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Ben Roethlisberger will not be charged, according to ESPN sources

  • Al Capone
    Another scenario that was just talked about on a Pittsburgh radio show: What if Ben walks into the Steelers offices and asks for a trade? A change of scenery may do him some good.
  • rock_knutne
    This entire Big Ben saga has gotten way out of control. The media has performed another precise hatchet job IMO. Little worms like Adam Schefter are usless! The DA in Georgia did him or the Steelers no favors by voicing his opinion, he's not a judge or jury and should have stuck to his job.

    Then the ridiculous comments coming from "some" fans here in the Burgh, that Ben should be traded is absolutely insane! If the media had as much prominence back in the 70's there would be a lot of past stars going through the same shit.

    Should Ben use better judgement, sure, but let's remember the most important thing, this man was not charged or arrested for any crime. It just bothers me that a lot of people are putting our system out to dry.

    I'm sure I'll get some heat for my opinion and I understand that Ben may be handed a suspension today, but I don't think it's warranted at all!
  • Al Capone
    The race baiters out there would have a field day if he isn't punished. Although sad, it is the truth.
  • dat dude
    rock_knutne wrote: This entire Big Ben saga has gotten way out of control. The media has performed another precise hatchet job IMO. Little worms like Adam Schefter are usless! The DA in Georgia did him or the Steelers no favors by voicing his opinion, he's not a judge or jury and should have stuck to his job.

    Then the ridiculous comments coming from "some" fans here in the Burgh, that Ben should be traded is absolutely insane! If the media had as much prominence back in the 70's there would be a lot of past stars going through the same shit.

    Should Ben use better judgement, sure, but let's remember the most important thing, this man was not charged or arrested for any crime. It just bothers me that a lot of people are putting our system out to dry.

    I'm sure I'll get some heat for my opinion and I understand that Ben may be handed a suspension today, but I don't think it's warranted at all!
    You should be thanking the DA. He could have filed charges and proceeded through the case to gain favor in the community/public eye for reelection. Instead, he used his better judgment as a DA (and not a politician, see Mike Nifong) and decided not to pursue the case. However, before he did he made the comments necessary to deflect any major criticism that would hurt him in the upcoming reelection.
  • Non
    Who knows all of the specifics of the Georgia situation. The victim said in the letter to the DA that she didn't want to pursue a trial because it would be too intrusive to her identity and she just wanted to move on with her life. Who knows that's all about. Maybe some money was exchanged to get her to feel this way or maybe she really felt this way about it. Still, it sounds like it could've turned out worse for Ben. As Bob Smizik said, he didn't win 48-0 it was more like 10-7.

    The Steelers and the NFL likely have a better grasp of the specifics and how bad of a situation Ben put himself in.
  • BR1986FB
    Rooney won't announce punishment per Mort....

    http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/04/15/mor-rooney-wont-announce-discipline-of-roethlisberger/
  • LJ
    mis-management? or are they acting like a bully trying to get a kid to cry uncle?
  • Non
    There have been a lot of rumors of his behavior at events, charity functions, with the media and so on. It's painted a profile of him being a punk/jerk.

    That's not a crime but then when you add in these incidents, it starts to pile up and reflects poorly on the Steelers. They gave him a $100 million contract to be the face of the team. Wherever he goes he's representing the Steelers. He needs to be reminded of that. And he should be punished if he's falling short of the standards set in their code of conduct.
  • BR1986FB
    Steelers have internally discussed trading Roethlisberger
    By Jason La Canfora | NFL.com


    The Pittsburgh Steelers haven't talked with other teams about dealing embattled quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, but they've had significant internal discussions about the matter, a source with knowledge of the situation said Thursday.

    According to the source, Steelers ownership remains dismayed and embarrassed by Roethlisberger's actions in a Georgia college town this offseason and finds his string of off-the-field incidents troubling. The team has been closely monitoring the public backlash against Roethlisberger.

    "The Rooneys are livid," the source said.

    A Georgia district attorney decided not to hand down sexual-assault criminal charges against Roethlisberger on Monday, but the Steelers, as well as the NFL, could impose their own discipline on him.

