Pretty sure there is nothing I can say that hasn't already been said regarding the recent trade of Santonio Holmes or the announcement that Ben Roethlisberger won't be charged in his most recent sexual assault charge. But I'll give it a whirl.
Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that due to Holmes recent and past actions, he was going to be released if not traded. Apparently he was also a bad teammate in the locker room, as Bouchette said there will be many players on the Steelers happy about his trade. Of course, those players are anonymous and it could have been Limas Sweed for all we know, except Bouchette is a very reliable and honest journalist that doesn't just make stuff up, so I believe him.
As much as it sounds like Holmes was on the outs, I still wish we could have received a little more than a fifth round pick for a former first rounder and Super Bowl MVP. Even if he is suspended for the first four games of the season, the man has boatloads of talent. Chances are the Steelers knew the most recent suspension was coming and have been trying to deal Holmes for the past few weeks, therefore the rest of the league knew something was up and they weren't going to give up much for him.
The fifth round does little for the Steelers unless they can turn around their current trend of drafting busts from the third round on. I'd be a lot more excited if it was a first or second rounder, but that wasn't going to happen.
As for Ben, the first thing that needs to be brought up is how the DA showed how he truly felt in his news conference today. Sure, he said he can't charge Ben because lack of evidence, but by constantly referring to the accuser as the victim showed he wished he had enough evidence to put Ben away. If a journalist wrote this story and called the person a victim, they could be sued. Because there was no charge, she is the alleged victim. By calling her the victim, it gives off the impression that a crime occurred.
Second, Ben is slime. There was some sort of sexual encounter, and this woman was very drunk. A decent person would not take advantage of her in any situation, let alone in a public bathroom. Ben is not a decent person. The statement he gave at 7 tonight was a joke. Well, all prepared statements by athletes are jokes. Reading how sorry you are in a monotone voice means nothing and is just a show. I very much doubt he is sorry. I'd say I doubt his sincerity, but there was none to speak of.
Third, as much as I dislike Ben's actions and doubt his apology, the NFL should not suspend him. The law found that there was not enough evidence against him, so how can Roger Goodell obtain enough evidence to suspend him? He can try, but I think the Player's Union would win the appeal. Now, if the Steelers want to suspend him, which I doubt they will, I have no issue with it. They committed more than $100 million to the man and he just dragged their organization through the mud again.
To sum it all up, it was not a good weekend for the Steelers. We lost a Super Bowl hero, and another one is a jerk. The real question is; will Ben learn from this mistake and become a real role model and leader? Or will he continue to act like he can do whatever he wants? If he chooses the latter, then it will be real interesting to see how the Steelers handle it.
Wings - Jet
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