Pittsburgh Steelers owner Dan Rooney strongly denied the team told assistant head coach Russ Grimm he would be Bill Cowher's successor, then changed its mind and hired Mike Tomlin. Tomlin, the former Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator, didn't learn he was the Steelers' choice until team president Art Rooney II phoned him Sunday afternoon. The call came more than a day after SI.com and, later, ESPN reported the Steelers had selected Tomlin as only their third coach since 1969. Adding to the who's-the-coach confusion was the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's front-page headline Sunday that Grimm — widely considered in Pittsburgh to be the front-runner — would be announced Monday as the Steelers' coach. Dan Rooney was upset with suggestions the Steelers offered the job to one person, rescinded it and hired someone else. He also denied anyone in the organization told Grimm he would be the coach. "They were ... saying we were dishonest," Rooney said in an impromptu interview following Tomlin's news conference Monday. "Our integrity means more than anything to us. It means more than anything." Dan Rooney also said the possibly premature reports Saturday that Tomlin had been selected didn't influence the Steelers' decision. "We said all along that we were going to follow a process and the process was what was going to come," Rooney said. Tomlin began to feel nervous Sunday when he hadn't heard anything from the Steelers, and wondered if the stories had hurt his chances. "But it wasn't confusing for me," he said. "The Rooneys were very upfront about the process — where it was going and how it was going. At times I thought some of the reports, the false reports, were comical. It wasn't necessarily funny when they weren't going in my favor, but, you know, it's part of the process. I understand that." Tomlin, Grimm and Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera were identified Jan. 15 by the Steelers as their three finalists — even though they knew they couldn't hold a second interview with Rivera until this week at the earliest. Rivera never did get a second interview. "He (Tomlin) probably was a long shot when we began our discussions," Art Rooney II said. Director of football operations Kevin Colbert wouldn't say why Tomlin was chosen over Grimm, who was a Chicago Bears finalist three years ago. Grimm, the offensive line coach, was promoted to assistant head coach after he stayed with the Steelers and didn't join the Bears. "I think, again, we want to talk about Mike," Colbert said. "It was obvious when we made the choice that we were all very comfortable and we're happy he's here." The Steelers ended up choosing neither of the two favorites when Cowher resigned on Jan. 5, former offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt and Grimm. Whisenhunt became the Arizona Cardinals' coach on Jan. 14 without learning if the Steelers would have promoted him.

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