DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum DA in Roethlisberger case to announce decision Monday

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Myself, I don't think the teams - even the steelers - should be fined. They can't keep a 24 hour watch on the players, 365 days a year.

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I think there is reason to fine the teams.. perhaps not on first offenses.. But certainly, when a player shows a total lack of respect for his team, teammates and the league and of course, to the fans, then yeah, I can see the teams being somewhat responsible.

They hold the purse strings. they also have control over who they draft.

take this thing with Dez Bryant. Seems there is some character issues there right. Well, you know darn well, he's gonna get drafted in the 1st round right.

What would happen if teams, knowing that they could get heavy fines for player misconduct, decided that the risk wasn't worth the reward and all the teams passed on Bryant.

Hell of an expensive lesson. The way it is today,players know that as long as they have crazy talent, someone will take a chance.. they are gonna get the big payday no matter how bad they are off the field.

Just let a couple of fringe character guys with 1st round talent have to sit until the 3rd or later round..

I mean, a team that takes Dez Bryant in the 3rd round is saving enough in salary to pay the fines...

does that make sense...

If I was making the rules about this, not only would the team be fined but that fine money would count against the salary cap. After a couple of veterans get told "we can't give you a bigger contract, we don't have the cap room because of so and so's off field behavior" you better believe these players will start policing themselves.

Well Big Ben walks away. With a slap on the wrist. But also his image is in need of repair and beyond. Who knows how many other women he has done this too?

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If I was making the rules about this, not only would the team be fined but that fine money would count against the salary cap. After a couple of veterans get told "we can't give you a bigger contract, we don't have the cap room because of so and so's off field behavior" you better believe these players will start policing themselves.

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I don't have a problem with this idea at all.

Teams take "calculated risks" on players all the time. By the time a college junior or senior is eligible for the draft, ALL 32 teams have book on him... not just the game tapes, stats and combine results, but also everything in his personal history. They know what they're getting with each and every one of these young men.

If a team's FO is arrogant and self-assured enough to draft some 20-year old kid with a history of illegal/immoral behavior after doing their due diligence, then the onus should be borne by them as well as the player himself when the crap hits the fan blades.

It's not like they went into this with their eyes closed. They saw the production on the field, investigated every aspect of the player in question, read the police blotters... and pulled the trigger on a player of dubious character anyway. In that exact moment, they chose to accept the baggage that comes along with acquiring such a sketchy character... and they did it, because they believed that the benefits outweighed the risks. If they get burned by hiring a sociopath, they deserve the consequences of making such a stupid choice. That's the very definition of "risk/reward analysis."

Fine'em. Fine'em hard, and make it hurt. "Punitive measures" are only punitive if the subject actually feels punished when the sentence comes down.

If the American system of jurisprudence isn't willing to prosecute these people because publically-funded DA feels that he can't make a charge stick, then I say, "screw it- we'll administer our own brand of law on ANY miscreant... because we aren't beholdin to the law of the land. We're a private corporation, and we have our own rules of conduct. Meet the conditions, or hit the streets. Period."

I'd actually applaud any corporation or system that showed a set of brass ones like this. It's called standards, Dawgs... and too many folks seem to not understand what a standard of behavior is these days.

Fine'em. Fire'em. The NFL is within their rights to handle these players (and the teams that hire them) as they see fit.

If it cleans up the rosters of the 32 teams that I love to watch, more power to them.

Enough of this foolishness. I want to see football players on Sundays- not classless thugs, sexual predators and social bullies.



Teams should be held responsible for their choices, same as the players they hire. After all, if responsibility isn't a universal concept, what does our society really stand for?



.02
Clemdawg

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Teams should be held responsible for their choices, same as the players they hire. After all, if responsibility isn't a universal concept, what does our society really stand for

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A big, fat MALL.

My generation doesn't seem to quite get it. I think a lot of this is from lack of responsibility. I mean we're raising kids that pretty much raise themselves then wonder why this group is slipping with moral standards. Whether it's the ever increasingly popular father who's not there to raise his kid, the selfish parent who can't pay bills or child support but still can afford to somehow toke up, the financial mess people are in with wanting things now and spending money they don't have, etc., somewhere along the line things got out of whack.

jc

Roethlisberger Assaulted a Second Woman in Georgia
playerpress.com Written by playerpress.com, Saturday April 17 2010

Georgia police have learned about another woman that Ben Roethlisberger allegedly exposed himself to and became "forceful" with after putting "his hand up her skirt.

