Deputy also Steelers' security fixer
— -- PITTSBURGH -- Bleeding from a stab wound that perforated his bowel, 6-foot-7, 325-pound Steelers offensive tackle Mike Adams was slumped in a chair, drunk and disoriented, when police arrived at a Cambodian restaurant on Pittsburgh's South Side just after 3 a.m.
"I gotta tell you this: I'm a Pittsburgh Steeler," said Adams, placing his hand on officer Juan Terry's shoulder.
Terry told him: "I don't care. I'll leave 'Occupation' blank if you want."
Later, when he filled out his report, the officer indeed left Adams' occupation blank. But Pittsburgh police extended an even greater courtesy to Adams and his team that June 2013 morning: Another officer on the scene called Lt. Jack Kearney -- the longtime point man on messy Steelers business, known in some circles as "The Cleaner."
Kearney is both a high-ranking Allegheny County sheriff's officer and, since 2001, the head of security for Pittsburgh's iconic NFL franchise. In that role, he answers to president Art Rooney II, who oversaw Robert Mueller III's recent investigation into the Ray Rice domestic violence incident alongside New York Giants president John Mara.
Kearney earned his colorful nickname by using his authority to smooth over and manage a variety of thorny legal issues involving the Steelers, according to an "Outside the Lines" examination of court documents and police records, and interviews with law enforcement officers, lawyers and players. Sheriff's deputies are prohibited by policy from holding off-duty positions with "any potential for a conflict-of-interest," but on numerous occasions, Kearney has acted on the Steelers' behalf: expediting gun permits for players, providing damage control on a domestic violence case and delivering 24-hour assistance that sometimes blurs the lines between law enforcement agent and protector, according to multiple sources in and out of the sheriff's office.
In one case, U.S. marshals believed the Steelers, with Kearney as security director, tipped off a player who had been implicated in a Las Vegas prostitution ring, touching off a day-long manhunt that delayed the player's arrest, federal officials told "Outside the Lines." After the marshals complained, Kearney's supervisor told him to "keep in mind his primary jobs" but concluded he had not violated department regulations.
In the Adams case, the Steelers' top rookie in 2012 had been stabbed during a drunken melee, but details of the crime initially were few, and whether he was an innocent victim or played some role in the altercation was unclear.
Police reports and court documents show that Kearney went to the hospital and met with Adams -- a conversation that occurred hours before detectives interviewed the player for the first time. Shortly after, Kearney moved Adams' truck -- which would become a potential piece of evidence -- to the Steelers' practice facility. In his role as a sheriff's deputy, he then led the investigation to locate one of the suspects. When the case went to trial, defense attorneys believed Kearney was so compromised that they appealed to the judge to prevent him from wearing his sheriff's uniform to testify.
The three defendants were acquitted of all major charges. During closing arguments, the defense suggested that Adams changed his story significantly after speaking with Kearney in the hospital. One of the defendants, Dquay Means, who spent 11 months in jail awaiting trial, is suing Adams for "malicious prosecution." On Wednesday, Adams was deposed in that case.
Beth Pittinger, executive director of Pittsburgh's Citizen Police Review Board, said Kearney's position as head of security allows the Steelers to use his publicly endowed law enforcement powers to protect the team's "property" -- the players -- and "minimize the risk, and the harm, for the owner."
"That's not what we're paying for," said Pittinger, whose board investigates complaints about the Pittsburgh Police Department but does not have jurisdiction over the Sheriff's Office. "We're paying for law enforcement to provide and maintain order in our communities, to keep people safe, and free from harm. We're not here to subsidize the operations of billion-dollar entities."
Attempts to interview Kearney underscored his tangled interests.
Kearney initially referred an "Outside the Lines" interview request to the Steelers, who declined to allow him to speak as a team employee. The Steelers referred a decision about whether Kearney could be interviewed as a law enforcement agent to William P. Mullen, the Allegheny County sheriff. After Mullen granted Kearney permission, Kearney did not respond to several interview requests.
Mullen defended Kearney's dual roles in a series of emails.
"Lieutenant Kearney has an excellent history as a member of the Allegheny County Sheriff's Office," Mullen wrote. "Unless facts and circumstances exist to the contrary, which are completely unknown to me, there is no reason for me to believe Lieutenant Kearney permits his secondary employment to affect his performance as an Allegheny County Sheriff's Office employee."
The Steelers declined to make Rooney available.
"Jack Kearney has assisted the Steelers with security for players, coaches and other staff since 2001," the team said in a statement. "His services are provided on a part-time basis, with the majority of his time coming during the football season. We are not aware of any conflicts in regard to his time on Steelers matters, nor are we aware of any conflicts of interest."
Allegheny County Sheriff's Office regulations prohibit employees from moonlighting more than 30 hours a week, performing off-duty tasks on their shifts or accepting gifts and gratuities without approval, among other restrictions. On mandatory off-duty employment forms approved annually by Mullen, Kearney indicated that he may be called upon to perform tasks for the Steelers any day of the week.
After winning the championship in 2009, the Steelers awarded Kearney a Super Bowl ring, which he proudly showed around the sheriff's office, several deputies recalled. Mullen said he considered Kearney's Super Bowl ring "part of his salary, which is paid by the Steelers." Kearney is not required to report his Steelers salary to the Sheriff's Office.
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