DawgTalkers.net Forums DawgTalk Tailgate Forum Roethlisberger suspended six games, must undergo evaluation

Innocent until proven guilty I don't think is a standard of the country so much as it is a sign of due process in a court of law pertaining to criminal convictions.

On the civil flip-side, it's a case of more-likely-than-not, and I think that's the approach most people are taking.

Now if a girl came up and said Alex Mack or JT touched her hiney, just out of nowhere, then there would definitely be a lack of credible evidence.

Now, if JT was at a bar (without his wife, mind you), with a bunch of single, underage girls, a police report was filed against him, several eyewitness statements were given, AND he had another pending civil case, I would be one who says it's more likely than not.

There's an obvious reason why guys like Ben can't be compared with guys like Joe Thomas, or Steve Young, or Drew Brees in terms of character.

Anyhow, back to pure football...is there any way his suspension can be shortened?

Ed Bouchette just reported that the Steelers will not be trading Ben...and he has a lot of sources (although I don't like him as a reporter)

But this also came out about the same time that Florio said no one wants Ben for anything more than a 2nd round pick...and the Steelers won't let him go for that.....but they did that to themselves by ditching Santonio for a 5th....the rest of the league is hoping the fire sale continues

HACK

I never said Mack and Thomas touched a girls hiney....I said they touched MINE

And you are right in what you are saying...but I don't think that is "right" in how it should be....by what you are saying....Ben would have been better off with charges against him...because then his innocence or guilt would be proven......but since no chargers where ever brought against him...he can never prove his innocence...and people can just go...yeah but we all know he did it?


HACK

Fact: there WAS semen found. No there wasn't

Fact: Everyone admits Ben went into the bathroom with the girl. Yes they do...he says he told her she was to drunk and left...she said contact may or may not have happend

Fact: Most people say ben's "bodyguards" wouldn't allow anyone past them. Yes..that has been said, but they said no one was blocking the bathroom (according to reports) they were guarding the VIP section keeping people out.

Q: How important was the lack of DNA evidence in the prosecutor's decision?

A: It was a more important factor than Bright indicated in his news conference. Bright minimized its importance as he explained his decision. Bright suggested that although the swabs from the emergency room rape kit contained some male DNA, it was not a sufficiently large amount to permit DNA testing. If there had been enough DNA for testing and the tests showed that it was Roethlisberger's semen, it would have been important evidence. If the tests had shown it was not Roethlisberger's DNA, the evidence would have been conclusive.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5078977

Go ahead and defend your quarterback. You know as well as anyone what happened, even if it can't be proven in a court of law.

You keep harping on the illegal thing. Totally irrelevant.

Riding a motorcycle without a helmet = stoopid. particularly since he stated he would never 1) ride without a PA license and 2) ride a bike that had ridiculous horsepower - he just liked to ride. He had no license and the bike was something like 2000 cc's. Tool.

The sexual assault things both show an arrogant idiot putting himself in stoopid situations.

Again, he's not suspeneded because of breaking the law. He's not being suspended because he was drinking with an underage girl. He's not being suspended because he had sex (or not). He's being suspended for being stoopid, reckless, and arrogant, and Goodell is completely on target. If anything, Ben got off easy.

Hack - I have always respected your opinion on this board. However, if you think Ben is gettig a bad rap or that he did nothing wrong, then you are blinded. Given all the information that is out there something happened and it wasn't good.

Just a few things:

-- A cop that investigated the crime resigns
-- An off duty PA State Police officer who was one of his bodygaurds is under investigation by the State Police
-- The tape was mysteriously erased
-- The bathroom they were in was cleaned with bleach and everyother cleaner as no one told the guy who was cleaning it not to clean it
-- When one of her friends try to go back and get her, the bodygaurds would not let them back

These are just the things I can think of.. Ben is a few sandwiches short of a picnic and has put himself in bad situations and is fortunate not to be in jail right now. Do not mistake that for innocence..

why say someone is suspended for 6 games, and then say we may take two of those off if you are good?

How about we suspend you for 6 games, and if you mess up again.. u will be suspended even longer.

Just in case you didn't realize it that was a quote from someone else. I figure you probably do but I want to make a point of it..

yeah I know it was steelhack's quote....i was just to lazy to scroll back to him and quote him haha....no worries bro

Ever been convicted of a felony?

