Holmes trade to Jets sent shockwaves

PITTSBURGH - Word of the April trade that sent Santonio Holmes, the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII, to the Jets for a mere fifth-round pick sent seismic waves rippling through the Pittsburgh Steelers' locker room. Second-year wide receiver Mike Wallace, who had roomed with Holmes and would inherit his starting position, sent a one-word text to his friend: "Wow."

Holmes texted back: "I know."

More than anything, it was a case of reverse sticker shock. How could the Steelers give up such a big-play receiver for a late-round draft pick?

"Nobody would think you'd trade Santonio for just a fifth-round pick, but nobody really knows what's going on with all the other factors," Wallace said. "A player of his caliber and you see him go for that? You know there's a red flag. It's like, 'Something's wrong here.' You can't just let a guy like that go for a fifth-round pick. I guess everyone knew there was more to it."

Holmes had his share of troubles with the Steelers. At the time of the trade, he was facing a four-game suspension to begin the 2010 season for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. During the Steelers' 2008 Super Bowl season, Holmes was arrested for marijuana possession and benched, and in 2006, he was involved in a domestic violence incident in which the charges against him were dropped.

But the "other factors" alluded to by Wallace weren't restricted to Holmes' off-field issues. His suspension came at the same time quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was accused of rape, and although he never was charged legally for lack of evidence, he too received a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's code of conduct.

On Wednesday, Roethlisberger expressed his amazement at the Holmes trade, a move he said raised "a lot of questions." But when asked if he believed his own situation played a role in the sense the Steelers were concerned about the public perception but weren't about to let their quarterback go, Roethlisberger demurred.

"That's probably a question for the front office," he said.

It seems as though several Steelers had no trouble answering their own questions. "I was very shocked," cornerback Ike Taylor said. "Very shocked. Very shocked. It was just a big question mark, but at the same time, this organization has to make decisions. People kind of scratched their head over it and wondered why, but year in and year out, they prove to people why they do it."

In Taylor's view there was no mistaking the message to the locker room. He said the Steelers have created a "cool, relaxing environment" for the players, have given them all the tools needed to be successful and have a player's coach in Mike Tomlin. In return, they expect players to maintain a clean image, especially in a city that follows their every move.

"They're very lenient towards what we do here," Taylor said. "If they feel like you're taking advantage of that, they're going to do what they need to do . . . Even though we might not want to be role models, we're role models once we step into this professional atmosphere. And you've got to take that responsibility. Some people take advantage of it. Some people just don't get it."

Was Holmes a "victim," the odd man out because the quarterback was more important? "I don't know about it being a 'victim' because he kind of brought it on himself," Wallace said. "I don't think it was just him . . . I don't really get into all that. I just play football."

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