By Ron Cook, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Has it really been just one year, 70 days since Ben Roethlisberger threw that spectacular last-minute, 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes to beat the Arizona Cardinals, a play that made Roethlisberger a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback and Holmes the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII?It seems like 100 years, 70 days.
Sadly, the past 435 days have been packed with much more than just enough losing football for the Steelers to go 9-7 and miss the playoffs last season. You might have heard something about Roethlisberger facing sexual assault allegations in two states. You probably also know Holmes was accused of assault for allegedly throwing a glass of liquor in a woman's face in an Orlando, Fla., club March 7, his fourth incident involving police intervention since the Steelers made him their No. 1 draft choice in 2006.
To think, we used to laugh at the Cincinnati Bengals and their legal problems.
Well, people across America are howling at the Steelers these days.
Surely, the laughs can be heard all the way to Dublin, where the U.S. Ambassador to Ireland, Dan Rooney, has to be some kind of ticked.
That's why it came as no surprise late Sunday night when news broke that Holmes had been traded to the New York Jets for a fifth-round draft pick. As a football trade, that stinks. The Steelers took less for Holmes just to get rid of him.
But good news appears to be coming. ESPN has reported that Georgia district attorney Fred Bright will not bring criminal charges against Roethlisberger from the second alleged incident, this one involving a 20-year college student March 5 in Milledgeville, Ga. If that report is true -- if Bright says during a 2 p.m. news conference today that there isn't enough evidence to prosecute Roethlisberger -- it will be one of the most significant days in Steelers history. The team and its star quarterback can get back to their business and start preparing for the 2010 season.
A much-needed sense of normalcy will return to the Steelers' South Side headquarters.
Roethlisberger still is facing a civil lawsuit from an alleged sexual assault case in July 2008, in Lake Tahoe, Nev. He also still could be disciplined by the NFL for violating its Personal Conduct Policy. Commissioner Roger Goodell has requested a meeting with him, saying he is "concerned that Ben continues to put himself in this position." Goodell can't be pleased that Roethlisberger has brought shame on the NFL brand. It's reasonable to think Roethlisberger will be ordered to undergo counseling, at the very least.
The Steelers also aren't happy with Roethlisberger. "Highly concerned," is the phrase coach Mike Tomlin has used. It's possible that Tomlin will discipline Roethlisberger with a brief suspension for conduct detrimental to the team, if only to show that he still has control over his players.
That's why Roethlisberger needs to get back to the Steelers' compound and start making things right, not just with the Rooneys and Tomlin, but with his teammates. He should be there this week for the team's offseason conditioning workouts. Certainly, he should be there April 19 when Tomlin holds the first of his organized team activities, which include on-field practices.
Roethlisberger is the quarterback, right?
He is lucky. A lesser player would have been released. Franchise quarterbacks get much more leniency. They're just too hard to replace.
Roethlisberger also will be able to win back his fans quickly. Most will forget all about his legal troubles the second he starts playing good football and the Steelers start winning games. It won't take any longer than his first touchdown pass for him to get Heinz Field rocking.
Holmes, on the other hand, did not land in such a soft spot. At least not in Pittsburgh.
It didn't matter that Holmes' attorney, Adam Swickle, says he has proof that another man threw the glass in the woman's face in Orlando. The Steelers were furious because of Holmes' past problems -- charges of disorderly conduct, domestic violence and marijuana possession were dropped against him in three separate incidents -- and because of some outrageous comments he made on Twitter after news of the Orlando allegation broke. There also was an unconfirmed report this past weekend on ProFootballTalk.com that he will be suspended for four games by the NFL for violating its substance-abuse policy.
Clearly, the Steelers decided enough was enough.
It's a lot easier to make a tough stand with a wide receiver -- even a Super Bowl MVP -- than it is with the star quarterback.
No, that might not be fair.
But who said life is fair?
Ron Cook: rcook@post-gazette.com. Ron Cook can be heard on the "Vinnie and Cook" show weekdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on 93.7 The Fan. More articles by this author
Dumping Holmes right decision
By Bob Smizik Monday 11:20 a.m.
http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/bobsmizik/default.aspx
I’ve been kind of playing reporter on this Santonio Holmes story since it broke late last night, trying to catch up with the news and its implications.Let me step into my more familiar role of columnist.
I like the decision to trade Holmes to the New York Jets even if it hurts the team in the short run.
I have enough confidence in the Steelers organization to know if they felt this guy had to go -- even for a fifth-round draft choice -- it was better to get him out of here as fast as possible.
Sure, there have been other players break rules for the Steelers. But no Steelers oozed trouble the way Holmes did. Here’s what Ed Bouchette wrote on his blog on PG+ this morning:
"I’ll bet there are players already cheering in the locker room.’’