Roethlisberger has been accused of sexually assaulting two women in two other incidents but has never been charged by police.

According to a police report, it has been reported that another woman in her mid 20s drove a drunk Roethlisberger home from a party, and once they got to his house, he allegedly refused to let her leave.

Roethlisberger then allegedly pulled his pants down and told her "she could do whatever she wants." The date this incident actually occurred is unknown.

A week later, Roethlisberger invited the same woman to a party at his house. He invited her to his bedroom, put his hand up her skirt and when she pushed him away, he became angry.

According to the police report, the woman went home and told her father, but he chose not to pursue the issue any further.

When the police contacted her after the incident in March, the woman refused to talk to them because she did not want to get dragged into a high-profile case.

Roethlisberger also is being sued by a different woman who claims the two-time Super Bowl champ raped her in 2008 in Lake Tahoe.

link

Major POS

The 2nd woman seems kind of shady. Why would you go to a party of a man, who one week earlier exposed himself to you?? What do you think he wanted?? Roth is a scumbag, but this woman seems to have an agenda.

Ben doesn't seem to have much "game" with the ladies.


He has to have the worst blue balls known to man.

Just a major POS, that's all. Hope he never plays FB another day of his life, unless it's in the prison yard.

Adam Shefter reports the Steelers will get a 6 figure fine for the incidents of Ben and Holmes

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5099224

Considering Ben says hes innocent, hes happy to accept any fine and suspension by the league considering hes not going to jail.

I guess it will be safe to say that Bens going to have a hard time finding a girl that will take him home to daddy and hes not going to get a job in the NFL or NLF studios after his career is over.

I hope ben is #62.

Even after cutting through all the half-truths, dropped cases, potential civil actions, 'he said/she said,' rumor and innuendo,

you just gotta admit...


...there's an awful lot of smoke in this string of stories. Somewhere, there's just gotta be a fire a-burnin'...


When this many stories start popping up, there's a very real chance that at least a percentage of them are true... or at least legally actionable.

This dude's headaches are just beginning... and he's got noone to blame but the guy who stares at him while he's shaving.



Wow.




I wonder: just how proud of him are his Mother and Father, right about now? Forget the NFL, the Steelers organization, endorsements, and all the #7 jerseys that have been sold for a just moment- and ask yourself this:

If this guy was a son/nephew/cousin of yours, how would you feel right about now? How would you feel about bearing the name "Roethlisberger?"





???



Character still matters, even in 2010- when every day, we're coaxed to believe that it's a corny, outdated incumberance to the quest of personal gratification. A person is defined by the best and worst he has done in Life. How much good has this person done to balance the kind of stuff whe're now hearing?



It had better be freakkin' great. Sometimes, Karma's a well-derserved bitch.



I see many bad things for this guy, going forward.

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..there's an awful lot of smoke in this string of stories. Somewhere, there's just gotta be a fire a-burnin'...

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I have to agree. I got a feeling that there will be other girls who were afraid to come forward popping up.
The thing about this GA. case that bothers me, is the fact that noone, even the barmaid that served the girl shots, is being charged with serving a minor. Ben was paying the barmaid was serving and the club owner is now aware that it happened. I worked in bars for years and twice as a bartender, once in FLA and once in WV, I was arrested for serving a minor. Both times the drink was served by a waitress, who also was arrested. Both times the owner was fined and their liqour license was suspended.
The surviellence taped that just happened to tape over the scene in the hallway where he exposed himself and also where the "bodygaurd" kept her friend out of the bathroom, is very suspicious. Now the first officer to take her statement is resigning. Smells to me like Ben and the club owner both dished out some serious money for things to be covered. The bodygaurd, who was either a stae cop or a Pittsburgh suburb cop, keeping a girl from entering the
LADIES room to help her friend is disturbing, and it has been reported that he is now being investigated by the state of PA.

I know of people who are friends of mine that have witnessed Ben's attitude while in public with his posse, and I don't doubt at all that he did all the things he's been accused of. His millions are saving his butt right now. But the public is not stupid, and his character is being revealed. He is done with public life after football, you can gaurantee that.

