Rooney hailed as ‘the best of us’
Ex-Steelers owner’s funeral draws from all walks of life.
Dan Rooney’s priorities were always clear. Family. Football. Faith. Ireland.
It’s the order they came in for the longtime Pittsburgh Steelers president and chairman, however, that occasionally became blurry. Often in the best way possible.
The evidence could be found in the pews at Pittsburgh’s St. Paul’s Cathedral on Tuesday, a cross section of a singular life that stretched far beyond his native city, yet never seemed to stray from its roots.
The 90-minute funeral celebrating Rooney, who died at 84 last Thursday, offered a glimpse into a man who turned a moribund franchise into a dynasty; helped refine the vision of the modern NFL; and attempted to ease regional tensions as U.S. ambassador to Ireland. All the while remaining the guy from Pittsburgh’s North Side neighborhood simply known as “Dan.”
“He was a Pittsburgher,” Cardinal Donald Wuerl said. “He was the best of us.”
To the right in the massive sanctuary sat hundreds of current and ex-players — from Hall of Famers Joe Greene and Franco Harris to current stars Ben Roethlisberger and Antonio Brown to alums whose careers were far more modest — that Rooney treated as surrogate sons and grandsons.
In the middle sat NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and his predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, men who relied heavily on Rooney’s counsel. Down in front sat good friend and former President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry, there to pay tribute to Rooney’s legacy and offer comfort to his wife Patricia, son Art II and the rest of what is considered the city’s first family.
Patriots: Signed cornerback Malcolm Butler to a free-agent tender Tuesday that makes the hero of their fourth Super Bowl victory eligible to be traded.
Butler visited the New Orleans Saints last month, but they declined to sign him to an offer sheet that could have required them to compensate New England with their first-round draft pick, No. 11 overall. Instead, the Saints are believed to covet Butler in exchange for the No. 32 overall pick they received in the trade that sent Brandin Cooks to New England.
Butler could not be traded until he signed the tender, which would pay him $3.91 million for the 2017 season.
Bills: Restricted free-agent running back Mike Gillislee signed New England’s two-year, $6.4 million offer sheet. The contract would pay Gillislee $4 million this season. The Bills have until early next week to match the offer or settle for acquiring New England’s fifth-round draft pick as compensation.
Gillislee had 577 yards rushing and scored nine touchdowns as LeSean McCoy’s backup last season.
49ers: Offensive tackle Garry Gilliam is joining the 49ers after Seattle declined to match his restricted freeagent tender. The Seahawks had the right to match Gilliam’s $2.2 million contract for 2017, but instead allowed him to join their NFC West rival. The Seahawks will not receive any compensation.
Raiders: Released defensive tackle Dan Williams after two seasons with the team. Williams signed a $25 million, four-year contract with Oakland in 2015.
Schedule: The NFL will release its 2017 regular-season schedule Thursday night on NFL Network beginning at 8 p.m. EDT. Super Bowl champion New England will host the kickoff game on Thursday, Sept. 7.