“Now, obviously, we turn to our search for our next head coach. (General Manager) Omar (Khan) and I will lead the search, and we’ll have others in the organization to help as we go forward. So, look forward to getting started with the search and starting with the next chapter of Steelers football.”
Rooney said the decision was made by Tomlin, and while he wasn’t shocked, he was surprised to have the conversation on Tuesday.
“It was his decision alone,” said Rooney. “This was his decision. I will say that I wasn’t shocked, but I wasn’t expecting that conversation yesterday either. When you get to this stage of a career, obviously he even mentioned it himself that he was nearer to the end than at the beginning, so you could see that coming.”
Rooney said they will begin the search for a new head coach, one he believes will take several weeks.
‘I think there are a lot of things that go into being a successful head coach,” said Rooney. “Number one is leadership, and trusting this person can stand up in front of your team day in and day out and hold their attention and have them motivated to do what they do. So, that’s the most important.”
More details from Rooney’s press conference will be available later today.