The Pittsburgh Steelers picked up a big win in Dublin to take sole possession of first place in the AFC North and head into the bye week with a 3-1 record. Obviously, this game meant a lot to ownership, especially with all the connections that the Rooney family has to the nation of Ireland. That’s why Owner and Team President
Art Rooney II made sure to address the Steelers about the significance and importance of this game for everyone. They got the win, and the family could not be happier about it.
Even though he is no longer with the team, that address from Rooney caught former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger off guard. In the latest episode of Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger
, he explained how nothing like that ever happened during his NFL career.
“This win meant so much to the Rooney family,” Roethlisberger said. “So much supposedly, that Mr. [Art] Rooney went and talked to the team before the game. That never happened in my 18 years. All of us: Ike [Taylor], [Maurkice Pouncey], and James Farrior were like, ‘Woah, that’s a big deal.’ This one means a lot, especially because of Mr. [Dan] Rooney, rest in peace.”
Of course, the ancestors of the Rooney family originally came from Ireland, so the family still holds on to their heritage. That became exasperated when the late Dan Rooney became the Irish Ambassador for President
Barack Obama in his first term. Despite living in North America for almost 200 years, the family is still proud of where they came from as they continue to do everything they can to make their mark on the Emerald Isle.
The Steelers tried for decades to bring the NFL to Ireland. They had a preseason game against the Chicago Bears there in the 1990s, but it just wasn’t the same. Watching backups play for spots on the roster in another country did not quench their thirst. This Week 4 contest was more of what they were looking for. They got to see real football in Dublin, and more importantly, they got see a win.
Roethlisberger was with the Steelers from 2004 to 2021. There were very few things that he has not seen. One of those rare things was apparently this level of passion and excitement from the owners. Even in the three Super Bowls that he played in, his teams apparently never had a heartfelt pregame speech from either Dan or Art Rooney II. Here, everyone got an insight to how Rooney II truly felt about this contest.
Steelers’ Wish Gets Granted In Huge Way
Roethlisberger was among the former players that came out to Dublin to experience the culture and watch as the family’s dream came true. Unlike the active players and coaches, he and other team alumni got to experience the culture of what used to be home for the Rooneys. This seemed to be everything that they had asked for, and then some. It’s safe to say that the Steelers will return to Croke Park at some point in time.
The stadium was packed with mostly Steelers fans, as Patrick Queen was among the players that spoke about how the environment there was so much more electric than it ever was in Pittsburgh. The Steelers fans and NFL fans packed into Croke Park to show their love and support throughout the entire contest. This may be the first regular season game in Ireland, but it won’t be the last.
