Roethlisberger Redux

It appears as though the Roethlisberger Situation has not come fully to a close. In an article published earlier today, ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio has indicated that Roethlisberger was almost charged in a similar incident in Boston.

While I don't usually lend much credence to what Florio publishes as news, this is another very unfortunate incident that is linked to Big Ben. That means that it's possible that he either was accused, was almost charged, or was sued in three separate incidents.

All this news comes after another incident involving Santonio Holmes, who was traded to the New York Jets for a fifth round pick.

If nothing else, that means that the Steelers currently have Jeff Reed, James Harrison, and Ben Roethlisberger under contract and all of those gentlemen were involved in at least one unsavory incident. That serves to tarnish the "good guy" image that the Steelers and the Rooneys have spent so much time and energy trying to maintain.

Well, for one, the Rooneys have already absolved Harrison, considering that his incident occurred a couple of years ago and that it happened during the Easter holiday... which somehow absolves him in the spirit of Christian forgiveness. I have to personally vouch for Reed in that he's a good kicker and that none of his incidents were anything above and beyond what I personally have done in the fits of a drunken stupor. Now, I've never assaulted a towel dispenser, but I have definitely said things that I should not have to the police and most certainly have urinated upon or otherwise damaged (or stolen) property that was not mine under the influence of alcohol.

And, ultimately, Reed is a kicker. They are known for being eccentric and I am personally grateful that he never tore his ACL celebrating a kick or has given up a touchdown in a Super Bowl on a boneheaded play. So... Reed is forgiven.

The issue with Roethlisberger is that, right or wrong, he plays a vital position, is the face of the franchise, and has a number of endorsement deals in place. Fans, players, and pundits hold him to a higher standard than they do kickers or linebackers.

From the Steeler fans that I have talked to, they are separated into two camps:

1. Wow. I'm glad he didn't get charged with anything so that we can win some games.
2. He's a douchebag and I don't care how many games we lose without him. We need to cut him.

It has already been firmly established by history that the Rooneys don't care what the fans think. I have repeatedly sent e-mails to them and I know they read my blog and they have not responded to my suggestions. In addition, they charge seat licenses and conduct player evaluations according to their own policies, but that's obviously secondary.

At this point, the Rooneys have a decision to make. There is no conceivable way that Roethlisberger will not be a distraction this offseason and, in all likelihood, he will be a distraction in future offseasons. The allegations of the cases against him cannot be disputed. Every other allegation that comes down the pike -- and, if history is anything to shout about, there will be more allegations -- will include Ben's past discretions. Roethlisberger and the Steelers cannot hide from history and there is only so much that can be swept under the rug.

The question remains: How many offseasons of distractions can be endured? The Steelers juiced in the 70s and had a number of bitter labor disputes. In the 90s, they had a couple of salary cap infractions and some players that got out of control at times. In this decade and the next, they face even more distractions. How many black marks -- from women-beaters to drunken kickers to philandering quarterbacks that may or may not have crossed a line -- can they endure before they lose the image that they have worked so hard to preserve?

I will always love the Steelers. I will remain committed to the Steelers. But, as the allegations and stories continue to pour in, it will be incredibly difficult to defend the Steelers.

I don't know about anyone else, but I will find it increasingly difficult to fall back on six Super Bowl championships in the face of mounting evidence. Do we want to become Cowboys fans? Bengals fans? One of the strengths of Steeler Nation is the single-minded focus of its purpose: Good guys who went out and won games and shook the hands of their bested opponents at the end of the game. Do we want to imagine their bested opponents saying, "Hey, make sure your quarterback doesn't rape anyone in the post-game party"?

I don't. I think we've won enough games, we've had enough success, and I'm willing to endure some dark seasons in light of a return to following the rules, having good guys on the team, and the spirit of sportsmanship. Let the teams that haven't won more Super Bowls than anyone else in history hire all the degenerates and sociopaths that run a fast 40 time.

I think we preserve our pride and our dignity by releasing (or trading) a player like Roethlisberger and not having his taint on our franchise. I understand that it's a business, but I think that more and more patrons would be proud to plunk down their hard-earned dollars to watch a team that values character as well as talent.

I'm not saying that Ben Roethlisberger is a bad person or a bad player, he's simply misguided. And flawed. And unfixable. And we don't need that kind of player on our team.