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Steelers, Roethlisberger agree to new deal for 2021 season
FILE - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger celebrates a touchdown against the Tennessee Titans during the first half of an NFL football game in Nashville, in this Sunday, Oct. 25, 2020, file photo. Ben Roethlisberger is returning for an 18th season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is taking a pay cut to do it. The team and the two-time Super Bowl winner announced on Thursday, March 4, 2021, they have agreed on a new contract that assures the 39-year-old will be back in 2021. (AP Photo/Brett Carlsen, File)PITTSBURGH – Ben Roethlisberger is returning for an 18th season with the Pittsburgh Steelers and is taking a pay cut to do it. NFL Network, citing anonymous sources, said Roethlisberger's new deal will essentially pay him $14 million this season and adds four voidable years to spread out the dead money.
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Steelers planning on Roethlisberger's return in 2021
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) throws a pass during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh, late Sunday, Jan. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Don Wright)PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Steelers plan on having quarterback Ben Roethlisberger back for an 18th season. Team president Art Rooney II released a statement Wednesday saying he and Roethlisberger have met to figure out a way to ease the financial pressure caused by Roethlisberger's contract. The Steelers are facing a serious cap crunch and have already started to overhaul the coaching staff and the roster. AdStill, Rooney expressed optimism the door for the Steelers to remain competitive during Roethlisberger's long tenure remains open.
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More interviews didn’t equal more minority hirings in NFL
(AP Photo)The NFL expanded the Rooney Rule to give more minority candidates opportunities to become a head coach and reward teams who develop them. The Houston Texans hired David Culley this week, making the 65-year-old longtime assistant the league’s third Black head coach hired. Culley and Saleh join Pittsburgh’s Mike Tomlin, Miami’s Brian Flores and Washington’s Ron Rivera as the league’s only minority head coaches. “We didn’t make as much progress on the head coaching side as we would have liked,” Rooney said. AdPerhaps an increase in minority executives will lead to more minority head coaches.
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NFL teams huddling up to devise plans for social change
New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold warms up during a practice at the NFL football team's training camp in Florham Park, N.J., Saturday, Aug. 22, 2020. Instead of taking the field, the entire team spent more than four hours talking about racial injustice and social issues. They continued their discussions Friday, an off day, to begin devising plans to effect change among each other and in the community. Tomlin, one of three Black NFL head coaches, is the third-longest tenured coach in the league. We have to continue playing because, quite frankly, this is the reason we have a platform, is because we play football and we are in the NFL, Darnold said.
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NFL's coaching summit highlights minority candidates
The biggest takeaway following the NFL's two-day quarterback coaching summit aimed at improving the league's diversity, is that there's no shortage of qualified minority candidates waiting for opportunities to be head coaches and coordinators. (Rob Maaddi/Zoom via AP)The biggest takeaway following the NFLs two-day quarterback coaching summit is theres no shortage of qualified minority candidates waiting for opportunities to be head coaches and coordinators. It becomes reality when the people respond to it.After the 2018 season, eight head coaches lost their jobs. That makes four minority head coaches out of a possible 32 in the league. The NFL amended the Rooney Rule last month to require more interviews of minority candidates for head coaching and coordinator positions.