    Roethlisberger met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on Tuesday. Goodell said Wednesday that he would make a decision on Roethlisberger's status "in the near future."

    Steelers president Art Rooney II will meet with the media at 2:30 p.m. ET Thursday to discuss the Roethlisberger situation, but he isn't expected to make an announcement regarding the sort of suspension or punishment for Roethlisberger.

    The Steelers' front office has talked internally about possible trade scenarios that could be feasible and what makes sense for the team. According to a source, if other teams called about Roethlisberger, the Steelers would intently listen.

    The Steelers could envision several trade scenarios, but they're skeptical about other teams taking on Roethlisberger, given his baggage. However, they also realize his contract is tradeable in an uncapped year, with the bonuses already paid and Roethlisberger signed for six more years at a manageable salary for a franchise quarterback ($8.05 million in 2010, $11.6 million per year from 2011 to 2014, and $12.1 million in 2015).

    In particular, the Steelers are enamored with likely No. 1 overall draft pick Sam Bradford. They essentially view Bradford as a sure-thing franchise quarterback and have considered what it would take to move up to the No. 1 pick in a trade with the St. Louis Rams, according to a source. However, the Steelers know executing such a move would be highly difficult, and they figure the Rams have limited interest in Roethlisberger.

    Steelers officials aren't worried about how Roethlisberger's return will impact the locker room. The Rooneys' concern is born of the history and prestige of their franchise, the recent fan backlash and public perception about Roethlisberger and their belief that no player is bigger than the team.

    However, the source noted that this isn't "a Santonio Holmes situation," alluding to the Steelers dumping the talented but troubled receiver for a fifth-round pick over the weekend as he faced a four-game suspension for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

    "This is not a case of having to get rid of this guy,'" the source said. "There would have to be fair value."

    Roethlisberger, drafted 11th overall in 2004, has performed at an elite level for the Steelers. He's among the winningest quarterbacks for his age and already possesses two Super Bowl rings. His size, improvisational skills and ability to escape the rush and deliver the ball to all parts of the field make him among the best in the league.

    Should Roethlisberger have another off-the-field misstep, however, his Steelers career likely would be over, according to team and league sources. And, if a legitimate trade scenario materialized, that end could come much sooner.

    Teams that aren't committed long-term to a starting quarterback include the Rams, Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Oakland Raiders, San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals. The Steelers refused to entertain dealing Holmes within the AFC North, and that would apply with Roethlisberger as well. A trade likely would have to involve a quarterback or put the Steelers in position to draft one they like (Pittsburgh is high on its young backup, Dennis Dixon, however).

    Finding the right deal is remote, the Steelers know, but not necessarily impossible.

    http://www.nfl.com/news/story?id=09000d5d8178b2b1&template=with-video-with-comments&confirm=true
  • Non
    Riveting info provided by Art Rooney II. :D

    He did say they have not talked to any teams about trading Ben.

    The league and the Steelers will work together to decide the disciplinay action and it won't be handed out until after the draft.
  • THE4RINGZ
    I am a die hard Steeler's fan, and a fair weathered Ben fan. I think he is replaceable for sure, I just don't want to see them trade him for junk. The first overall pick this year, but what else????? I mean he has won two Supoer Bowls. That puts him on another level when it comes to working out what you get in return on a trade IMO.

    I said it earlier in the week, and will repeat myself. If there was a solid #2 QB in Pittsburgh I would be a little less scared of cutting him loose. You can't start a rookie in game one, and you really have no other legitimate starter in Pittsburgh. Unless, they can go and get Byron back, and let Batch work with Bradford, and Dixon for this upcoming season.

