It's not based on accusations, it's based on facts.
Facts such as:
*He's repeatedly using bad judgment, from the motorcycle to these multiple sexual assault claims. Bad personal conduct means bad press for the team, the league and all athletes who will be stereotyped because of the actions of a prominent player.
*He's voluntarily putting himself in these situations and in with these crowds. He's choosing to be put in compromising situations.
*This is not the first time he's been involved in a situation like this, whether pursued legally or not. The "wrong place, wrong time" defense only works once. After that, it becomes a pattern of behavior. His two accusations/incidents were not too far apart, time-wise either. It doesn't appear he's learned from his previous mess, or even his motorcycle accident. Sure, it was an "accident", but he doesn't seem to value his career or realize he's an asset of the team that needs to be protected.
*Other players have been punished for far less-severe situations. Just because law enforcement or the legal system doesn't spell out a decision, that doesn't mean no crime was committed. In this case, there was apparently "not enough evidence to prosecute and win a case" according to the DA. We really don't have to bring up OJ or Kobe Bryant, do we?
It may not even take a decision by Goodell to give him some time off. The Rooneys and Steelers are considering doing it themselves and after trading Holmes for equally-stupid but less severe offenses...they're serious.
Steelers ponder suspension of Roethlisberger
It seems like they're preparing for the worst-case scenario and not having Roethlisberger permanently...they just re-signed the ancient Charlie Batch for 2 more years.
Steelers' Batch accepts two-year deal
04-13-2010, 12:57 PM
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