Conflict Of Interest For Steelers?
Knowing of Tull’s involvement with the Steelers and Acrisure, it certainly smells like a conflict of interest. Tull profits as an owner of the Steelers and profits from any revenue Acrisure gets through having its name on the stadium. Should that be permissible, however?
The answer to that is a bit murky at best. Is it something Roger Godell should look at, or do the Steelers have the right to put any name on the stadium they want, even if one of the owners has a significant investment in that company? For now, the Commissioners office has been silent concerning any wrongdoing in awarding the naming rights to Acrisure.
As Commissioner of the NFL, Roger Goodell’s job is to “foster and promote the primary business of League members” according to the NFL’s constitution and bylaws. This includes handing out fines, suspensions, and taking away draft picks if there is any intentional wrongdoing by an owner or player. That said, do naming rights fall under that? One would hardly think so. Plus, there is no real justification for objecting. The NFL has not taken a stand on any other stadium naming, and other NFL teams could have had similar deals. These are well-connected billionaires with vast business holdings. That said, there is one additional angle.