Pittsburgh City Council approves plan to allocate $1M in taxpayer money for NFL Draft after debate

PITTSBURGH — The 2026 NFL Draft is set to be held in Pittsburgh, but with less than two years to plan, the debate over who is footing the bill took center stage during Wednesday’s City Council meeting.

City Council unanimously voted to approve one million in taxpayer dollars to support the 2026 NFL Draft, but not without a lengthy and at times heated discussion about transparency between the mayor’s office and the city council which has the final approval.

RELATED COVERAGE >>> New resolution would allocate $1M in taxpayer money to fund 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh

“We had no idea, I had no idea this was coming down the pike,” said Councilman Anthony Coghill.

Some members of council argued they were not aware of the funding promise until September 17 when Councilman Khari Mosley presented the resolution. Last week when we spoke with Councilman Anthony Coghill, he immediately voiced concerns.

“I don’t know if we are in a position to give that financial contribution you know we need vehicles in every department across the board we need paving we need a lot of things so the next two or three years are going to be very lean,” Coghill shared with Channel 11 News after the resolution was introduced.

Deputy Mayor Jake Pawlak addressed those concerns on Wednesday, he shared that the office followed their standard protocol; placing the resolution on the agenda the Friday before the meeting and notifying the chair of the intergovernmental committee, councilman Mosley.

“I understand the concerns that some members raised today we are happy to revisit how we can avoid misunderstandings in the future. The important thing is that everyone agrees about the valuable contribution that this event will have to our city,” Pawlak said.

VisitPittsburgh who will oversee how the money is spent breaking down the collective budget and highlighting the contributions.

“A million dollars we asked from the city and thankfully, the city council has backed up the commitment, three million from the county, two million from VisitPittsburgh and our corporate community is coming together with another five million,” said Jerad Bachar the CEO of VisitPittsburgh.

Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey released a statement Wednesday evening following the meeting saying:

“Pittsburgh is a city that many people take pride in calling ‘home,’ a great place to live and a fantastic place to visit. Hosting the NFL Draft in 2026 will allow us to showcase what makes this city so special and highlight the integral role we play in the story of this beloved sport. We’re thankful the NFL believes in the City’s ability to host this event and provide football and sports fans alike with a memorable experience.  I’d also like to thank the Steelers, VisitPittsburgh, and other regional stakeholders for their collaborative spirit and commitment to showcasing everything our city has to offer.”

Moving forward the mayor’s office agreed to re-evaluate future communication, a promise that turned critics into supporters.

“I had conversations with VisitPittsburgh, and I have very close ties to the Pittsburgh Steelers I knew that this was the right thing to do,” Coghill said.

The resolution was ultimately approved.

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