The Pittsburgh Steelers have received almost exclusively negative press in recent years when it comes to team facilities, which is expected out of an organization that has failed to win a playoff game in almost a decade. Owner Art Rooney II has been hearing all of the criticism from angry fans as they demand a team that doesn't get blown out in the Wild Card Round on a regular basis. No matter what happens with the new coaching staff and revamped team, members of Steeler Nation will be ready to explode with rage at the first sign of trouble.
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Steelers Owner Art Rooney II on the field before a road game in Denver during the 2024 season.
In the meantime, the punches keep rolling in. In a recent interview on 93.7 The Fan, Mike Florio explained another facet of Rooney that has hurt the team in the past, and it can continue to be a problem in the near future.
"One of the problems, frankly, with the Steelers' grass has been they've been trying to do grass on the cheap," Florio said. "You got to make the investment, and don't give me the, 'Oh, it's the Pittsburgh climate.' If they can do it in Green Bay, they can do it anywhere. The Philadelphia [Eagles'] stadium, you never hear anything about issues with the grass there."
Yes, the weather in Pittsburgh can be atrocious. As radio host Andrew Fillipponi also mentioned, the Pittsburgh Panthers also use that stadium for their football games, and that is another excuse that gets commonly thrown around. At the end of the day, that doesn't matter. This is just another report saying Rooney is cutting corners to try and save a few bucks, even though it's a detriment to his team.
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Steelers Team President Art Rooney II roams the sidelines as the team warms up and gets ready to compete in a 2022 preseason matchup at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA.
Doing "grass on the cheap" led to Acrisure Stadium having one of the worst playing surfaces in the NFL, if not the single worst. Whenever this conversation comes up about the field in Pittsburgh, it always goes back to that Week 6 game against the Cleveland Browns, where the game was borderline unplayable in the second half. The bad field seemingly caused Miles Killebrew to suffer a season-ending injury and Chris Boswell to slip during a field goal try.
The Steelers have officially installed new grass in Acrisure Stadium, although it is unclear if this was done as cheap as the one that caused issues throughout the 2025 season. If Rooney learned his lesson, there should be no complaints from the Steelers or their opponents. If not, Killebrew won't be the last one to lose his season due to one wrong step and an awkward fall on a terrible field.
Steelers Need To Look At These NFC Rivals And Emulate Their Turf
As Florio mentioned, the Steelers are not the only team in the north that has bad weather. Lambeau Field is described as a "Frozen Tundra," yet there is never any issue with the grass after it gets covered in ice, as well as when it goes dormant for the winter. No matter how cold it is in the stadium, the players never have to worry about getting injured due to the playing surface itself.
Post-Gazette / ap photo
Steelers Owner Art Rooney II on the sidelines before a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec, 15, 2024.
Meanwhile, the Philadelphia Eagles play in the same state as Pittsburgh, so they know all about these weather concerns. They also are used to sharing the stadium, as the Temple Owls consider Lincoln Financial Field to be their home as well. However, their field never gets publicly criticized. All the excuses made about the weather and having to share the field are all just myths. The sooner Rooney accepts this, the better.
What do you think about the Steelers doing "grass on the cheap" at Acrisure Stadium? Do you think it will be better in 2026? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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