The DA should also be reprimanded for not charging someone for serving a minor.

I have no doubt Ben is every bit of an ass that he is in public.

I still love knowing that Cleveland Fan forced Ben out of one of the bars in Downtown Cleveland during a Cavs game. :-D

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5099224

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ATLANTA -- The Georgia police officer who took the first report from the woman who accused Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault has resigned.


Milledgeville police Chief Woodrow Blue on Friday confirmed that Sgt. Jerry Blash resigned Wednesday, a day before the Georgia Bureau of Investigation made public all documents related to its investigation of a 20-year-old woman's claim that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted her in a nightclub.

Prosecutors announced earlier this week that they are not charging Roethlisberger in the March 5 incident. Blash is the only officer who interviewed the quarterback. He acknowledged in an interview with investigators that he made some derogatory comments about the accuser to other officers, and that some in Roethlisberger's party may have overheard him.

Multiple calls to a phone number listed for Blash went unanswered.

Photos surfaced online a week later of Roethlisberger smiling alongside Blash at the Milledgeville nightclub where the alleged assault took place. Blue said the photos were taken hours before the allegation was made.

Blue said on March 12 that beyond filing the report, Blash was not involved in the investigation.

The accuser, a college student, said she tried to get away from Roethlisberger while in the bar, named Capital City, and told him, "No, this is not OK," according to the police documents released Thursday.

In a statement to police on March 5, the woman 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 nightclub, 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 and shut the door.

"I still said no, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me," she wrote. "He said it was OK. He then left without saying anything."


Also revealed in the GBI reports released Thursday was the fact investigators wanted to talk with a woman about a separate incident reportedly involving Roethlisberger.


The documents show that after the alleged assault in Milledgeville, a 16-year-old in a youth law enforcement program told authorities he knew about incidents involving Roethlisberger and a friend's sister.

Authorities repeatedly sought to interview the woman, who is in her early 20s, but she declined. The teen had said he believed the two-time Super Bowl winner twice made unwanted sexual advances toward the woman.

A message seeking comment was left Friday with Roethlisberger's lawyer, Ed Garland.

Roethlisberger also is being sued in civil court by a former Nevada hotel employee for an alleged sexual assault in 2008. No criminal charges were filed in that case.

In the meantime, the fallout continues to affect the Steelers, this time in the pocketbook. The behavior of Roethlisberger and former Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes might result in a fine by the NFL of as much as $200,000.

Holmes, traded Sunday to the New York Jets, is suspended for the first four games of the season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, and has been involved in a number of incidents that put him in a bad light.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5101043

State police to investigate trooperEmail Print Comments 442Share retweet Associated Press

PITTSBURGH -- A state trooper with Ben Roethlisberger the night he was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old college student in a Georgia nightclub is subject to the agency's code of conduct regardless of whether he was working for the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, state police said.

An ongoing internal investigation will determine whether Trooper Ed Joyner did anything "that could reasonably be expected to destroy public respect for the Pennsylvania State Police or confidence in the state police," said Lt. Myra Taylor, a state police spokeswoman.

A friend of the accuser said in a statement to police that a "bodyguard" refused to acknowledge that the woman, who had been drinking, was alone with Roethlisberger in the back of a nightclub in Milledgeville, Ga.

Ann Marie Lubatti told police on March 5 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 bodyguard wouldn't look her in the eye and said he didn't know what she was talking about.

Georgia investigators later identified that man as Joyner.

Taylor said Joyner had permission from the state police to work off-duty for Roethlisberger since 2005, with his duties including answering phones and fan mail, as well as driving and accompanying the quarterback to charitable events. Joyner's request to work for Roethlisberger does not include the term "bodyguard" nor is there any reference made to personal protection or similar duties, Taylor said.

A reporter who called Joyner's barracks Friday was referred to Taylor for comment. The Associated Press could not immediately confirm the trooper's home phone number.

Roethlisberger's accuser said in a March 5 statement that the NFL player had sex with her after she was led by another bodyguard -- identified by investigators as Coraopolis, Pa., police officer Anthony Barravecchio -- to an isolated area in the club.