Convicted. No. Never convicted.

a) from the same link you posted
Bright said that there was not enough semen or other bodily evidence to show that there was carnal knowledge or penetration

b) If anyone has been truly reading what I have been writing...I said Ben has shown horrible decisions, and that the punishment is just...a little heavy...but just.

c) Thats not my quote.

d) I keep harping on illegal...because thats what a crime is...its an illegal activity. I know everyone wants to play...Yeah but we all think something happened...but thats not what our entire legal system is based on....Innocent until proven guilty beyond the shadow of a doubt.



I am not defending Ben...as much as I am defending the entire legal system. I am on record defending OJ in his murder trial as well.

OJ went to court...and a jury found him NOT GUILTY.....right or wrong...that should have been it...end of story...no double jeopardy.....not guilty....yet they then took him to civil court...for the same offense...where they said...well...he probably is partially guilty....he probably contributed in some way to there murders...so he owes some cash.

They now are determining percentage of guilt?

There are those on the Steeler board comparing Ben to OJ....and I said they are nothing alike

OJ was charged with a crime....OJ was tried for a crime....OJ was found NOT GUILTY

Ben was not charged with a crime....Ben was not tried for a crime...Ben was found GUILTY


HACK

PS...I am done with this conversation...I did not chime in until tonight...and then it was supposed to be more about the punishment ...and I let myself get drawn into this.and that was not my intent.

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he was never convicted

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DA's like to keep their Conviction Rates High. There is no way to prove a he said/she said case beyond a reasonable doubt. This is why he was not charged in either case. It takes a lot for a woman to come forward on a sexual assault case IMO, and for two or more to claim the same guy did it, is suspicious at best! Not to mention that you have your bodyguard blocking anyone from entering a bathroom that is worried about their friend. Big Ben has a problem! JMHO Go Brownies!!!!

Actually it was bigbaddawg. As long as no one thought it was me is all I care about.

Ben's bodyguard may lose job over incident.

I guess he needs to make more money, he apparently can't get away with it.

Big debate over Big Ben in Pittsburgh

Ben Roethlisberger is bigger than ever here.
Alex Marvez, FOXSports.com
2 hours ago


He is the talk of the town even as the Pittsburgh Penguins vie for their second straight Stanley Cup title. He was recently featured on "South Park" and in a new Eminem rap. Sports merchandise outlets downtown and in the nearby Strip District have new garb of the star quarterback on display.

None of these developments are good for Roethlisberger or the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They all stem from his six-game NFL suspension for deviant off-field behavior. Pittsburgh residents remain stunned by accounts of Roethlisberger’s sordid March romp with friends at a Milledgeville, Ga. bar.

The new clothing mocks what was once a beloved two-time Super Bowl winner. Some T-shirts pair Roethlisberger and golfer/philanderer Tiger Woods in spoofs of "Dumb and Dumber." Others feature a Roethlisberger photo alongside an empty bathroom stall, parodying where he allegedly had sexual contact with an underage college student.

And those are the tasteful images.

“They didn’t have enough evidence to convict him without a reasonable doubt, but there is evidence of bad doings and things that went on that shouldn’t have,” said Ralph Cindrich, a Pittsburgh-based NFL agent and legal expert. “I was infuriated by the report and what I read. He shamed the city. He shamed the Rooney family (that owns the Steelers). And he shamed the NFL. As the face of the franchise, you have a higher duty and have to conduct yourself at a higher level.”

But there are still ardent Roethlisberger supporters. They point to the fact no charges were filed after a thorough criminal investigation. Two local branches of national children’s charities (Ronald McDonald House and Make-A-Wish) are backing Roethlisberger’s continuing involvement. Nike also is standing by Roethlisberger, but Old Spice is undecided about sponsoring his upcoming youth football camp. Big Ben’s Beef Jerky is no more after the company dropped the product.

In essence, Roethlisberger is the most polarizing figure ever given such a severe suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Proof is found on the corner of Penn Avenue and 19th Street in when people walk past a table filled with the new Roethlisberger shirts.

“They’re funny as hell,” said 23-year-old Jason Rust of nearby Homewood. “[Roethlisberger] is a young guy. He likes women as much as any other young guy does. I think if the media wouldn’t have gotten a hold of this that it wouldn’t be such a big deal. He was a young guy making a mistake -- that’s all.”

Marissa Deasy also chuckled at the display, but she believes the two sexual misconduct claims against Roethlisberger filed in the past two years are no joke. Just like the alleged victim in Milledgeville, Deasy is a 20-year-old college student.

“What he did was completely abusing his privileges and the power he thinks he has,” Deasy said. “He’s a pig.”

Riding the fence is Gerald Laster.

