Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago
As I've said before, I wouldn't have a problem with Roethlisberger being cut.
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Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago

Updated: April 21, 2010, 7:38 PM ET
Roethlisberger suspended by NFL 
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was suspended Wednesday for six games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, the league announced.

Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down the punishment a week after prosecutors decided not to charge Roethlisberger in a case involving a 20-year-old college student who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Georgia nightclub in March.

Roethlisberger also was ordered to undergo a comprehensive behavioral evaluation. Goodell will evaluate Roethlisberger's progress before the season and might consider reducing the suspension to four games.

However, a failure to comply with the NFL's ruling might lead to a longer suspension.

Roethlisberger is barred from attending any Steelers' offseason activity after Wednesday until he completes the evaluation. He can participate in training camp and preseason games this summer as long as he is cleared by the evaluators and Goodell.

Roethlisberger is the first player suspended by Goodell under the conduct policy who hasn't been arrested or charged with a crime.

"I agree and support the decision the commissioner made today," Steelers president Art Rooney II said Wednesday in a conference call with reporters.

The Steelers have begun contacting teams about trading a top-10 pick for Roethlisberger, an NFL source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. The Steelers have called the Rams, 49ers, Raiders, Bills, Jaguars, Seahawks and Browns, the source said.

The Rams and Bills are known not to be interested, the source said.


Rooney didn't deny that the team was shopping Roethlisberger but didn't verify the report, either, when he answered a question during the conference call.

"We really can't answer questions about trades, particularly [right before the NFL draft]," Rooney said.

What the Steelers can't quantify is what effect Roethlisberger's absence will have on a team one season removed from winning its second Super Bowl in four years.

"You're going to have stumbling blocks," wide receiver Antwaan Randle El said. "You've got to be able to stay together and move through it, because if you don't, you'll have the problems later on."

There are plenty of championship pieces remaining from that team, including 18 starters, for the Steelers to contend again. The schedule appears to be accommodating -- three of the first four games, those that Roethlisberger are certain to miss, are against non-playoff teams.

The Steelers' bye week falls after their fourth game, meaning Roethlisberger might have two weeks to practice before he plays, if his suspension is reduced.

There's nothing to suggest NFL schedule makers were aware of the length of Roethlisberger's suspension in advance. Still, the first of the Steelers' five prime-time games isn't until Oct. 31, or after he would be back.

Some teammates don't doubt he will be back, either, despite the enormity of the suspension. Or the animosity that exists among a Steelers fan base that is disgusted with his behavior -- to some, a quarterback sack now means throwing Roethlisberger's No. 7 jersey into a trash can.

"I think if Ben has shown anything, it's that he's able to recover whenever he has been faced with adversity," safety Troy Polamalu said. "Everything is not always peachy. Not everybody has that unblemished image. If he has that repentance, the way he is going to have to have it to continue to live his life, this will be the great example of that."

Sitting out all six games would cost Roethlisberger an estimated $2.8 million of his $102 million total deal, though the penalty could be shortened to four games for good behavior.

The Steelers also were ordered to remit a portion of Roethlisberger's salary to the NFL for having two players suspended for violations of the league's personal conduct or drug policies. Wide receiver Santonio Holmes was suspended for four games before being traded to the New York Jets this month.

A second player being suspended requires the offending team to pay the NFL 25 percent of the second player's forfeited salary, with the maximum amount being $200,000.

Goodell said before acting, he interviewed Roethlisberger on April 13, and talked to current and former players and the players' union. He also reviewed information from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and Milledgeville police, and talked privately with Georgia district attorney Fred Bright. In addition, Goodell said he listened to recommendations from the quarterback's representatives and took into account information learned by the NFL office regarding the alleged assault.

"The Personal Conduct Policy makes clear that I may impose discipline 'even where the conduct does not result in conviction of a crime' as, for example, where the conduct 'imposes inherent danger to the safety and well being of another person,'" Goodell stated in his letter to Roethlisberger.

