Steelers Personnel Big Quits

January 14, 2000 / 6:06 PM EST / CBS/AP

Pittsburgh Steelers director of football operations Tom Donahoe resigned under pressure Friday, only two days after Bill Cowher was told he would return as coach.

Donahoe, who has served as the Steelers' general manager except in name for the last 10 years, has had growing differences with Cowher over the years, and he quit only hours after returning from a West Coast scouting trip.

Steelers president Dan Rooney tried to patch up the relationship between Donahoe and Cowher following a 6-10 season, but neither man felt he could work any longer with the other. Both offered their resignations, and the Steelers were essentially forced to choose between the two.

"We said in our meetings that, quite frankly, this wasn't working," said Art Rooney II, the Steelers' vice president and Dan Rooney's son. "Both of them said, `If I'm the problem, I'll resign."'

However, Dan Rooney said, "We considered this to be a last resort."

Donahoe, a lifelong Pittsburgh resident, turned down a lucrative offer from the Seattle Seahawks two years ago and was given a big pay raise and a 10-year contract. But his relationship only worsened with Cowher, whose teams have gone 13-19 the last two years and have lost 15 of their last 21 games.

Donahoe did not attend a hastily called news conference Friday night, but issued a short statement saying, "Change is often necessary. In this particular instance, the change involves me, which I believe will be positive not only for the organization, but for myself as well."

Donahoe's resignation was a stunning development for an organization that probably has less turnover than any other in the NFL; the Steelers have had only two coaches in 31 years, for example.

Donahoe was a Steelers' ball boy as a youngster and has had a longstanding relationship with the Rooney family almost since birth. His grandfather, David L. Lawrence, was a former Pittsburgh mayor and governor of Pennsylvania and was one of Steelers founder Art Rooney's closest friends.

Donahoe joined the Steelers as a scout in 1986 and rapidly climbed in the organization before being appointed director of football operations in 1991.

Rooney said Donahoe already has other job opportunities in the NFL. He could be in the running for the general manager's job at the expansion Houston franchise.

Cowher and Donahoe disagreed this season over talent issues, with Donahoe saying the Steelers had no business losing at home to weak opponents such as Cleveland and Cincinnati. Cowher responded by saying he felt talent was an issue and needed to be addressed.

Donahoe, a longtime high school coach in the Pittsburgh area, is considered one of the NFL's best talent assessors and was in charge of the Steelers drafts that landed players such as Chad Brown and Levon Kirkland.