“Ben’s just going to have to stay out of those situations,” said Laster, 39. “Time will tell how this will all play out. If he never has another misstep, it will just be business as usual. But there will always be a select few who remember what Big Ben has done and hold that against him. I believe in giving people a second chance.”

If every Steelers fan felt the same way, Roethlisberger wouldn’t be facing such a rough road ahead.

While off the hook legally, Goodell ruled that Roethlisberger was in violation of the league’s personal conduct policy. Goodell cited Roethlisberger and his party providing alcohol to underage women as well as his own drunken escapades as hurting the “integrity and reputation of the NFL.”

“You are held to a higher standard as an NFL player,” Goodell wrote in a letter to Roethlisberger. “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.”

Roethlisberger must undergo a “comprehensive behavioral evaluation by medical professionals” before being allowed to rejoin the Steelers. He is slated to miss the season’s first six games, although Goodell can cut the punishment to four contests if Roethlisberger is in compliance with league demands. Each game Roethlisberger misses will cost him roughly $471,000.

In a released statement, Roethlisberger said he would not appeal the suspension and would adhere to Goodell’s demands even though he “committed no crime.” A FOXSports.com interview request for Roethlisberger was declined through his agents.

Few NFL athletes have experienced such a stunning fall from grace. Five years ago, Roethlisberger could do no wrong. He enjoyed unprecedented success, guiding the Steelers to 15 consecutive victories and an AFC Championship game appearance as a rookie.

Roethlisberger’s popularity immediately rivaled that of other legendary Steelers. A late-night appearance with David Letterman drew record television ratings in Pittsburgh. An autograph signing at a local car dealership created a traffic jam. Attendance at one church boomed after a television station reported -- albeit incorrectly -- that Roethlisberger was attending service there.

He became the team’s top merchandise seller, with women and children among his biggest buyers. One sub shop created the Roethlis-burger -- an artery-clogging combination of sausage, ground beef, scrambled egg and American cheese topped with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise. The sandwich still sells well at Peppi’s, although store manager Jennifer Yogmas admits she could do without the crass comments that now accompany some orders.

Jimmy Coen, a lifelong Pittsburgh resident and owner of a novelty shop called Yinzers in the Burg, remembers the initial Roethlisberger hysteria well.

“We’d gone through five or six bad QBs and a couple of marginal ones,” Coen said. “We got to him, he was instantly a hit. He was a winner on the field. You can feel confident when he’s out there.

“From the time he got here, it’s been like a whirlwind everywhere he goes. Maybe he got too famous too fast.”

The explanation is plausible.

Before his 24th birthday, Roethlisberger already had won his first Super Bowl title. Another championship followed three seasons later. In between, Roethlisberger was given an eight-year, $102 million contract extension. Discounting injury -- he is prone to concussions -- Roethlisberger should have remained among the NFL’s best, wealthiest and most popular quarterbacks for seasons to come.

In retrospect, the warning signs were there for a crash as ugly as the motorcycle wreck that nearly cost Roethlisberger his life in 2006.

Bar photographs of a highly inebriated Roethlisberger pouring alcohol down the throats of female companions surfaced on the internet in 2006. Roethlisberger was allegedly doing something similar in Milledgeville. One witness told investigators that Roethlisberger ordered a round in a VIP room and demanded, “All my bitches, take some shots!”

Roethlisberger previously told ESPN that he began using bodyguards, including off-duty police officers, after having a gun put to his head outside a bar several years ago. Roethlisberger was with an entourage in Milledgeville. A bodyguard allegedly escorted the accuser into a bathroom while another blocked the door. One off-duty officer with Roethlisberger that night already was sanctioned; another is in danger of being fired.

Roethlisberger was also hit with a civil lawsuit last June. A hotel employee claimed she was raped in his room while Roethlisberger was in Reno, Nev. for a golf tournament.

At the time, skepticism surrounded the accuser’s claim because she had waited 13 months to submit the suit and there were no police charges filed. A co-worker also stated in an affidavit that the accuser bragged about having sex with Roethlisberger afterward and hoped she was pregnant. Roethlisberger also has counter-sued for damages.

The case is still pending, but the Milledgeville incident and its fallout have placed Roethlisberger in a much-less favorable light. He was mocked by "South Park" in an episode about celebrity sex addicts and in the new Eminem song Despicable with the lyrics, “I’d rather turn this club into a bar-room brawl/Get as rowdy as Roethlisberger in a bathroom stall.”

