Roethlisberger deserves suspension - and he'll get one
If Ben Roethlisberger thought he was getting off easy after prosecutors declined to press charges over an alleged sexual assault, just wait until NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and the Steelers' ownership get through with him.
Roethlisberger escaped criminal prosecution over the March 5 incident in Milledgeville, Ga., when a 20-year-old college student accused him of sexual assault. But now that all the lurid details of the police report from that night have become known, the league and the Steelers need to send a strong message that this type of behavior from an NFL player will not be tolerated.
According to police documents, the woman tried to get away from Roethlisberger and told him, "No, this is not OK." She also said Roethlisberger encouraged her and her friends to drink several shots of alcohol, and that after one of his bodyguards sat her on a stool in a hallway at the Capital City nightclub, Roethlisberger exposed himself. The woman said Roethlisberger then sexually assaulted her in the bathroom.
The district attorney declined to press charges, citing an inability to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, as well as a request by the woman to avoid the publicity involved in a trial. But Goodell is empowered to mete out his own form of discipline according to the league's personal- conduct policy.
And he should deliver a decisive punishment for Roethlisberger, suspending the quarterback for a minimum of four games - or 25 percent of the 2010 season. And if Goodell chooses to sit Roethlisberger for a longer period, that's fine, too.
But it shouldn't end there. The Steelers must make sure that Roethlisberger receives the proper counseling for this kind of behavior. It's not enough for him to have a paycheck withheld; it's also a matter of getting to the point that he understands that it's not OK to treat women this way.
The Steelers are understandably furious with their quarterback, who has helped the team to two Super Bowl titles but now has put shame on an organization that is among the classiest in professional sports.
"I have made it clear to Ben that his conduct in this incident did not live up to our standards," Steelers president Art Rooney II said. "We have made it very clear to Ben that there will be consequences for his actions, and Ben has indicated to us he is willing to accept those consequences. It's a situation that he's going to have to work hard to rehabilitate his image that, no question, has taken a hit. It's a long journey back and he's going to have to be up to the challenge."
We'll see if Roethlisberger can make it all the way back. After all that's happened, it won't be easy. For now, it's time to deal with the wrath of Goodell. The hope here is that the commissioner sends the kind of message that will make Roethlisberger - and any other NFL player - understand that these actions will not be tolerated.