"Meanwhile, his bodyguards told my friends they couldn't pass them to get to me," she wrote in a statement the night of the incident.

Georgia officials announced earlier this week that Roethlisberger would not be charged in the case.

Michael Santicola, Barravecchio's attorney, said Friday his client "did nothing immoral, nothing unethical and nothing illegal. And any statements made by drunken college girls otherwise is incorrect."

In interviews with Georgia investigators, witnesses repeatedly described Joyner and Barravecchio as Roethlisberger's "bodyguards." The statements were among hundreds of pages of the investigative file made public Thursday by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Santicola said Barravecchio used to work as Roethlisberger's "personal assistant" but doesn't anymore. Santicola said he didn't know whether Barravecchio paid his own way on the trip but said he was "absolutely not" employed as Roethlisberger's bodyguard at the club.

Coraopolis police Chief Alan DeRusso said Barravecchio is a friend of Roethlisberger's and was on vacation when he went with him to Georgia. The officer is not suspended or under any kind of internal department investigation and remains on the schedule full-time, the chief said.

"The Georgia Bureau of Investigation has contacted me and as far as I was told from them, they needed nothing from me and they needed nothing from him," DeRusso said.

DeRusso said his department doesn't regulate outside work by officers.

Thomas Martinelli, a Michigan attorney and expert witness on police misconduct, said departmental policies on outside work vary widely. He said it's a bad idea to let officers work as bodyguards while off-duty because they could be injured or open their departments to liability for their actions.

Outside job policies aside, most departments rely on the code of ethics of the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

"In there it says, 'I will keep my private life unsullied as an example to all,'" Martinelli said.

Referring specifically to the Roethlisberger situation, he said a police agency might well question the presence of officers that night.

"Could one make an ethical argument that these officers should have extricated themselves from this situation before it escalated?" Martinelli said. "You could make that argument on behalf of an agency."


Copyright 2010 by The Associated Press


This thing is far from over.. There is obviously more to this story and it is just a shame that Ben (or anyone who does this) is going to get away with it..

4 women now?

This is a pattern of violence and abuse that must be stopped.

If it was just 1 woman, one could argue "he said, she said" ..... but this is way beyond that level.

Sources: Big Ben suspension coming by Tuesday

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to suspend Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger(notes) on Monday or Tuesday as a result of the recent sexual assault investigation in Milledgeville, Ga., multiple sources have indicated to Yahoo! Sports.

Though the Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney announced last Monday that Roethlisberger wouldn’t be charged in the case and no player has ever been suspended under the league’s personal conduct policy without being at least charged with a crime, sources close to the quarterback said he is unlikely to fight the punishment.

Roethlisberger, who apologized following last week’s announcement for the negative attention the incident garnered, would prefer to put the matter to rest as quickly as possible, three sources close to him said.

“Ben understands where this is going and he knows there’s punishment he’ll have to take,” one of the aforementioned sources close to Roethlisberger said. “He knows how much this hurt the team and the league. He wants to make this right.”

While NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said he has been given no timetable for a decision, the question remains whether Goodell will keep the suspension to one or two games or make it four games or longer. It is also unknown whether the Steelers will levy an additional penalty upon Roethlisberger or if a punishment will be factored into the league’s suspension. Over the weekend, two league sources said Goodell was growing angrier by the day as more information from the investigation became public.

The investigation has included statements from witnesses in the case that a bodyguard in Roethlisberger’s entourage blocked other people from going to find Roethlisberger and the woman in a bathroom in the bar where the incident took place.

While the investigation details damaging evidence against the accuser as well and includes a statement by the woman that she didn’t want to press charges against Roethlisberger, it is clear that Roethlisberger is losing in the court of public opinion.

“After you read the file and you listen to the player, the only conclusion you can come to is that what he did is unbelievably stupid,” one of the league sources said. “How could he have really thought this was a good idea?”

This is the second straight offseason in which Roethlisberger has faced sexual misconduct allegations. A Nevada casino worker last July accused Roethlisberger of raping her in 2008. No criminal charges were filed in that case and the civil suit, which includes counter damages, is still ongoing.

The aftermath of the Roethlisberger investigation stands to dampen an eventful week for the NFL. The league will announce the 2010 NFL schedule on Tuesday and the 75th draft begins in prime time on Thursday.