What more do you need to know.
Plaxico Burress was perceived by many as a troublemaker in his years with the Steelers. Burress was a good teammate and compared to Holmes a great teammate.
Fans are upset the Steelers didn’t get more. They Steelers got what the market would bear.
Remember this: The Philadelphia Eagles traded star quarterback, team leader and good guy Donovan McNabb and got only a second-round choice and a third or fourth rounder.
Let’s also not forget Holmes might be facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
I think the Steelers have reason to believe second-year pro Mike Wallace can step in and do the job that Holmes did. The transition might be a bit slow, but Wallace has the look of an excellent deep receiver. The problem will be the depth behind Wallace and the fact Hines Ward, the other starting wide receiver, is nearing the end of his career.
These are issues the Steelers can address in free agency and the draft. They were not going to re-sign Holmes after this season so the trade only moves these issues up a year.
Are the Steelers a better team today than they were yesterday? Probably not.
But they have a better chance of being a better team in the future by ridding themselves of a player who seemed married to trouble and who did not have the respect of his teammates.
Posted: Bob Smizik with 53 comment(s)
Filed under: Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, Mike Wallace
Apr 12 2010
Steelers had enough: Holmes traded
By Bob Smizik Monday 8:20 a.m.
http://community.post-gazette.com/blogs/bobsmizik/default.aspx
Someone in the Steelers organization -- most likely with a last name of Rooney -- took a look at the team’s fallen reputation, its share of negative newspaper headlines and unflattering TV reports, walked to a window at the team’s South Side facility, opened it, leaned out and shouted:"I’m mad as Hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore.’’
Stating to the world in general and to the Steeler Nation in particular that they‘ve had enough, the team began the job of reclaiming its good name. In the process, it quite possibly reduced its ability to win football games. For the moment, that appears to be a secondary issue.
Trading talented but troublesome wide receiver Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets was the bold and startling first step in the Steelers reclamation plan. In exchange for Holmes, 26, the team received a fifth-round draft choice.
It was an exceedingly small return for a player of Holmes’ stature. He’s a first-round draft choice in 2006, a starter, regularly among NFL leaders in receiving yards and a Super Bowl MVP.
But even in their wounded position, the Steelers are astute business people. If a fifth-round draft choice is what they got for Holmes, who is in the final year of his contract, it was all the market would bear and the best they could do.
It’s hard to imagine the Steelers not making league-wide calls to see what they could get for Holmes and this was the best offer.
There also have been reports that Holmes is facing a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy. That, his previous history of trouble and the fact he will be eligible for free agency at the end of the season, drastically reduced his value.
Holmes caught 79 passes for 1,248 yards last season. He was seventh in the NFL in yards. Over his four-year career, he caught 235 passes for 3,835 yards and 20 touchdowns. He averaged 16.3 yards per catch.
He has a well-known history of off-the-field problems and immature behavior.
Most recently he was involved in an altercation in an Orlando, Fla. bar last month. He is facing a lawsuit around that incident from a woman who claimed Holmes threw a glass at her and cut her above the eye. Holmes has denied the allegation and no charges have been filed against him.
In the aftermath of that incident, Holmes used his Twitter account to send out inappropriate messages. One of the messages read, "time to wake n bake,'' a reference to smoking pot.
In 2008, he was arrested for possession of marijuana and was involved in a domestic violence incident in 2006. The misdemeanor charges were dismissed.
The Steelers probably will move Mike Wallace into Holmes starting spot. Wallace had an excellent rookie season, catching 39 passes for 756 yards and six touchdowns.
The trade helps explain the visits last week the Steelers had from wide receivers Dez Bryant of Oklahoma State and Golden Tate of Notre Dame at their South Side facility. Both are expected to be first-round draft choices later this month.
Holmes altercation in Florida was just another sordid chapter in the team’s recent history, which has brought a degree of shame to the organization.
As is well known, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of sexual assault in Florida and it will be announced today if charges will be filed against him.
Another receiver, Cedrick Wilson, allegedly walked into a bar two years ago and punched his ex-girlfriend in the face. The Steelers cut Wilson and in a statement said this would "send a message that we will not tolerate this type of conduct."
That was before star linebacker James Harrison, who was arrested for striking the mother of his son, was signed to a $51.5 million contract. Charges were dropped, but Harrison had to undergo anger-management counseling.
Kicker Jeff Reed was involved in an altercation with police following a game last season.
Posted: Bob Smizik with 59 comment(s)
Filed under: Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, Santonio Holmes, Jeff Reed, Mike Wallace, Cedrick Wilson
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