The Smoking Gun

On a day in which the news of a team should have been reserved to the opening of free agency and all it entails; saying goodbye to old faces, and interviewing candidates to fill roster holes, Steeler Nation was inundated with news of another type of hole being filled, as once again, team leader Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault. This time Big Ben's alleged transgressions occurred in a Milledgeville, Georgia bar, and his accuser had the wherewithal to go the hospital for a full evaluation. Obviously, someone gained some knowledge through the highly publicized 2009 events in Lake Tahoe, and sadly, someone else learned nothing from it.

Although everything is speculative at this point, the reports suggest that the Large One and his posse of oversized jocks were 'mingling' with a group of local hotties, and then at some point, something (and maybe someone) went down in the night club ladies' room.

Again, this blog is not accusing Ben of any wrongdoing, but if he did, in fact, hook up with a local coed skank in a public ladies' room, as his legal team is still wading through the bullshit associated with the Tahoe incident, then it's time for the team to evaluate the cumulative damage of all those concussions that #7 has taken. Clearly, nothing short of brain damage, mixed with a dozen or so Grey Goose and cranberries, could explain such a horrific lack of judgement. This incident could simply prove that while Ben is not a criminal, he is a man who continues to display a lack of discretion.

Let's all hope this all blows over, with or without some go-away moolah from the Large One's wallet. My concern is that while Ben is supposed to be the torch bearer for a once squeaky clean organization, he is, at least in the public eye, steadily digressing into one of those meathead jocks that does what he wants, when he wants, at whatever cost. If the Tiger Woods booty call exposition showed us anything, it's that image does matter once an athlete reaches a certain status.

America is becoming increasingly intolerant of the Charles Barkley philosophy of "I'm not a role model", and let's face it, Pittsburgh is still a small town with small town values. Between Ben's best imitations of Bill Clinton, the police blotter antics of clowns like Jeff Reed and Matt Spaeth, the drug possession by Santonio Holmes, and the domestic abuse incidents of James Harrison and (departed) Ced Wilson, the Steelers are starting to take on an unsavory resemblance to that team in Cincy that we constantly ridicule. But the Bungals are the criminals, and our men are the good guys, because they wear black and gold, right???

This latest drama could very well shape up as another situation of someone looking to cash in on an opportunity, however, should this develop into a criminal matter, the Rooney family could find themselves in another tight spot. Ben is the focal point of this organization, and probably the best player and drawing card the team has seen in 25+ years. If these accusations develop into charges, turning a blind eye, as was done with the Reed and Harrison situations, will once again garner the label of the double standard. The major difference between Ben and guys like Reed and Harrison is that Ben is the man...the leader of this franchise, and regardless of this outcome, he needs to start behaving like it.

For now, it's once again in the hands of those conducting the investigation. The reports out of Milledgeville seem to be mixed, and this Atlanta article takes on a flavor that Ben was just out having a good time. Time will only tell on this matter, but now I know for certain who the Steelers' franchise tag should go to, for his tireless work in the trenches...Big Ben's lawyer.