I'm no lawyer,, didn't play one on TV and I didn't stay at a holiday inn express last night,,, and I'm NOT defending Ben Rothlesberger.. But to suspend a player because he's been accused but NOT charged,seems odd..

I wonder if he could fight that and win? I think he'll take the punishment and get it behind him.

The dude clearly has issues. He keeps getting in this situation over and over again so if nothing else, you gotta question how smart he really is.

Get accused of something enough times, there has to be something to it, and even it there's not, society will believe there is.


I think the league is trying to wake him up to think before he goes and does it again.

yeah, that's all true but still, in this country we are innocent until proven guilty, I'm havng a hard time punishing him because he's suspected of wrong doing.

Wrongdoing that I'm personally convinced he committed, but still,,, know what I mean?

He's not being convicted. He's being punished for conduct unbecoming to the NFL.

Good or bad, he is bringing bad press to the NFL, something they frown on, and put in the contracts.

If your kid was brought home by the cops, no charges pressed, you'd probably still give them an ear full and maybe some sort of punishment.

From ESPN.com :

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Goodell unveils new conduct policy

Associated Press

NEW YORK -- NFL teams will be disciplined when their employees, including players, violate the league's personal conduct policy.


Moments after announcing the one-year suspension of Tennessee Titans cornerback Adam "Pacman" Jones, and an eight-game ban for Cincinnati Bengals receiver Chris Henry, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell released his strengthened conduct policy Tuesday. Along with longer suspensions and larger fines for individuals who violate the policy, Goodell will hold teams responsible, as well.


He did not say how he would punish those teams, although stripping them of draft choices is considered one of the most effective ways to do so.


"It is important that the NFL be represented consistently by outstanding people as well as great football players, coaches, and staff," Goodell said. "We hold ourselves to higher standards of responsible conduct because of what it means to be part of the National Football League. We have long had policies and programs designed to encourage responsible behavior, and this policy is a further step in ensuring that everyone who is part of the NFL meets that standard. We will continue to review the policy and modify it as warranted."

The strengthened standards apply to all NFL employees: players, coaches, officials, owners, front-office and league personnel. And Goodell emphasized in the new policy that those standards will be considerably tighter than outside the league.


"It is not enough to simply avoid being found guilty of a crime," the new policy says. "Instead, as an employee of the NFL or a member club, you are held to a higher standard and expected to conduct yourself in a way that is responsible, promotes the values upon which the league is based, and is lawful.


"Persons who fail to live up to this standard of conduct are guilty of conduct detrimental and subject to discipline, even where the conduct itself does not result in conviction of a crime."


The new policy comes in the wake of a series of off-field issues involving several players, notably Jones, Henry and Chicago Bears defensive tackle Tank Johnson.


There were 10 occasions in which Jones was interviewed by police, the most recent during the NBA All-Star weekend in Las Vegas. Police there recommended felony and misdemeanor charges against Jones after a fight and shooting at a strip club left one man paralyzed.


Henry was arrested four times in a 14-month span, and received a two-game league suspension last year. He was one of nine Bengals arrested in nine months. Johnson currently is in jail, serving four months for violating probation in a 2005 gun case.


Two of Henry's teammates, along with NFL Players Association executive director Gene Upshaw, recognized the need for stronger league guidelines for player conduct.


"You would think it's necessary just because of the negative publicity the NFL is beginning to receive because of what's happening," Bengals receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh said. "It was going on for an extended period of time. Each day, each week, something was happening."


Bengals quarterback Carson Palmer suspects the new policy will help.


"With all of the things that have been happening recently, I think it will be good and hopefully give the league a little better image. I hope that it works and that guys abide by the rules and do what's right."


So does Upshaw, of course. He consulted with Goodell before the commissioner, now in his seventh month on the job, revised the conduct policy. Goodell also established a panel of players to offer advice on such matters.


"The NFL Players Association and the Player Advisory Council have been discussing this issue for several months," Upshaw said. "We believe that these are steps that the commissioner needs to take and we support the policy. It is important that players in violation of the policy will have the opportunity and the support to change their conduct and earn their way back."