Stories began to surface about Roethlisberger acting crudely in the Pittsburgh area at nightclubs and restaurants, demanding preferential treatment and tipping poorly. Some irate fans mailed their Roethlisberger clothing to Steelers headquarters.

Louis Smith, a merchandise vendor in the Strip District, is offering regular Roethlisberger shirts for $4 “just to get rid of them.”

“Everybody that looks at a Roethlisberger jersey says they don’t want to buy it,” he said.

Few current and former teammates have spoken publicly in defense of Roethlisberger’s character. As one ex-Steeler told FOXSports.com, “It was one thing after the Reno incident. Nobody’s going to come out after this.”

“I feel sorry for him,” said Linda Kistler, a kindergarten teacher in nearby McKeesport. “He’s very good looking and athletic. From day one, he’s been told how wonderful he is for all these years. No wonder he’s so obnoxious.”

Roethlisberger backers point to inconsistencies in witness accounts from Milledgeville and what can be interpreted as sexually suggestive flirting by the accuser.

“There do not appear to be any hard, 100-percent reliable and true facts to prove he did what he’s accused of, so it confuses me that (fans) wouldn’t continue to support him,” said Sarah Swenson, a 26-year-old Minnesota school teacher who was contacted via email through the fan website bigbennews.com.

“I've seen so many stories about him acting like a jerk in public in media reports but very few positive stories of encounters with him. It just seems people want to focus on the negative.”

There are plenty of positives involving Roethlisberger’s charitable involvement. He has donated $100,000 to fund police-dog programs in the Pittsburgh area and remains active in supporting that cause through his foundation (www.bigben7.com). Roethlisberger also excels at communicating with ailing and despondent children, according to Make-A-Wish and Ronald McDonald House executives.

“Warm and loving” was the description of Roethlisberger given by Judith Stone, the president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Make-A-Wish branch. At home games, Roethlisberger meets youngsters with life-threatening medical conditions whose greatest desire is meeting their idol.

“He’s not at all uncomfortable speaking to them and getting right down to their level,” Stone said. “He has a special gift when it comes to these kids.”

The most special gift Roethlisberger has is his football ability. If he can win again and reinvent his off-field image, Steelers fans are likely to forgive -- if not forget -- what has transpired.

Carlos Page already has. The 40-year-old Pittsburgh resident said he is frequently approached by other Steelers supporters because of his black-and-gold hat that prominently features No. 7 in the middle.

“I tell them he’s still part of the team and he’s not going anywhere,” Page said. “If you’re really a Steeler fan, you’ll stick by your team no matter what. We just want to see Ben come back, play and get us another championship. The off-field stuff is separate.”

Not for everyone.

“I’m as big a Steelers fan as I was before,” Deasy said. “Just not for Ben.”

http://www.comcast.net/articles/sports-nfl/20100503/Marvez-Pittsburgh-Ben-Debate/

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“I've seen so many stories about him acting like a jerk in public in media reports but very few positive stories of encounters with him. It just seems people want to focus on the negative.”

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....or there actually are very few positive encounters with him.

webbage

Bwahahaha...

Roethlisberger: Can't cut him, can't stand him
AP Sports Writer Alan Robinson,
Tue May 11, 9:25 am ET

PITTSBURGH – It's fans like Becky Rickard that Ben Roethlisberger has lost.

The 33-year-old Rickard is a Pittsburgher and a fan of every team in town. She's come out to see the Pittsburgh Pirates play, even though they haven't had a winning season since 1992, when Roethlisberger was just a backyard quarterback.

She should love the Steelers and their six Super Bowl titles, including two under the direction of Roethlisberger. Right?

"I had a Ben jersey and gave it away," said Rickard, who on this night has replaced her expensive, tossed-aside Roethlisberger jersey with a Pirates T-shirt. "We're a proud city and we don't like anything to make us look bad. Ben has tainted what our image is."

Rickard might as well be speaking for many of the 300,000-plus citizens in this clannish Rust Belt town.

Roethlisberger has worn out his welcome in Pittsburgh.

The good will generated by those NFL titles, capped by his memorable last-minute TD pass to Santonio Holmes in the Super Bowl 15 months ago, is all gone. It's been lost in Roethlisberger's night of tearing through a Georgia college town wearing a devil T-shirt, one that ended with an underage college student accusing him of sexual assault in a nightclub bathroom. The case won't be prosecuted, but the quarterback's latest episode of bad behavior has destroyed his reputation in Pittsburgh and beyond, and shamed his team and its highly regarded owners.

