Steelers to persevere in wake of arrest

By John Harris
PITTSBURGH TRIBUNE-REVIEW
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/
Saturday, October 25, 2008

Calling Thursday's arrest of one of his starting receivers a "distraction,'' Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Santonio Holmes will be inactive for Sunday's big game against the New York Giants at Heinz Field.


Santonio Holmes

"His situation has created somewhat of a distraction. We want to minimize that as much as we can, remain focused on the task at hand, which is to compete and play against the New York Giants on Sunday,'' Tomlin said Friday following the team's final practice of the week.

Holmes, second on the Steelers with 22 receptions for 360 yards and a touchdown, will not attend Sunday's game.

Nate Washington, who has two touchdown catches in the past two games, will start for the first time this season as Holmes' replacement.

"I met with Santonio (yesterday) morning, notified him, told him I'd see him Monday morning,'' Tomlin said.

Pittsburgh police said Holmes, 24, will be charged with possession of marijuana after three blunts were found inside his vehicle Thursday afternoon in Uptown.

Holmes was stopped about 4 p.m. near the intersection of Centre Avenue and Mario Lemieux Place by officers searching for a vehicle with a similar description.

When officers approached Holmes' vehicle, they smelled an odor of burning marijuana, police said.

Holmes, who was not carrying his driver's license, admitted to having a small amount of marijuana and pointed out the blunts -- a cigar filled with marijuana -- to officers.

Holmes, the Steelers' No. 1 draft pick in 2006 from Ohio State, will be sent a summons charging him with possession of marijuana.

Police said they stopped Holmes because they had been looking for a black sport utility vehicle with out-of-state plates believed to be carrying a large amount of narcotics. Police said Holmes was driving a black SUV with out-of-state plates, but it was not the vehicle they were seeking.

Given Holmes' recent off-field history, Tomlin was asked if he was upset with the receiver.

Holmes was arrested in June 2006 on charges of domestic violence in Columbus, Ohio. He was charged with assaulting LaShae Boone, the mother of one of his three children. The charges were dropped when Boone chose not to go forward with the case.

Holmes also was arrested for disorderly conduct in Miami in May 2006. Those charges were later dropped by the Miami Police Department.

"Right now, this is the first incident that's happened with Santonio since I've been here,'' said Tomlin, who told reporters he didn't have enough information aboout Holmes' case to reach any conclusions. "I base my judgment on people off of our direct interaction. This is how I choose to address it and deal with it at this time. My approach or mentality regarding the situation may be different next week. Right now, I don't have the time or the patience really to delve into it.''

According to the NFL's substance-abuse policy, if Holmes is convicted of possession or admits to it, he is subject to discipline from the league and could be suspended for up to four games. However, the maximum penalty seems unlikely since this would be Holmes' first drug- or alcohol-related offense.

Recently, Jacksonville receiver Matt Jones was suspended three games for violation of the league's substance-abuse policy. It was the first offense for Jones, who told reporters he's being tested for drugs by the league.

Jones was arrested and charged with one count of cocaine possession in July, when an Arkansas police officer saw him inside a parked car allegedly cutting up cocaine with a credit card. Jones, who pleaded not guilty, was accepted into a drug-treatment program that could erase the felony cocaine charge against him.

Hines Ward said the Steelers will survive Holmes' absence with Washington as a starter, along with Dallas Baker and rookie Limas Sweed sharing the No. 3 receiver spot.

"Not really a distraction. Just (unfortunate) that the situation happened like that,'' Ward said. "We've got to go with the guys we've got. It's no different than us losing (running back) Willie Parker. The next man's got to fill in, and we can't lose a beat.''

Washington is the man on the spot. Two games ago against Jacksonville, he caught a career-high six passes for 94 yards and a 48-yard touchdown. Last week against Cincinnati, Washington had a 50-yard touchdown grab.

"It's unfortunate the way it came, but I'm seizing the opportunity,'' Washington said.


John Harris can be reached at jharris@tribweb.com or 412-481-5432.