"As the District Attorney concluded, the extensive investigatory record shows that you contributed to the irresponsible consumption of alcohol by purchasing [or facilitating the purchase of] alcoholic beverages for underage college students, at least some of whom were likely already intoxicated. There is no question that the excessive consumption of alcohol that evening put the students and yourself at risk. The Personal Conduct Policy also states that discipline is appropriate for conduct that 'undermines or puts at risk the integrity and reputation of the NFL, NFL clubs, or NFL players.' By any measure, your conduct satisfies that standard."

More excerpts from Goodell's letter to the Steelers quarterback:

"I recognize that the allegations in Georgia were disputed and that they did not result in criminal charges being filed against you. My decision today is not based on a finding that you violated Georgia law, or on a conclusion that differs from that of the local prosecutor. That said, you are held to a higher standard as an NFL player, and there is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible, or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans."

"Your conduct raises sufficient concerns that I believe effective intervention now is the best step for your personal and professional welfare."

"I believe it is essential that you take full advantage of the resources available to you. My ultimate disposition in this matter will be influenced by the extent to which you do so, what you learn as a result, and a demonstrated commitment to making positive change in your life."

"In your six years in the NFL, you have first thrilled and now disappointed a great many people. I urge you to take full advantage of this opportunity to get your life and career back on track."

Goodell has aggressively dealt with players who violated the personal conduct policy throughout his 3 years as commissioner. He banned the Titans' Adam "Pacman" Jones for one year, and suspended Chicago's Tank Johnson and Cincinnati's Chris Henry eight games each in 2007. Henry died last year of a head injury after falling off the back of a truck.

Last year, Michael Vick was suspended for six games, later shortened to two games, after serving 18 months in jail for his role in a dogfighting ring.

In all, 16 players have been suspended under the conduct policy by Goodell.

On Tuesday, the Steelers traded a seventh-round pick in this week's NFL draft to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for quarterback Byron Leftwich, adding depth to the position in anticipation of the Roethlisberger suspension.

Leftwich's contract has been extended by one year through 2011, a source told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. He will earn $1.8 million in base salary this season and $2 million in 2011.

Leftwich backed up Roethlisberger in 2008, when the Steelers won the Super Bowl. He knows offensive coordinator Bruce Arians' system and could be ready to play Sept. 12 when the Steelers open against the Atlanta Falcons.

The Steelers play three teams that didn't make the playoffs this past season -- the Falcons, Bucs and Tennessee Titans -- plus the division rival Baltimore Ravens in their first four games.

Pittsburgh hosts the Cleveland Browns in its fifth game and travels to Miami to face the Dolphins in its sixth game. The Steelers have a bye in Week 5.

Pittsburgh already had third-year quarterback Dennis Dixon and longtime backup Charlie Batch under contract. Batch has been injured each of the past two seasons. Dixon has started only one NFL game but likely will compete with Leftwich in training camp to be the early-season starter.

In an e-mail to ESPN, David F. Walbert, the accuser's attorney, had no comment on the Roethlisberger suspension.

The NFL and the Steelers were angered and embarrassed by the tawdry details of Roethlisberger's night out March 3.

In a statement to police, the 20-year-old college student said Roethlisberger encouraged her and her friends to take numerous shots of alcohol. Then one of his bodyguards escorted her into a hallway at the Capital City nightclub in Milledgeville, Ga., sat her on a stool and left. She said Roethlisberger walked down the hallway and exposed himself.

"I told him it wasn't OK, no, we don't need to do this and I proceeded to get up and try to leave," she said. "I went to the first door I saw, which happened to be a bathroom."

According to her statement, Roethlisberger then followed her into the bathroom and shut the door.

"I still said no, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me," she wrote.

Two of her friends said they saw a bodyguard lead her into the hallway and then saw Roethlisberger follow. They said they couldn't see their friend but knew she was drunk and were worried about her.