And the twist is that while Pittsburgh can't stand him the Steelers can't cut him. At least not soon, given the $50 million the team has spent on Roethlisberger's salary and signing bonuses since 2008.

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THE FANS

As virtually everyone in Pittsburgh knows, this isn't the first time Roethlisberger has found trouble.

He was already the defendant in a Nevada lawsuit, accused of sexually assaulting a hotel employee, when he and his entourage went out partying March 4 in Milledgeville, Ga.

Before that, there was the 2006 motorcycle accident after the first Super Bowl victory, with Roethlisberger getting badly injured while riding helmetless and without a permit.

Now there are hundreds of pages of police reports detailing his boorish actions in Georgia, and an unprecedented six-game NFL suspension (which could be reduced to four games) for a player not charged — much less convicted — of a crime.

Tales once whispered about Roethlisberger skipping out on restaurant bills or refusing to pay cover charges or greens fees have suddenly become common knowledge. Suddenly, people remember that he often scribbles only a handful of autographs a day during training camp.

Mark Baranowski is among those who hopes he never sees Roethlisberger again.

The owner of the popular Cabana Bar, near Roethlisberger's home in Gibsonia, once saw the quarterback regularly — Roethlisberger even staged a party there on the one-year anniversary of his motorcycle crash.

But, fed up with Roethlisberger's attitude, manners and shenanigans, Baranowski got the word out — every other Steelers player could enjoy themselves at his place for free. But Roethlisberger had to fork over the cover charge he always balked at paying. Roethlisberger hasn't been back.

"He's not a good guy," Baranowski said.

Many seem to share his opinion. Pittsburghers have peeled the once-ubiquitous "Big Ben 7" stickers off their bumpers, banned their children from wearing his jerseys or simply dumped the expensive uniform tops in the trash. Nationally, Roethlisberger's jersey dropped out of the NFL top 25 in sales in April after ranking 11th for the year ending March 31.

When news of Roethlisberger's suspension was flashed on the PNC Park scoreboard on April 21, fans booed loudly — at the player, not the punishment.

Not long after that, the Pittsburgh Zoo took Roethlisberger's name off a totem pole comparing his height to that of an elephant. They replaced it with that of hockey Hall of Famer and Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux after zoo guests complained.

There's no more Big Ben's Beef Jerky, either — the product's owner cut ties with Roethlisberger, saying it no longer wanted to be associated with him.

"I hope he gets the heck out of here," Bill Ehrman, a 32-year-old University of Pittsburgh medical school resident, said last week at the Pirates game.

Pittsburgh may not be the economic engine it once was, but residents have a strong bond to the city and an emotional attachment to their football team that may be unrivaled in the NFL. Rooted in that sense of tradition is a belief in decorum. Proud to be the home of Mister Rogers, the city was chosen this month as America's most livable by Forbes.com — an honor also bestowed last year by The Economist magazine.

Roethlisberger gets a failing grade from Pittsburgh for politeness. Contrition, too.

"I would love for him to come out and have one of his press conferences and really mean it, say, 'You know what, I (messed) up, I was a pompous ...," said Chris Hart, 44, of suburban Allison Park. "He's been acting like he was forced to do it. What is he? Twenty-eight years old? He's acting like he's 21."

Roethlisberger's public persona is the opposite of Penguins star Sidney Crosby, who quickly ascended to a Lemieux-like pedestal because of his skill, professionalism, maturity and success.

If Roethlisberger is 28 going on 21, Crosby is 22 going on 32; he's already won a scoring title, a goal-scoring title, the MVP award and the Stanley Cup.

As fans love to relate, Crosby is so wholesome he still bunks at the Lemieux house, valuing family life over being the single owner of a fancy mansion like Roethlisberger's, which features a million-dollar swimming pool with his No. 7 at the bottom.

"Sidney Crosby is the guy who should be at the clubs hanging out; he's in that college-age range," Rickard said. "It makes Ben look bad because he's older, he's been around and he should be out of that phase of his life. People turn to Sidney as their exemplary superstar who never has an ego."

Count the Penguins among those who don't want much to do with Roethlisberger these days. According to a team source with knowledge of the situation, Roethlisberger was told he couldn't sit in a private team box during the ongoing NHL playoffs. Just too much dirty laundry.

Right now, nobody wants to hear good-guy stories that acquaintances relate about Roethlisberger: picking up the tab for a Thanksgiving feast for Ronald McDonald House residents; footing all expenses for a stranger's birthday dinner party that was taking place close to his own table; buying police dogs for departments that can't afford them.