    Time will tell. And I will agree with the Rooney's decision. They obviously know more about how to run an NFL franchise than I do.........
  • vball10set
    I still believe it'll be two games--and some serious groveling...
  • thavoice
    Agreed. Itll be 2 games.
  • Sage
    http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0415101roethlisberger1.html

    Some hi-lights:
    APRIL 15--The college student who accused Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her last month in a Georgia nightclub told cops that the NFL star approached her "with his penis out of his pants" and followed her into a bathroom, where "he had sex with me" in spite of her objections.
    In one of two handwritten police statements, the woman recalled that she told Roethlisberger, "No, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me. He said it was OK. He then left without saying anything."
    One witness, Ann Marie Lubatti, told investigators that she saw one of Roethlisberger's bodyguards guide the alleged victim to a side door. Lubatti said that she immediately approached another bodyguard and said, "This isn't right. My friend is back there with Ben. She needs to come back right now." Lubatti, who described Roethlisberger as "noticeably intoxicated," said she was rebuffed by the bodyguard, who remarked, "I don't know what you are talking about."

    When Lubatti later spotted her friend, the alleged victim said, "We need to go now." Lubatti said the woman told her that Roethlisberger "walked back to where she was with his penis already out of his pants. She told him that they shouldn't be doing this and that it wasn't right." The woman told Lubatti that Roethlisberger had followed her into the bathroom and shut the door. "She continued to say she didn't want to have sex, but he kept saying, "No, it's OK." Lubatti said that her friend told of having unprotected sex with Roethlisberger. After hearing her friend's account, Lubatti and another woman, Nicole Biancofiore, "walked up to the first cop we saw and told them what happened."
    Another sorority sister, Victoria Garofalo, recalled that the alleged victim was wearing a name tag with the initials "DTF." The tag--which the woman had received at a birthday party earlier that evening--was the subject of an inside joke between the students. When Roethlisberger asked about the initials, "Garofalo explained that 'DTF' stood for 'down to fuck' and that it referred to a joke between" the women.

    "I'm not down to fuck, but I like to fuck girls," Roethlisberger replied, according to a police report.

    Witness Elizabeth Brooks told investigators of partying with Roethlisberger at Capital City, where he purchased a round of shots for women in the VIP room and announced, "All my bitches, take some shots."
    Can't lie, those two quotes are kinda gangsta.
    Aurila recalled that Roethlisberger said the "girl slipped and he helped her up and then came back out." Aurila noted that "he took 'messing around' to mean 'kissing, whatever,'" according to a GBI report. He added that Roethlisberger's demeanor was "angry and shocked that this was happening" as he spoke of the allegation leveled against him.
  • Pick6
    girl was dragged into the bathroom?

    http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5094224
  • Non
    Not that I condone what Ben, allegedly, did but it does serve a lesson to the girl, who was barhopping and doing underage drinking to the point where she was extremely intoxicated.
  • dat dude
    Plenty of underage girls barhop and become extremely intoxicated. Very few of them meet an individual alone in a hallway with his penis out of his pants. Just sayin'.
  • LJ
    dat dude wrote: Plenty of underage girls barhop and become extremely intoxicated. Very few of them meet an individual alone in a hallway with his penis out of his pants. Just sayin'.
    You haven't been to very many bars have you? lol.

    I knew a guy who was accused of rape when I was in college. Story was almost exactly the same only it was a bathroom at a frat house. Turns out she was just embarrassed that she banged a guy in a frat house bathroom and felt that accusing him of raping her was the only way to save face.
  • Writerbuckeye
    THE4RINGZ wrote: I am a die hard Steeler's fan, and a fair weathered Ben fan. I think he is replaceable for sure, I just don't want to see them trade him for junk. The first overall pick this year, but what else????? I mean he has won two Supoer Bowls. That puts him on another level when it comes to working out what you get in return on a trade IMO.

    I said it earlier in the week, and will repeat myself. If there was a solid #2 QB in Pittsburgh I would be a little less scared of cutting him loose. You can't start a rookie in game one, and you really have no other legitimate starter in Pittsburgh. Unless, they can go and get Byron back, and let Batch work with Bradford, and Dixon for this upcoming season.

    Time will tell. And I will agree with the Rooney's decision. They obviously know more about how to run an NFL franchise than I do.........
    You are failing to devalue him because of his reputation and behavior. If St. Louis would trade its no. 1 pick for Ben straight up, the Steelers would probably get down on their collective knees and give thanks.
  • Non
    dat dude wrote: Plenty of underage girls barhop and become extremely intoxicated. Very few of them meet an individual alone in a hallway with his penis out of his pants. Just sayin'.
    Maybe not in the hallway but in some other area. :D

    This is an atmosphere where drunken guys want to take advantage of barhopping, intoxicated chicks.

