffer any injuries on that play, and it was a good thing that the Steelers had a 14-point lead that the Cleveland Browns could not erase. It was all well in the end, but that may not be the case moving forward. 

The key word for Boswell is "lucky." He was lucky that his issues on the field didn't result in injury. Tomlin noted that Killebrew's knee injury is much more significant. Both players could have easily torn something and be forced to miss the rest of the season. Not every game that the Steelers play will be utter domination like that Week 6 game was. A missed field goal like that could haunt them against most other NFL teams. 

Steelers Need Long-Term Fixes For The Field

During the broadcast, it was announced that there would be new sod being put into the field after the game. However, that should not even be a discussion at this point. The Steelers have played two preseason games and two regular season games on it so far. The Pittsburgh Panthers have played four games on it so far. It's hard to reconcile for most fans right now that the field is already in bad condition.  

Despite the win, what happened on that field was completely unacceptable as mentioned. They can't just put some new sod down and expect everything to be fine for a decade to come. That field has to be ready for a full season. It doesn't matter if the Steelers win the AFC North if their own field could sabotage them in January. No half-measures can be made. 

What do you think about Heyward calling out the field conditions? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

#SteelerNation