Ann Marie Lubatti told police that she told the bodyguard, "This isn't right. My friend is back there with Ben. She needs to come back right now."

Lubatti said the man -- whom Georgia investigators later identified as Pennsylvania state trooper Ed Joyner -- wouldn't look her in the eye and said he didn't know what she was talking about.

Milledgeville is a central Georgia college town about 30 miles from where the quarterback owns a lake home.

The statements were among hundreds of pages of the case file made public last week by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Last week, Steelers president Rooney said the team would have imposed sanctions on Roethlisberger before now, but doing so would have permitted the players' union to appeal any penalties. Any suspension imposed by Goodell can be appealed only to him.

Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl winner and the highest-paid player in franchise history with a $102 million contract, also is being sued in a civil case by a Nevada hotel employee who has accused him of sexually assaulting her in 2008.

Roethlisberger practiced Monday and Tuesday with the Steelers, but he did not talk with reporters.

It was also announced on Wednesday that Joyner can no longer continue to work as a personal assistant to Roethlisberger because he was there when the Steelers star was accused of sexual assault in Georgia.

The Pennsylvania State Police said that Joyner's outside work exceeded the scope of what was permitted. They also say "he is alleged to have demeaned the image" of the state police.

Joyner got permission from the state police in 2005 to work as Roethlisberger's assistant. State police regulations require troopers to get permission for any outside work for which they'll receive compensation or "consideration."

Joyner did not immediately return a call seeking comment at his barracks in Washington, Pa., where he remains on duty.

Spokeswoman Lt. Myra Taylor said Wednesday she can't "get into the particulars" of what prompted the state police to rescind Joyner's permission to work for Roethlisberger, except to say it was the result of state police brass "reviewing the initial report provided to us by Georgia authorities."

"If what you initially read is troubling, you have an obligation to take action even after that preliminary review," Taylor said.

Chris Mortensen is ESPN's senior NFL analyst. Adam Schefter is ESPN's NFL Insider. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.



From the sidebar:

NFL Conduct Violation Suspensions

The 16 players suspended under the personal conduct policy by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell since he took office in 2006:

Rocky Bernard (assault, 1 game)

Michael Boley (domestic abuse, 1 game)

Fred Evans (fight with police, 2 games)

Chris Henry (various arrests, 8 games)

Larry Johnson (simple assault, 1 game)

Tank Johnson (2-month jail term, 8 games)

Pacman Jones (various arrests, 16 games, 6 games)

Marshawn Lynch (weapons violation, 3 games)

Ricky Manning (felony assault, 1 game)

Brandon Marshall (various, including assaulting girlfriend, 1 game)

Bryant McKinnie (street fight, 4 games)

Rob Reynolds (domestic disturbance, 16 games)

Ben Roethlisberger (misconduct-no charges/arrests, 6 games)

Donte' Stallworth (DUI-vehicular homicide, 16 games)

Fabian Washington (domestic violence, 1 game)

Michael Vick (dogfighting, 2 games)

-- Associated Press



Backup Plan
The Steelers are 5-5 in games not started by Ben Roethlisberger since 2004.

QB              Record 
Charlie Batch     3-1 
Tommy Maddox      2-3 
Dennis Dixon      0-1


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dhazer
14 years ago
Ben will be traded tonight All the news stations out here say its pretty much done deal.

I just don't understand why they want to trade a qb that will score no matter what it takes lol 😛
Just Imagine this for the next 6-9 years. What a ride it will be 🙂 (PS, Zero should charge for this)
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Zero2Cool
14 years ago
lol geez
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Pack93z
14 years ago
At least the crowd respected the kid and his wish...

Very wise move by the NFL... I am sure the Rooney's were fuming over the reaction... but I still don't think they have the balls to move him.

"She said no" chant a preview of what's to come
Posted by Gregg Rosenthal on April 23, 2010 10:46 AM ET
It was a moment that won't soon be forgotten by anyone who attended the 2010 NFL Draft.

