The Pittsburgh Steelers are coming off another embarrassing playoff performance in which they fell to the Houston Texans by a score of 30-6. The game was mostly one-sided in favor of the Texans in the second half. The Steelers now enter the offseason looking for a new head coach, as Mike Tomlin announced that he is stepping away. Now, the Steelers are also facing more turmoil, as news broke that a former team sales manager, Chelsea Zahn, is suing the organization for gender discrimination. Attorneys for the former employee, an Allegheny County resident, filed the six-count lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday.
Alexandra Wimley / Post-Gazette
Steelers President and Owner Art Rooney II Speaking to the Media Following the 2025 Season
The main person named in the lawsuit filed Tuesday is Steelers Owner and President Art Rooney II. The lawsuit claims that the Steelers created a hostile work environment and that Rooney denied Zahn more than $50,000 in commissions in 2024. Zahn, a gay woman, was hired part-time by the Steelers in July of 2013 as a marketing intern and sponsorship assistant. Not too long after, she landed a full-time job. Details came out via TribLive.
"“This is a disappointment to all Steelers fans, that the team we all follow so closely is involved in discriminating against women and against people who are not heterosexual,” said attorney Joel Sansone, whose firm filed the lawsuit. “We intend to follow this all the way through,” Sansone added. “Personally, this is hard for me. I bleed black and gold. But my firm wants to make sure the team we all love follows the rules in this country.”"
The Steelers' main focus is on looking for a new head coach currently; however, this lawsuit adds a wrinkle into those plans. Zahn was promoted by the Steelers in 2017 and 2022, but then denied a promotion two other times. According to the lawsuit, Zahn was denied by an individual who was not named, claiming that Zahn was too young. The lawsuit Zahn filed alleges gender discrimination, retaliation and violations of equal pay and human relations laws.
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Steelers Owner and President Art Rooney II
Steelers' Rooney Named In Intriguing Lawsuit
TribLive's reporting also revealed more details about what the former employee is upset about. Apparently, Zahn was not properly compensated in full for commissions earned.
"In 2024, Zahn earned $100,625 in commission, a number she called the highest sponsorship-related figure earned by any corporate sales manager that year, the lawsuit said."
Rooney, however, allegedly decided to not pay Zahn the entire amount owed on the commission. He instead issued a check for $50,000, which Zahn never ended up cashing, per TribLive. The lawsuit also claims that Rooney did not want to pay her the full amount owed because he was upset that Zahn left the organization. Zahn was granted the right to sue the organization by the Federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on November 18th, 2025.
"The lawsuit claimed the reason given by Rooney was “pretextual and unworthy of belief as heterosexual male employees of the defendant were paid their full bonuses/commissions owed to them after they had left their employment with defendant," Justin Vellucci of TribLive wrote.
The Steelers have decided not to comment on the matter, according to team spokesman Burt Lauten, who told TribLive Thursday via an email. The Steelers will need to take care of this matter while also entering an offseason in which they are looking for a new coach for the first time in nearly nearly years. While this will not interfere in the matter, it definitely is not a good look for the organization if the allegations turn out to be true.
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Steelers' Art Rooney II looks on while roaming the field in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers surely have the money to take care of the situation and attorney fees, which the lawsuit claims Zahn is looking for. She also is seeking compensatory damages and additional relief in the lawsuit. The Steelers brand stretches across the entire country so the financial aspect is not concerning in this matter for the franchise.
However, this kind of bad public relations news is the kind of news that the Steelers notoriously do not like getting out into the public. The lawsuit does not mention when a hearing will be, but this is also something that the Steelers may be able to settle out of court.
Are you surprised that the Steelers and Rooney are being sued by a former employee? Let us know in the comments below!
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