mesaSteeler
04-13-2010, 07:06 AM
Bires: No respect for Roethlisberger
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By: Mike Bires
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/sports_details/article/1501/2010/april/13/bires-no-respect-for-roethlisberger.html
Tuesday April 13, 2010 07:25 AM
PITTSBURGH _ I don’t know about you, but I could care less if Ben Roethlisberger ever throws another pass for the Steelers.
It’s said that time heals all wounds and that we’re a forgiving people. Still, I’ve lost all respect for the man.
He may have been cleared on a rape charge, but he obviously has some serious issues to resolve.
And so do the Steelers.
On Monday when a Georgia district attorney announced he didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute, he did provide ugly details of what happened in a college-town bar in the wee hours of March 5.
Those details of Roethlisberger’s 28th birthday party escapade _ he called it “Ben-a-palooza” _ paint a disturbing portrait of the kind of guy Roethlisberger really is.
By trying to take advantage of an intoxicated 20-year-old college student, Roethlibserger shamed himself, his family, his team and the NFL.
How can any parent ever again buy a Steelers’ jersey with the No. 7 on it and give it to his kid?
Why would any one, child or adult, ever want to wear a Roethlisberger jersey?
"We do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes,” Fred Bright, the Ocmulgee (Ga.) Judicial Circuit District Attorney, explained during his 55-minute press conference.
Bright later said that if he were Roethlisberger’s father, he’d tell him to “Grow up” and that “You're supposed to stand for something … you need to be a role model for your team, your city, the NFL. You can do better.”
With TVs in the Steelers’ headquarters tuned into Bright’s riveting press conference, a team executive walked by a group of reporters and said, “Good news.”
In other words, this particular fellow was happy Roethlisberger will be running the offense this year and perhaps for years to come.
But there’s a very good chance Roethlisberger won’t play in the season opener.
This week, Roethlisberger is expected to meet with Roger Goodell, who’s made it a priority during his four-year reign as NFL commissioner to strictly enforce the league’s personal conduct code.
Since Roethlisberger is already being sued by a woman from Lake Tahoe, Nev., for sexual assault, Goodell is almost sure to suspend Roethlisberger. It could be a game. It could be two. It could be more.
Even if Goodell doesn’t suspend Roethlisberger, the Steelers should.
You would think that team president Art Rooney II wouldn’t want to come across as a hypocrite.
After all, the Steelers did unload their other hero from the Super Bowl XLIII win. On Monday, wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who caught the game-winning TD pass from Roethlisberger in SB43, was basically given away to the New York Jets for just a fifth-round draft pick.
Granted, Holmes has had several legal problems since he was drafted in 2006. That’s why his latest brushes with the law _ an incident in an Orlando bar on March 7 and a four-game suspension handed down Monday for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy _ forced the Steelers to sever ties with him.
For his mistakes, Holmes was sent packing.
We shall see what punishment Roethlisberger receives from the Steelers.
Besides suspending Roethlisberger, the Steelers could also order him to seek counseling. If he doesn’t comply, they could cut him.
If Roethlisberger agrees to get professional help, the Steelers should tell him that he already has two strikes against him and that one more incident will be strike 3.
Yes, these are indeed sad and troubling times for the Steelers, who for years have been regarded as one of the most respected franchises in any sport.
Kicker Jeff Reed had two run-ins with the law last year (smashing a towel dispenser in a convenient store, and disordery conduct and public drunkeness).
Linebacker James Harrison was arrested for simple assault two years ago for hitting his girlfriend.
Holmes couldn’t stay out of trouble.
But what’s really sad is that the face of the franchise _ the man who signed an 8-year, $102 million contract two years ago _ is among those soiling the Steelers’ once-proud image.
Nine months ago, Roethlisberger was forced to discuss a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him at a press conference at team headquarters. Standing behind Roethlisberger that day in a show of support were coach Mike Tomlin and personnel director Kevin Colbert.
When Roethlisberger met the press Monday night, Tomlin and Colbert were nowhere to be found.
How can anyone in the organization respect Roethlisberger right now?