The incredible acoustics of Radio City Music Hall amplified and made the chant crystal clear as the Steelers were set to make their pick.

"She said no, she said no, she said no," the balconies roared.

In the NFL's infinite wisdom -- absolutely no sarcasm here -- Roger Goodell then took the stage with Zachary from the Make-A-Wish foundation to announce the Steelers pick.

When Zachary hit the stage, the chant stopped cold and the crowd rose. The kid got a standing ovation. The sequence was classic New York.

The moment was saved, but the chant was a sobering reminder of what Ben Roethlisberger and the NFL will face next season. Roethlisberger's story has crossed over to mainstream news channels and angered countless fans. He's a target.

Michael Vick inspired even greater vitriol, but he stayed away from the NFL for two years. And he's not a starting quarterback anymore.

Roethlisberger will be on the field, with the ball in his hands, for five national television appearances this season.

Expect to hear a lot more chants like the one we heard Thursday night.

"PFTalk" wrote:


"The oranges are dry; the apples are mealy; and the papayas... I don't know what's going on with the papayas!"
Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago
What a pack of jackals. America should bring back the gladiatorial games -- throw suspected criminals in the ring and let them fight to the death. Sort of a trial by ordeal. I'm sure they would be well attended.

I was happy for the kid, though. Anyone know what's wrong with him?
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Pack93z
14 years ago


I was happy for the kid, though. Anyone know what's wrong with him?

"Nonstopdrivel" wrote:



http://www.tonic.com/article/steelers-fan-announces-teams-first-pick-nfl-draft/ 


Zach Hatfield is a 15-year-old from Belfry, Ky., a town in eastern Kentucky near the West Virginia border. He's also had an extremely tough year. He was recently diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia, a cancer of the blood and bone marrow. Then, in December, he and his family lost both their house and their possessions in a fire, forcing them to relocate to the Cincinnati area while Zach undergoes treatment. It's a lot for a 15-year-old to handle, but things are starting to turn around for him, courtesy of the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Zach also happens to be a passionate Pittsburgh Steelers fan, who never misses a game on TV and whose favorite Steelers are Troy Polamalu, Hines Ward and James Harrison. His wish? To announce the team's first-round draft pick at tonight's NFL Draft. And, amazingly, that's just what he's scheduled to do, soon to become the envy of every Terrible Towel-holding Steeler fan. Unless the Steelers pull a last-minute trade to switch draft positions, that pick should be the 18th pick in the first round. To see Zach, you can watch the draft on either the NFL Network or ESPN, starting at 7:30 p.m. EST.

In addition, Zach and his family, who are in New York to attend all three days of the NFL Draft, were also given the opportunity to visit the Statue of Liberty, go on a tour of the city and go to the NFL Play 60 Youth Football Festival that took place in Central Park on Wednesday. Make-A-Wish Foundation, which is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, has granted wishes to nearly 190,000 children who have life-threatening medical conditions. It's inspirational work they're doing and I'm sure Zach will have an experience he'll never forget.

To learn a bit more about Zach, check out this news story on WLWT in Cincinnati.



http://www.wlwt.com/video/23165481/ 
"The oranges are dry; the apples are mealy; and the papayas... I don't know what's going on with the papayas!"
Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago
Leukemia . . . it blows my mind how many American kids have come down with that disease. Cancer used to be a disease exclusively of old age. Now it's practically commonplace to see it in kids.

I'm happy for Zach, though -- at least he had one night of glory. I fervently hope his fortunes turn around soon.
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dfosterf
14 years ago
I think it's disgusting that people would judge his guilt or innocence based on their team affiliation.

I think he is guilty.

I don't know that he is.

The difference between those two is humongous.

Thank god the inmates aren't running the asylum.
Nonstopdrivel
14 years ago

I think it's disgusting that people would judge his guilt or innocence based on their team affiliation.

"dfosterf" wrote:



Who's been doing this? :cyclopsani:
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