    Maybe she won't always be in this exact situation but maybe another night she'll meet another creep and will be in danger.
  • Non
    I don't think the Steelers would take a No. 1 straight up for Ben.

    It would take that and probably another pick in the second or third round.

    If he was 31 it would be different but he is 28 and just had his best statistical season. The Steelers defense is experienced but aging so they don't have a team that can wait two years for a rookie QB to develop. They're trying to win again right now.

    I don't think the Rams would give that up because they're not close so what would a 28-year-old QB do for a team that doesn't have much of anything?
  • rock_knutne
    Sage wrote: http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0415101roethlisberger1.html

    Some hi-lights:
    APRIL 15--The college student who accused Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her last month in a Georgia nightclub told cops that the NFL star approached her "with his penis out of his pants" and followed her into a bathroom, where "he had sex with me" in spite of her objections.
    In one of two handwritten police statements, the woman recalled that she told Roethlisberger, "No, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me. He said it was OK. He then left without saying anything."
    One witness, Ann Marie Lubatti, told investigators that she saw one of Roethlisberger's bodyguards guide the alleged victim to a side door. Lubatti said that she immediately approached another bodyguard and said, "This isn't right. My friend is back there with Ben. She needs to come back right now." Lubatti, who described Roethlisberger as "noticeably intoxicated," said she was rebuffed by the bodyguard, who remarked, "I don't know what you are talking about."

    When Lubatti later spotted her friend, the alleged victim said, "We need to go now." Lubatti said the woman told her that Roethlisberger "walked back to where she was with his penis already out of his pants. She told him that they shouldn't be doing this and that it wasn't right." The woman told Lubatti that Roethlisberger had followed her into the bathroom and shut the door. "She continued to say she didn't want to have sex, but he kept saying, "No, it's OK." Lubatti said that her friend told of having unprotected sex with Roethlisberger. After hearing her friend's account, Lubatti and another woman, Nicole Biancofiore, "walked up to the first cop we saw and told them what happened."
    Another sorority sister, Victoria Garofalo, recalled that the alleged victim was wearing a name tag with the initials "DTF." The tag--which the woman had received at a birthday party earlier that evening--was the subject of an inside joke between the students. When Roethlisberger asked about the initials, "Garofalo explained that 'DTF' stood for 'down to fuck' and that it referred to a joke between" the women.

    "I'm not down to fuck, but I like to fuck girls," Roethlisberger replied, according to a police report.

    Witness Elizabeth Brooks told investigators of partying with Roethlisberger at Capital City, where he purchased a round of shots for women in the VIP room and announced, "All my bitches, take some shots."
    Can't lie, those two quotes are kinda gangsta.
    Aurila recalled that Roethlisberger said the "girl slipped and he helped her up and then came back out." Aurila noted that "he took 'messing around' to mean 'kissing, whatever,'" according to a GBI report. He added that Roethlisberger's demeanor was "angry and shocked that this was happening" as he spoke of the allegation leveled against him.
    Just to make this perfectly clear, the details that have been released in the police report are not facts what so ever. They are merely one side of the story, people tend to forget this, especially since ben decided not to talk to the authorities which is his right. All this stuff might have happened but there's absolutely no way to prove it which doesn't make it factual.
  • rock_knutne
    Writerbuckeye wrote: You are failing to devalue him because of his reputation and behavior. If St. Louis would trade its no. 1 pick for Ben straight up, the Steelers would probably get down on their collective knees and give thanks.

    Not happening.
  • BR1986FB
    I highly doubt the Rams are going to try to trade for Roethlisberger. They have new ownership coming in and the last thing a new owner is going to want to do is bring in an accused sexual offender as their "face of the franchise." That's more Al Davis' speed or if the Jets needed a QB? ;)
  • rock_knutne
    Found this at The Pensblog, they're known for hilarious photoshoped hockey pictures involving the Penguins. Someone posted this gem.................even I LOL'd: