Big Ben off the hook again.

Well I'm sure his lawyer told him to do so, so he doesn't say anything incriminating in the event of a civil lawsuit and whatnot. Still though, you're right, it looks fake and tacky when they read from a piece of paper.


Well Ben is obvously smarter than Gilbert Arenas. In this situation you do exactly what your attorney tells you to.

What is apparent to me is that this situation is a 180 compared to the tramp out west. Ben has been playing defense the whole time in this case which makes me think that the situation was questionable at best if not criminal.

Either way, Big Ben is lucky and better have learned his lesson because if this happens again he will probably go to jail.

He's meeting with Goodell today and if he doesn't get a minimum 4, preferablly 6 or 8-game suspension, the league and its personal conduct policies are a joke. Other players have been suspended for lesser offenses that were also not prosecuted.

Even if he's right and she REALLY DID just fall down in that 5-foot by 5-foot bathroom that he followed he into and had buddies guard the door...don't you think she'd bruise an elbow or knee...not her vagina? Regardless of the matter of consent, she was drunk and under the drinking age in most states...he had no reason to behave the way he did. He is supposed to be a professional and that doesn't only apply for 3 hours every Sunday. He's brought horrible press upon the league and especially the Steelers. I doubt he'll even recognize that trading Holmes was a message to him. This wasn't his first or even second chance to act like a civilized human being and professional representative of his team...he has a long track record of bad judgment if not more.

He's meeting with Goodell today and if he doesn't get a minimum 4, preferablly 6 or 8-game suspension, the league and its personal conduct policies are a joke. Other players have been suspended for lesser offenses that were also not prosecuted.

Even if he's right and she REALLY DID just fall down in that 5-foot by 5-foot bathroom that he followed he into and had buddies guard the door...don't you think she'd bruise an elbow or knee...not her vagina? Regardless of the matter of consent, she was drunk and under the drinking age in most states...he had no reason to behave the way he did. He is supposed to be a professional and that doesn't only apply for 3 hours every Sunday. He's brought horrible press upon the league and especially the Steelers. I doubt he'll even recognize that trading Holmes was a message to him. This wasn't his first or even second chance to act like a civilized human being and professional representative of his team...he has a long track record of bad judgment if not more.


Honestly it isn't our job or Goodell's job to decide why the girl had a bruise on her vagina. While I have seen a vagina or two in my day, I would never speculate on a subject like this.

Based on how Goodell has dealt with other players, I think he has to suspend Ben but, personally, I think this suspending players when they haven't been convicted of anything is a slippery slope.

I see a player suing the league in the near future over one of these suspensions because it seems that Goodell's process is very arbitrary. Who is policing Goodell? What is his criteria? What gives Goodell the right to decide that people who have been convicted of no crime cannot work?

Certainly, to date, it seems like black players are being treated differently than the white players.

Honestly it isn't our job or Goodell's job to decide why the girl had a bruise on her vagina. While I have seen a vagina or two in my day, I would never speculate on a subject like this.

Based on how Goodell has dealt with other players, I think he has to suspend Ben but, personally, I think this suspending players when they haven't been convicted of anything is a slippery slope.

I see a player suing the league in the near future over one of these suspensions because it seems that Goodell's process is very arbitrary. Who is policing Goodell? What is his criteria? What gives Goodell the right to decide that people who have been convicted of no crime cannot work?

Certainly, to date, it seems like black players are being treated differently than the white players.

You're could be right to an extent, but there is also the fact that can't be denied that there have been less "issues" with the law among white players, just looking at an incident per capita-type figure. I'm not making any judgements, just throwing out a stat. We can't condemn the Commissioner just because there were fewer incidents to deal with when applying a certain criteria like race. However, if that perception exists, here's his opportunity to squash it.

With that said, Goodell doesn't need to get into any of the dirty details of Ben's incidents. His maturity level, personal conduct and bad image he's creating for the league and his team is enough to hand out a punishment with the intentions of putting a stop to these behaviors before they go to far legally and otherwise.

Chris Henry and Pacman Jones were suspended when not convicted. Roethlisberger is starting to get a track record of repeat offender just as they are. As the QB, the most prominent position on the team, he needs to be held to a higher standard just due to his public visibility. He needs to realize this and if necessary, taught the lesson.

You're could be right to an extent, but there is also the fact that can't be denied that there have been less "issues" with the law among white players, just looking at an incident per capita-type figure. I'm not making any judgements, just throwing out a stat. We can't condemn the Commissioner just because there were fewer incidents to deal with when applying a certain criteria like race. However, if that perception exists, here's his opportunity to squash it.

With that said, Goodell doesn't need to get into any of the dirty details of Ben's incidents. His maturity level, personal conduct and bad image he's creating for the league and his team is enough to hand out a punishment with the intentions of putting a stop to these behaviors before they go to far legally and otherwise.

Chris Henry and Pacman Jones were suspended when not convicted. Roethlisberger is starting to get a track record of repeat offender just as they are. As the QB, the most prominent position on the team, he needs to be held to a higher standard just due to his public visibility. He needs to realize this and if necessary, taught the lesson.

See this is where I think Goodell is on questionable ground. You are calling Big Ben a repeat offender but he hasn't been arrested for either case. Suspending players for bad press? That sounds like a softball for an attorney if you ask me. I think there is a big difference when someone is arrested over and over again and not convicted as opposed to just being accused.

I think it is a very bad precedent to suspend players on accusations alone. I know this last case smells but what is next, you suspend players for staring too long at the cheerleaders?

when he was in 4th grade? haha

and LOL @ warpaint's reply

yeah...over by the water fountain...he was almost forcing himself on them. hahahahahahaha

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See this is where I think Goodell is on questionable ground. You are calling Big Ben a repeat offender but he hasn't been arrested for either case. Suspending players for bad press? That sounds like a softball for an attorney if you ask me. I think there is a big difference when someone is arrested over and over again and not convicted as opposed to just being accused.

I think it is a very bad precedent to suspend players on accusations alone. I know this last case smells but what is next, you suspend players for staring too long at the cheerleaders?

Yeah, cause the commish isn't a moron, he knows Big Ben is an idiot and stupid as a box of rocks. Everybody knows Big Ben has done something wrong here, and the commish wants to and SHOULD make an example out of him, who knows, maybe it will get a 27 year old man out of COLLEGE bars in the middle of Georgia. But i'm waiting for a million more of these things to happen to Big Ben then have him admit he has a sex addiction...just like Tiger...

I hope Roger Goodell takes his head out of bens ass and suspends this serial rapist

I hope Roger Goodell takes his head out of bens ass and suspends this serial rapist

See this is an ignorant statement. Were you there? Are you an expert on rape cases? He wasn't even arrested but you are qualified to label him as a serial rapist?

Come on now.

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See this is where I think Goodell is on questionable ground. You are calling Big Ben a repeat offender but he hasn't been arrested for either case. Suspending players for bad press? That sounds like a softball for an attorney if you ask me. I think there is a big difference when someone is arrested over and over again and not convicted as opposed to just being accused.

I think it is a very bad precedent to suspend players on accusations alone. I know this last case smells but what is next, you suspend players for staring too long at the cheerleaders?

It's not based on accusations, it's based on facts.

Facts such as:

*He's repeatedly using bad judgment, from the motorcycle to these multiple sexual assault claims. Bad personal conduct means bad press for the team, the league and all athletes who will be stereotyped because of the actions of a prominent player.

*He's voluntarily putting himself in these situations and in with these crowds. He's choosing to be put in compromising situations.

*This is not the first time he's been involved in a situation like this, whether pursued legally or not. The "wrong place, wrong time" defense only works once. After that, it becomes a pattern of behavior. His two accusations/incidents were not too far apart, time-wise either. It doesn't appear he's learned from his previous mess, or even his motorcycle accident. Sure, it was an "accident", but he doesn't seem to value his career or realize he's an asset of the team that needs to be protected.

*Other players have been punished for far less-severe situations. Just because law enforcement or the legal system doesn't spell out a decision, that doesn't mean no crime was committed. In this case, there was apparently "not enough evidence to prosecute and win a case" according to the DA. We really don't have to bring up OJ or Kobe Bryant, do we? Although there was not enough evidence to go forward with a case, there WAS a lot of evidence that Ben acted without any common sense, possibly morals and many of the facts that were present (age, condition of victim, the location of her bruises with a "oh she just fell down and bruised her vagina" explanation from him. The facts that were there point to something very bad for Roethlisberger, they just claimed they couldn't find enough of these.

I do realize there are false accusations and the Duke debacle should have taught us all a lesson...but when someone is repeatedly finding themselves put into defending themselves against the same accusation, perhaps the individual needs to evaluate their life and decisions they're making. A suspension might push Ben to do this whether he's guilty or not. No matter what the legal outcome was, he is hurting the team and league with his decisions and lack of caring (or common sense).


It may not even take a decision by Goodell to give him some time off. The Rooneys and Steelers are considering doing it themselves and after trading Holmes for equally-stupid but less severe offenses...they're serious.

Steelers ponder suspension of Roethlisberger (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10103/1049923-66.stm)


It seems like they're preparing for the worst-case scenario and not having Roethlisberger permanently...they just re-signed the ancient Charlie Batch for 2 more years.

Steelers' Batch accepts two-year deal (http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10086/1046111-66.stm)