First, let me know what you’re doing with yourself now?
I’m working at Carnegie Mellon University now on their communications and marketing team. My job is to tell the stories of alumni, students and staff and promote the university’s endeavors.
I started here last June and love it here. Carnegie Mellon has always been at the forefront of innovation and research – artificial intelligence, space-related work, robotics, business, fine arts…. It’s been great hopping on this moving train!
When I left football I went into local government and that was a complete 180 degree turn. I’ve found a happy medium in academia.
Stepping back, how did you get started with the Steelers in 2010?
I was born and raised in Pittsburgh. I went to Ohio University and wanted to be a reporter. I thought I’d be the next Stuart Scott or Scott Van Pelt. The hard reality was it wasn’t easy finding a job in that market. I thought to myself “Now what?”
I reached out to Dave Lockett then who was with the Steelers’ PR department, and timing is everything. He told me they had a PR internship coming up, and a couple of weeks later I started as the Steelers’ PR intern. I started in April of 2010 and interned for two years, then was hired full-time until I resigned in 2017.
What were the duties you were responsible for there?
Many things. I coordinated interview requests for players, coaches and staff, monitored the locker room media sessions – those were so important for the media to be able to connect with the players and coaches.
I also edited the media guide, game programs and yearbooks. And I handled the talking points for players and coaches when they did interviews
Who were some of the mentors that helped you as you got started there?
I can’t say enough about Dan Rooney. When we first met he was still the Ambassador of Ireland, but he’d come in for some of the games. One of the first times he met me he asked me for a ride to his doctor.
That led to seven years of the most valuable conversations I’ve had about life. Not just about professional life, but personal things. I became his right-hand man for getting him to places. He wanted to ride in my car to go to the airport for away games. His car was much nicer but he preferred mine.
What did he show you in those conversations?
He was just a people person. He had one of the most important names in the city but he never used it. He treated everyone with respect – and equally. It didn’t matter who you were – he was such a genuine and down to earth person.
When we went anywhere he never asked for preferential treatment. If anyone could have pulled the Rooney card it was Dan Rooney – but he was always low maintenance.
Before the Jets game in 2016, my grandmother passed away. When I got to work he grabbed my hand and told me he was sorry my grandmother passed. I’m not sure who told him but I’ll never forget that. He was the best.
Anyone else help you there?
Kevin Colbert was an unbelievable person as well. He had that same mentality – blue collar, and treated everyone with respect. It didn’t matter who you were, his door was always open and you could go in and talk about anything.
I used to go in and watch film with him – even as a PR guy he let me go in and would ask me what I saw. I’d tell him I saw guys getting to the second level or something and he’d laugh and tell me I should have been a scout!
Coach Tomlin – he was a mentor just in how I watched him work. The way he leads and handles his business. I know he might not say much to the media, but he has a way with words with his players and gets the most out of that bunch.
I’m grateful also for when I started there. There were so many veteran guys who were leaders. They took me under their wing too. They knew I was a new guy but they were honest with me and I was with them. We had an open line of communication – and that enabled me to tell them that it made sense to do this interview but not that one.
Were there guys you really enjoyed working with most?
At any given time there were over 50 guys there – sometimes over 90. Each had a different personality and thought and acted differently. I had fun getting to know them all – whether they were a veteran player or rookie free agent. Many were great. Some weren’t as easy to work with.
How have things changed – and how has social media impacted things?
It’s interesting. I looked at the current roster the other day and since I left in 2017 there are only a handful left on the roster since then. That’s a huge change.
And it’s all different now – there’s so much more information at your fingertips now. And social media is such a big tool. There are so many more opportunities now for players to promote themselves and that’s a good thing if used the right way. But it does open up players to more criticism too. It’s just so easy to connect with fans now – you can’t avoid it. Especially since the younger athletes have been doing this for so long. It’s beneficial but needs to be used it in the right way.
How did you handle player use of social media?
There were a number of times I had to tell players they should delete a tweet. Now, once it’s out there it’s out there for good. There’s no going back. In mini-camp I stressed to players that they weren’t the same player that they were a month ago. Everything they did now was magnified now that they were Pittsburgh Steelers.
You have to remember most had their own social media pages since high school. It’s hard to control that now. You can talk to players and agents but at the end of the day it’s about how they want to promote their brand.
What were some of the toughest times you had to face there?
Some of the toughest times were when I had really just started and Ben was going through those accusations. That was such a valuable lesson in crisis communication. Getting to be part of the team that helped reshape Ben’s image was huge for me in my early career.
And when the Steelers signed Michael Vick – we had animal rights groups that were upset. Of course I understood why. We worked with Mike through it all. And of course Mr. Rooney’s passing. It was such a sad time but we still had to do our jobs and work with the media.
How did you approach those issues to be effective?
Putting yourself in their shoes is important. That’s how I did my business. I grew up watching Ben. But this wasn’t about football. This was about him as a person so understanding what he needed as a person was important. The same with Mike. At the end of the day it was about remembering they weren’t just players.
Any moments that were more fun for you?
Aaron Smith treated me like a little brother. He’d put me in headlocks and I joked with him that he didn’t look very strong. Let’s face it, he wasn’t built like a T.J. Watt. But he put me in a sleeper hold once and I had to tap out – I honestly thought I was going to die!
Cam Heyward was the same – I think the defensive line guys were like that – DeCastro too. I remember Dave didn’t say two words when he was drafted but slowly he opened up and I got to know him well. He became a go-to guy for interviews. He even won The Chief Award.
Troy would kid with me too. He was sneaky-funny. He’d say, “You need me for that interview, right?” Troy rarely did interviews so it was always a good laugh.
What do you think would surprise fans most about what you saw and did there?
I’d say it was the open lines of communication. I don’t know if people know how far that goes. Coach T., Kevin and Dan would walk the halls and talk to everyone. I spoke to a lot of my colleagues on other teams and it wasn’t like that in most places. I could go talk to an owner or head coach about anything – personal things – and they cared. It was so cool.
I would see Mr. Rooney multiple times a day. I’ve heard it’s not like that with other teams. Some even have separate wings or hallways for ownership/leadership. Steelers’ leaders were always present and available.
Do you think today’s players appreciate that as much – does it make a difference to them?
That’s a great question. I think having those open lines of communication is critical and key for the Steelers. I think it’s important, but I don’t know if free agents think the same way. Does a new facility and more money sway free agents – of course. But there’s a reason the Steelers have been successful for so long. I think it goes a long way past how they do business on the field. I think their family approach has a big impact on the team as well.
Read more by former Steelers via the book Steelers Takeaways: Player Memories Through the Decades. To order, just click on the book:
