Steelers And Sports And Exhibition Authority Looking To End Dispute Over Seats

The Steelers and taxpayer-funded city-county Sports & Exhibition Authority announced today they are trying to settle a fight over who exactly is going to pay the majority of the $30 million to add 3,000 seats to Heinz Field.

A trial is currently set to take place starting December 4th if the two sides can’t get a deal done on who pays for the seats, and Steelers president Art Rooney II says he wants a deal struck before then.

Mark Hart, the Steelers’ director of strategic planning and development, is hoping an agreement can be hammered out in the next couple of weeks so the seats can be added by next season.

“I don’t think we’re at a stage where each of the parties can say what they’re willing to do at this point,” Hart said. “I think each party wants to have some good discussions.”

The Steelers say that the new seats to the stadium, which is now 12 years old, would be a “capital improvement” needed to keep the team competitive with other NFL franchises.

Last year the Steelers sued after an authority plan to use a parking surcharge to fund the expansion fell through.