"If he throws an interception, he's going to be booed like you don't believe," Rickard said. "He's going to get booed before he throws a pass, for what all he's done. He's going to have to really, really play well to gain us back. And start being more respectful to everybody."

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THE ROONEYS

One thing about the Roethlisberger case stuns former NFL player turned Pittsburgh-based sports lawyer and agent Ralph Cindrich.

"Never in the history of the city can I recall anything close to it," Cindrich said. "I think most are offended because of not only the city, but how it reflects on the Rooney family — if there's any franchise that doesn't deserve this, it's this one."

For 77 years, the Rooneys have operated a model NFL team, one so ingrained into the community that people will sometimes recall major life events — births, weddings, funerals — by what happened in Steelers history that season.

Two months ago, coach Mike Tomlin said the Steelers expect their players' conduct to be "above and beyond that of our peers." Yet the Roethlisberger incident and the recent trading of Holmes only after a series of off-field issues has led the Steelers to be compared to the Bengals and Raiders, teams with a history of employing troubled players.

The Roethlisberger mess is especially worrisome to Dan Rooney, the Steelers' primary owner and chairman emeritus who was appointed ambassador to Ireland by President Barack Obama. Rooney's son, team president Art Rooney II, runs the team on a daily basis and ultimately made the decision to keep Roethlisberger.

While Dan Rooney has mostly watched the Roethlisberger affair play out from a distance, those close to him know how much the case has troubled the man who ran the Steelers on a daily basis for more than 30 years.

"My job is to be in Ireland," the elder Rooney said during a recent visit to Pittsburgh. "I would just say it's a serious matter, and it's being handled properly by (management). I think they're handling it very well."

While Art II has maintained a calm but stern stance — he worked with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to determine the length of the suspension — his unhappiness with Roethlisberger is well known within a tightlipped but tidily run organization. To date, only director of football operations Kevin Colbert has dared to offer any public support for Roethlisberger, saying the quarterback has earned the right to attempt to turn his life around.

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the Roethlisberger matter doesn't concern the federal government. Still, the ambassador cares about the situation.

"Dan Rooney, during his time as one of the pillars of the National Football League, has always set a very high standard for himself and his employees," Crowley said. "I doubt that has changed at all with his shift to being ambassador to Ireland."

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THE STEELERS

Yet Roethlisberger is still a Steeler. The reason is simple. Even if the city can't stand him and the owners are angry, the team simply can't let him go and expect to remain a Super Bowl contender.

With an aging roster and a defense that could be past its peak, the Steelers may have only one or two shots remaining at a third NFL title since 2004 with their current roster. Jettisoning Roethlisberger in his prime likely would require years of rebuilding that might prevent James Farrior and James Harrison, Hines Ward, Aaron Smith and Troy Polamalu from realistically contending for another title.

It's not easy to find a new quarterback to win a Super Bowl, as the Steelers know. They went through a dozen starting QBs after the Terry Bradshaw era ended in 1984 before landing Roethlisberger, who has produced their only two Super Bowl victories in the past 30 years.

The Steelers chose to retain No. 7 and all the baggage he brings, hoping their fans — as fed up as they are — someday will forgive, if not totally forget.

"I'm sure we'll get this turned the right way," said Smith, a defensive end and a team leader. "(Why) wouldn't you keep him? The man's a great quarterback. I mean, he comes out there and wins games."

Release him? Trade him? Nose tackle Casey Hampton finds the idea preposterous.

"What are you cutting him for?" Hampton said. "The same fans who say they should cut him are the same fans who will be cheering if we win the Super Bowl."

Polamalu, a soft-spoken and deeply religious player, declined to say that Roethlisberger let those teammates down by being suspended for six weeks. But it was revealing when he said, "There are really good guys (in the NFL), like Peyton Manning and Tom Brady, but there also are examples of what Ben is going to be able to do, turn his life around."

While Polamalu predicts Roethlisberger will return successfully, the challenges will be monumental when the suspension ends sometime in October. Roethlisberger won't have played a meaningful game since January, and the reception he gets — home and away — could be brutal.

In his only public appearance since prosecutors opted not to charge him, Roethlisberger said he wants to come through.

"I absolutely want to be the leader this team deserves, valued in the community and a role model to kids. I have much work to do to earn this trust," he said. "And I'm committed to improving and showing everyone my true values."

The Steelers and their city can only hope Roethlisberger keeps his word.

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I'm gonna enjoy squealer fans booing their own.