Money to be Sought if Steeler Ownership Changes Hands

As many Pittsburghers are aware, the Rooneys, who own the Steelers, are forced to sell ownership to comply with NFL gambling regulations and are considering a sale to Pittsburgh fan and Wall Street tycoon Stanley Druckenmiller. Allegheny County Controller Mark Flaherty sent a letter Tuesday to the Rooneys telling them that any sale of Steeler ownership to anyone outside of the Rooney family "would result in a demand to return a proportionate share of the $281 million" (public funds used to build Heinz Field). He says it would be unjust for the Steelers franchise to profit from public funds invested into a new stadium. In 1998, the Steelers franchise was valued at $300 million. Heinz Field opened in 2001. Current estimates of the Steelers' value have recently been raised as high as $1.2 billion.