Russell Wilson & Co. Accuse Steelers of Family Mistreatment as Players Throw Coaches Under the Bus

If there’s one thing Pittsburgh prides itself on, it’s tradition. The Steel City breathes football, from the Steel Curtain days to the countless Terrible Towels waving like a battle cry every Sunday. But here’s the thing—tradition only gets you so far. In a league where teams are constantly evolving and upgrading, staying stuck in the past can feel less like loyalty and more like refusing to update your iPhone because the old one “still works fine.” Now it looks like this old demon has once again come back to strike the Steelers.

Last year, the NFL Players Association report indicated some grave issues with the Steelers. The Steelers finished with two F’s and an F- on their report card. The F- was in Treatment of Families, and the two F’s were Owner and Locker Room. Steelers owner Art Rooney II said back then that he was working on upgrades to Acrisure Stadium, but when asked about improvements to their South Sides facility, he said there were no such improvements in the works at this time. He had also added that the team was looking to expand their family facilities at Acrisure Stadium, helping make gamedays easier for players’ loved ones.

Fast forward a year, and the Steelers have started offering daycare during home games this year. But they are still one of 10 teams that do not provide a family room during home games. But players can not stress more on its importance. As former Eagles center Jason Kelce pointed out in his retirement speech, players’ spouses and families are a big part of their success.

“I think it’s no coincidence I have enjoyed my best years of my career with Kylie by my side,” he had said of his wife. “Every accolade I have ever received has come with her in my life. She has brought the best out of me with love, devotion, support, honesty, intelligence, and, of course, a swift kick in the a– from time to time.” Kelce will surely find his supporters in the Steelers squad and in this year’s NFLPA report they showed how they were still not satisfied with the treatment their families are receiving from the team.

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Amidst the NFL Scouting Combine, the NFL Players Association is back with the team’s report card for this year—rated by the players. And the Steelers have flaws. Too many. Besides, Mike Tomlin’s head coaching? Most notably? It’s the ownership. The Steelers’ ownership earned a “D” grade from the players, which ranked them 28th out of the 32 teams.

Now, there may be a few reasons why the players believe that Rooney isn’t doing a fine job as the owner. However, the main issue lies in the treatment of the players’ families. Because, of course, it matters for the players while they’re performing for their team. According to NFLPA, the Steelers’ players rated the post-game family area 6.59 out of 10, which ranked them 26th out of the 32 teams. It is safe to say, the low rating suggests that the players feel the post-game family area probably lacks comfort and space. Introducing game-day daycare seems to have worked for the Steelers since they have moved up from last year’s F-, but it is still a not-so-good C-.

Then there’s the facility investment. Only 60% of the players believe that Rooney is ready to allocate funds to invest in the team’s facility. That said, the team ranked third to the last out of the 32 teams in the league. Additionally, the team’s not happy with their weight room as well. According to the on-beat writer, Mark Kaboly, “Steelers made upgrades at their facility this year adding a sauna and upgrading the weight room. The problem is and always will be that the facility is just too small to accommodate an NFL and DI football teams.” The reason?

Well, the Steelers and the Pittsburgh Panthers share the same training facility at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. That means, even though the team has upgraded their weight room, there’s just too little space for the players to train. One of the reasons why the players ranked the weight room 25th out of the 32 teams.

Russell Wilson and Co. didn’t even spare the coaches

Ever since Russell Wilson took five straight L’s, including that brutal wild-card exit, Steelers Nation has been fired up—calling out the team for even considering him as QB1 in 2025. On the flip side, the questions are being raised over Mike Tomlin’s head coaching. I mean, the guy’s constantly failing to win a playoff game. The kicker? According to the NFLPA, Tomlin earned a sweet “A” grade from the players.

But that doesn’t mean the other coach did a fine job. You see, only 75% of players reported that they get an individualized training plan from their strength coaching staff, ranking the Pittsburgh team second to the last. Hold that thought! On top of that, the players feel that their strength coaches slightly contribute to their overall success, which ranks them last in the league. That’s brutal!

It’s like the players are not even considering the strength coaches in their success. Of course, we’re talking about the regular season success because the postseason success? Nah, they aren’t getting one. That’s been missing longer than One Piece’s actual One Piece. Besides, if we compare the Steelers to other teams, the 49ers and the Dolphins have better ratings when it comes to their strength coaches.

For the Dolphins, 100% players reported that they got an individualized training plan from their strength coaching staff. Plus, the team ranked 1st out of the 32 in the strength coaches’ contribution to the overall success (for the second consecutive year). And the 49ers? Well, far better than the Steelers.

The team ranked 4th when it came to an individualized training plan from their strength coaching staff, and 11th in the strength coaches’ contribution to the overall success. So yeah, the Steelers need to prioritize their coaching plans if they don’t want their key players to suffer a season-ending injury. After all, they’re still looking for the playoff answers.