Time Tolling For Big Ben

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Rothlisberger had a private meeting today with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodall to discuss his latest off the field behavior issues.

A Georgia District Attorney decided not to pursue sexual assault charges against the QB. It looks like he really dodged a bullet on this one as there was evidence that he had followed a woman into a bathroom in bar where the alleged incident took place. The victim, probably overwhelmed by the publicity associated with the case, became a reluctant witness. No further action was taken by the authorities as her testimony was deemed critical.

Rothlisberger still has a pending civil suit filed by a woman in Colorado alleging another sexual assault. Again, Rothlisberger was able to duck crimonal prosecution, although the civil suit is sure to drag on with sordid details emerging. His best option is to try and settle out of court.

He only needs to look at Baltimore Ravens LB Ray Lewis to see how long a civil suit can drag on for. Lewis was implicated in a double murder, but nobody was ever prosecuted. Over the course of five years, he settled three different lawsuits out of court for a substantial amount of money.

The Commissioner has made the conduct of players a top priority and has not made any difference with the caliber of the individual. Rothlisberger's problems have been very troubling to Steeler's owner Dan Rooney who is considering suspending Big Ben no matter what happens with the NFL front office.

The Steelers recently traded troubled WR Santonio Holmes to the Jets after it was revealed that he was facing a four game suspension for violating the league's drug policy. He also has a pending court case for throwing a glass at a woman in a bar.

Rooney has publicly stated that he will not tolerate this type of behavior from his team. He made an example of Holmes. It will be interesting to see if he will do the same for his starting QB.