TEXT SIZE Increase text size Decrease text size
By: Mike Bires
Beaver County Times
http://www.timesonline.com/sports/sports_details/article/1501/2010/april/13/bires-no-respect-for-roethlisberger.html
Tuesday April 13, 2010 07:25 AM
PITTSBURGH _ I don’t know about you, but I could care less if Ben Roethlisberger ever throws another pass for the Steelers.
It’s said that time heals all wounds and that we’re a forgiving people. Still, I’ve lost all respect for the man.
He may have been cleared on a rape charge, but he obviously has some serious issues to resolve.
And so do the Steelers.
On Monday when a Georgia district attorney announced he didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute, he did provide ugly details of what happened in a college-town bar in the wee hours of March 5.
Those details of Roethlisberger’s 28th birthday party escapade _ he called it “Ben-a-palooza” _ paint a disturbing portrait of the kind of guy Roethlisberger really is.
By trying to take advantage of an intoxicated 20-year-old college student, Roethlibserger shamed himself, his family, his team and the NFL.
How can any parent ever again buy a Steelers’ jersey with the No. 7 on it and give it to his kid?
Why would any one, child or adult, ever want to wear a Roethlisberger jersey?
"We do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes,” Fred Bright, the Ocmulgee (Ga.) Judicial Circuit District Attorney, explained during his 55-minute press conference.
Bright later said that if he were Roethlisberger’s father, he’d tell him to “Grow up” and that “You're supposed to stand for something … you need to be a role model for your team, your city, the NFL. You can do better.”
With TVs in the Steelers’ headquarters tuned into Bright’s riveting press conference, a team executive walked by a group of reporters and said, “Good news.”
In other words, this particular fellow was happy Roethlisberger will be running the offense this year and perhaps for years to come.
But there’s a very good chance Roethlisberger won’t play in the season opener.
This week, Roethlisberger is expected to meet with Roger Goodell, who’s made it a priority during his four-year reign as NFL commissioner to strictly enforce the league’s personal conduct code.
Since Roethlisberger is already being sued by a woman from Lake Tahoe, Nev., for sexual assault, Goodell is almost sure to suspend Roethlisberger. It could be a game. It could be two. It could be more.
Even if Goodell doesn’t suspend Roethlisberger, the Steelers should.
You would think that team president Art Rooney II wouldn’t want to come across as a hypocrite.
After all, the Steelers did unload their other hero from the Super Bowl XLIII win. On Monday, wide receiver Santonio Holmes, who caught the game-winning TD pass from Roethlisberger in SB43, was basically given away to the New York Jets for just a fifth-round draft pick.
Granted, Holmes has had several legal problems since he was drafted in 2006. That’s why his latest brushes with the law _ an incident in an Orlando bar on March 7 and a four-game suspension handed down Monday for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy _ forced the Steelers to sever ties with him.
For his mistakes, Holmes was sent packing.
We shall see what punishment Roethlisberger receives from the Steelers.
Besides suspending Roethlisberger, the Steelers could also order him to seek counseling. If he doesn’t comply, they could cut him.
If Roethlisberger agrees to get professional help, the Steelers should tell him that he already has two strikes against him and that one more incident will be strike 3.
Yes, these are indeed sad and troubling times for the Steelers, who for years have been regarded as one of the most respected franchises in any sport.
Kicker Jeff Reed had two run-ins with the law last year (smashing a towel dispenser in a convenient store, and disordery conduct and public drunkeness).
Linebacker James Harrison was arrested for simple assault two years ago for hitting his girlfriend.
Holmes couldn’t stay out of trouble.
But what’s really sad is that the face of the franchise _ the man who signed an 8-year, $102 million contract two years ago _ is among those soiling the Steelers’ once-proud image.
Nine months ago, Roethlisberger was forced to discuss a sexual assault lawsuit filed against him at a press conference at team headquarters. Standing behind Roethlisberger that day in a show of support were coach Mike Tomlin and personnel director Kevin Colbert.
When Roethlisberger met the press Monday night, Tomlin and Colbert were nowhere to be found.
How can anyone in the organization respect Roethlisberger right now?