Just when I thought Steve Pederson couldn't do anything worse, he does something like this ... and totally redeems himself. Well, not exactly.
But Pederson, apparently not satisfied with annoying Pitt fans and alumni, has moved into the pro ranks and annoyed maybe the last person you'd want to annoy in Pittsburgh when it comes to sports - Dan Rooney.
Apparently, Dan Rooney personally called Steve Pederson to suggest he talk to Tom Bradley about the Pitt job (Side note: If Bradley has taken to asking Rooney to make calls on his behalf, it just goes to show how badly he wants the job). And, well, we all know how that turned out. Bradley reportedly wasn't interviewed, Mike Haywood was hired, and the rest is history.
That apparently didn't sit too well with ol' Danny Boy:
Incidentally in case you missed it - our own Steelers reporter Ed Bouchette reported that Dan Rooney called Steve Pederson last month to recommend he talk to Bradley and the fact that he didn't even pick up the phone and give Bradley a call has strained the relationship with Pitt and the Steelers. That is bad news for Pitt as they share facilities with the Steelers and have prided themselves in having a great relationship with the city's most important sports organization.
Look, of course Pederson has no obligation to hire Bradley or even interview him on Rooney's recommendation. And I don't know what Rooney said or didn't say about Bradley, but if he said anything other than subtly mentioning that Pederson should think about calling Bradley, then he's probably out of bounds. But, really, Steve? You can't take five minutes out of your day to at least call Bradley to gauge his interest even to merely placate Rooney?
As Zeise mentions, Pitt is playing in their building and a large part of Pitt moving off-campus was to develop a relationship with the pro team. I don't know, maybe Pederson didn't think it was a big deal. Maybe he thought that Rooney wasn't all that serious about it. I don't know, but that Steve Pederson disconnect I mentioned this week seems to be alive and well.