Steelers fans check in...

[shilala]

Originally Posted by andysutherland

Thanks for the info, Scott and Vic.

I knew that he had been in trouble with the ladies before, but not to that extent. Still, I'm not so sure about his suspension. I don't believe that he is a great guy off the field after all of this, but it is what it is. I know it's not the NFL way, but I would be more satisfied if the Steelers banned him from six games (not gonna happen) rather than the NFL. I guess that shows me as more of a States Rights kind of guy. I do see Goodell's reasoning though.

Andy, the Steelers already picked up Byron Leftwich yesterday, they have two other quarterbacks in Batch and Dixon, and they are dangling Ben for a draft choice.
I don't think, under the collective bargaining agreement that the Steelers have with the players union, that the Steelers can dispense any sort of "punishment". What they can do is fire him and get out from their contractual obligation to him.
If the Steelers can't make money, which as a business is their first priority, then they're going to look to minimize their loss. You can bet that the Rooney's fleet of lawyers has long since found them a fistful of "outs". I would be absolutely shocked to see Ben anywhere near the field with the Steelers this year. I was surprised to see him at training camp, but the shoe hadn't dropped yet.
I've loved Ben as much as anyone over the years. I desperately wanted none of this stuff to be true, so I read everything I could see since it all started. It's real easy to see that he did what he was blamed with. That makes the charges from the woman in Reno look perfectly real, too.

I'm sure the Steelers wish they could punish him, but I believe they are powerless in that capacity. I'd be willing to bet the farm that you won't see Ben throwing the ball for the Steelers this year. They are the second most popular brand in the NFL next to the Cowboys. They can't have a raper at QB, it'd cause a huge financial downturn, and money is already super scarce with the economy being what it is.
I'd love to see Ben not picked up by anyone. In my way of thinking, I can't even imagine a team desperate enough to hire a serial raper. If he was available to play for free, I can't imagine giving him the ball on my team. He hasn't confessed, he hasn't done time, and he hasn't begged for forgiveness because he can't. He'd be indicted. It all makes him very untouchable. It actually puts him in a far worse position than if he actually did get charged and lost his case and did time. At least there's some justice in that. I'm sure it's not much solace for the women and families he's hurt, but hopefully he'll get what he's earned, even if it isn't what we'd expect.