The Ben Roethlisberger Situation Is Far From Over

All in all, it was an ugly day in the neighborhood.

With his team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, being lambasted in the press for trading their "star" receiver Santonio Holmes to the New York Jets for a meager fifth round selection in the coming draft, Ben Roethlisberger and his ongoing legal troubles took another strange turn on Monday.

District Attorney Fred Bright announced in a Georgia press conference that Roethlisberger, accused of a second sexual assault in as many years, would not be charged for an incident in Milledgeville, Ga.

He also rather effectively said that the only reason he wouldn't be charged was because the evidence was not present, not because Roethlisberger was innocent.

"We do not prosecute morals, we prosecute crimes," said Bright. It is a quote that will keep the Steelers, their fans, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell up at night.

If you read between the lines, Bright might as well have said "He did it, but I don't have the evidence to prove it."

I have no fault with what Bright said or did on Monday. I found it rather refreshing to actually have details reported, however embarrassing they are to Roethlisberger's tarnished image. If he was doing it to cover himself for not charging a star athlete, that's okay too. He did his job, made it obvious that he did his job, and gave us all the details possible with which to make our own judgements.

Now the ball is squarely in the league, and the team's, court. What each decides to do will go a long way toward either fixing or tarnishing their respective reputations.

The first decisions will likely be made later this week when the commissioner and Roethlisberger meet to discuss his actions.

Unfortunately for Goodell, Bright's decision not to file charges makes suspending Roethlisberger more difficult. But Bright did leave Goodell a lot of information to work with, not the least of which is the implication that Roethlisberger fed his accuser shots of alcohol while she was already visibly intoxicated and also underage.

I would be surprised if Goodell doesn't suspend Roethlisberger. While some media outlets are believing that he will put the onus on the Steelers organization to take action, I believe both will sanction the quarterback.

Why? The answer is simple: both need to save some face.

Goodell has a reputation (well deserved) of being a bit inconsistent with the enforcement of the league's code of conduct. This case will set a precedent either way.

What do you do with a player who is not facing criminal charges, but is nevertheless guilty of serial bad judgement and likely guilty of a bevy of other offenses?

I would wager that Goodell has a one or two-game suspension in mind. Since he is not being charged, it would be hard to slap Roethlisberger with suspensions akin to what Adam "Pac Man" Jones or Chris Henry received.

But he can't afford to leave it up to the team. It would look way too much like he is selling out his authority over the league.

Likewise, the Steelers shouldn't be contented to let Goodell handle matters. If Goodell hands down a two game suspension, the team should match it.

Four games? Am I crazy?

No. The Steelers are good enough on the field to overcome that loss. Even if they weren't, it is a small price to pay for restoring the team's image as a disciplined, clean-cut organization.

If I were the Steelers, I'd also make it publicly clear to Roethlisberger that this is it. I would have a clause inserted into the language of his contract that allows the team to release him with a diminished salary penalty if he gets into any more trouble.

I'd also strongly consider locking him in the stadium during the offseason...just in case.