Tony Dungy said placing responsibility on the teams for their players and employees makes sense, even if it results in penalties that affect more than the wallet.


"That seems to be the thing that gets everyone's attention," the coach of the Super Bowl champion Indianapolis Colts said of potentially lost draft picks and player availability. "We talked about fines at the league meetings, and that may not do the trick. But when you start talking about playing time and draft picks, that seems to get your attention."

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He's not being convicted. He's being punished for conduct unbecoming to the NFL.

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I understand that.. and for what it is, it's true..

Let me throw something out there for you... What if.... Seriously, What if this woman in Georgia is trying to play the system to get cash.. What IF..

Now I don't believe that.. everything being reported says that doesn't appear to be the case. yet, nobody has proved anything. all we have are a bunch of alligations..

That's all I'm saying..

Doesn't change the fact that he created an environment to allow this all to take place.

It's pretty clear he setup a private "meeting" with this woman in a bathroom, consensual or not, it's not something a person of celebrity status should be doing, especially one that has already been accused of similar events before.

Most people learn from their mistakes, he apparently isn't.

Be that as it may,,,and I'm not saying you are wrong at all.. I believe he did do all these horrible things he's accused of...

I'd rather wait and see if it turns out to be provable.... That's all.

You're missing the point.... Provable means, precisely, diddly-squat.

It is a major black eye for the League that one of its star players is even in this situation..... failure to levy a suspension would be the absolute WRONG move for the league. Failure to do so sends the message that you are held accountable to a different degree depending upon your star status.

Goodell: Roethlisberger violated conduct policy
AP Published - Apr 19 2010 03:41PM EST


NEW YORK— Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger violated the NFL's personal-conduct policy, commissioner Roger Goodell said Monday.

Goodell said on the Dan Patrick radio show the key issue is a "pattern of behavior" and "bad judgments."

Last week, prosecutors in Georgia declined to charge Roethlisberger after a college student accused him of sexual assault in March.

The NFL is expected to discipline Roethlisberger, although it says there is no timetable for such a decision. The Steelers have said they expect a decision next week.

Roethlisberger also is being sued by a different woman who says he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel-casino. Roethlisberger denies the accusation and was not charged. He has claimed counter-damages in a lawsuit.

"The issue here is with respect to a pattern of behavior and bad judgments," Goodell said. "You do not have to be convicted or even charged with a crime to be able to demonstrate that you've violated a personal-conduct policy, and reflect poorly not only on themselves, but all of their teammates, every NFL player in the league, and everyone associated with the NFL. That is what my concern is, and I have expressed that directly to Ben, obviously, and I'll be making a decision as soon as I possibly can."

Roethlisberger practiced Monday for the first time since the season ended.

link

i think they should send a strong message and fine the Steelers $1 billion ... and suspend Roethlisberger for life.

OK ... how about just a 5 year suspension for Roethlisberger.


Seriously though, the talking heads are tossing around 2 games ..... but I really would not be surprised to see a longer suspension. 4 games would not surprise me in the least.

It might teach the player a lesson ... and maybe keep him from getting a 20 year court imposed suspension.

I really wonder if Roethlisberger realizes just how lucky he is? If that girl had been wiling to go through with testifying, I think he'd be in jail right now ... and probably facing 15-20. Based on his past behavior though ... probably not,. He seems to escape damage with a sense of invincibility ... and that will likely continue until he's dead or behind bars.

Knowing our luck, if it was a Cleveland QB doing that he'd be suspended a year. Or banned from the league.

Ben will only get 2 or 4 games. At most. Although, in fairness to him, he wasn't charged, unlike PacMan, Vick, et. al.. So that means he could go 10-2 even if he's suspended 4 games, while Dixon just has to go 2-2 to hand the Steelers a 12-4 record and a path to the super bowl. Dixon's not that bad personally...I don't think the Stools will have a significant dropoff. Even with their problems, they still went 9-7 last year. Even after their motorcycle accident in '06, they still went 8-8 after a 2-5 start.

The only "bad" season they had since the league went to a 16-game schedule was 1988, and even then they were 5-11. And they still beat 10-6 Houston once.

Life realllly isn't fair.

I think I remember hearing that pacman WASN'T charged...so that case is the precedent for the big ben one. I could be wrong though.