The Pittsburgh Steelers have constantly been shown in a negative light in some areas for years. There seems to always be some sort of accusation against Owner Art Rooney II, whether it's seemingly being cheap, complacent, or issues surrounding legal accusations. Despite all the winning seasons, these past few years have not been great for ownership, although many fans would argue that that damage was down to themselves. Either way, there are major problems for the lawyer and team president.
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Steelers Team President Art Rooney II stands on the field while watching his team get ready for a regular season game.
Those issues don't seem to be dying anytime soon. Former NFL official Robin DeLorenzo has sued the entire NFL for gender discrimination after her termination. In the lawsuit, she brought an incident at Steelers training camp back in 2022 where she claimed to be a victim of hazing, as explained by Megan Guza of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
"According to the lawsuit, it is common practice for rookie players to have to 'embarrass themselves as a [rite] of passage' in front of the team, coaches and staff," Guza explained. "Most, according to the filing, choose to sing. At some point during that year’s training camp, Ms. DeLorenzo’s crew chief informed then-head coach Mike Tomlin that 'the officiating crew also had a rookie … and that she should be made to sing in front of everyone as well.'"
There are all kinds of forms of rookie hazing that still go on in the NFL, but most of it is harmless fun that the players don't mind. If having to sing one song in front of the team is the worst thing that happens, you won't hear many complaints on that front from both players and fans. The officials, however, don't have their own team, so making them do things can be a little bit trickier.
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Referees prepare for a full day of Steelers training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
However, DeLorenzo did allege that it was meant to be harmful, not harmless. She claims that Walt Anderson, who was the Senior Vice President of Officiating at the time, only showed up to make it more embarrassing and film the hazing attempt to make it even worse for her after Mike Tomlin was convinced to make her supposedly embarrass herself.
"Ms. DeLorenzo did not want to participate, she wrote, but 'felt she had no choice and wanted to be a good sport,'" Guza cited. "When her time came, according to the lawsuit, Mr. [Walt] Anderson attended the meeting and made it clear he was 'there to watch.' The lawsuit claimed he also recorded the 'utterly humiliating singing performance' after Ms. DeLorenzo specifically asked him not to."
That's definitely where things go wrong. Being filmed after specifically not giving consent to be filmed is problematic. If the NFL can find evidence of that video currently or ever being in Anderson's possession, DeLorenzo would have a strong case. It is unclear if this happens to other officials as well, male or female. That will have a major impact on if she wins the lawsuit or not as the whole process starts up.
Steelers Are Already In Another Gender Discrimination Lawsuit
Back in January, the Steelers were sued by a former employee for gender discrimination, as the plaintiff alleged a hostile work environment and being denied $50,000 in commissions. Unlike the DeLorenzo lawsuit that seemingly had more to do with Tomlin than ownership, this one has Rooney as the primary perpetrator, denying her equal rights and making her life much harder than necessary.
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Steelers President Art Rooney II looking on before an interview.
If both women win their cases, this will be another blemish on Rooney's reputation, which is already in a steep decline. He has a lot of work to do if he wants to win fans back, and it might be harder to get females back on his side.
What do you think about the Steelers being named in DeLorenzo's lawsuit due to how they contributed to her being hazed? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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