Steelers May Gamble On Life Without Ben Roethlisberger

The Pittsburgh Steelers have been associated throughout their existence with two terms, winning and class. For a couple of years, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger helped the Steelers achieve the winning goal while staying true to their class reputation.

Now, however, Roethlisberger has placed himself in enough unsavory situations that he may have partied his way out the door in Pittsburgh. On Wednesday, Commissioner Roger Goodell sentenced Roethlisberger to a six game suspension, but Big Ben's ultimate penance may be given to him from the city of Pittsburgh.

Pittsburgh fans will always back up their star players to a point. Roethlisberger apparently has passed that point with his latest sexual misconduct allegations. Jerseys are being burned, and fans are flooding the phone lines of local talk shows to voice their displeasure with their two time Super Bowl winning quarterback.

The Steelers, owned by the Rooney family, may have heard enough to sway their thinking on the future of Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh. The team, on the same day that the suspension was handed down, has begun to seek a trade partner.

There are those who believe the Steelers are doing this to show Roethlisberger that they mean business, but for those who have followed the organization, it is understood that this trade talk is for real. Pittsburgh, more than any other NFL team, places image above winning, and now they are on the verge of putting their money where their mouth is.

Little doubt exists that if the Steelers were to trade their top receiver and their starting quarterback within a months time, the message would be sent. Any player looking to party through their NFL experience need not apply in Pittsburgh.

When Santonio Holmes was dealt, almost immediately critics started to play the race card. These critics cited that the Steelers unfairly singled out Holmes to make an example, and that the team would never have done that to their star quarterback.

Well now the Steelers are on the possible eve of doing that to their star quarterback. Whether they find a suitor or not, Pittsburgh and the Rooney family have made it known that to be a part of the Steelers organization, players will be held accountable for their actions, actions that may not even be criminal behavior.

Other NFL teams should take notice. The key to winning in Pittsburgh has always meant putting the team first and playing for your fellow teammates. When Ben Roethlisberger led Willie Colon and other teammates into that Georgia bar, he did much more than have a few drinks with some friends.

Pittsburgh is a team that reflects a city. Steelers fans are blue collar workers, people who place family values in front of the sparkle of a gold trophy. The team, for decades, has stood for the same values. Win or lose, the game was going to played the right way, and players would be looked at as everyday guys in this town. Roethlisberger has broken that bond with every Steelers fan who has a mother, daughter, sister, or niece.

Good leaders take pressure off their teammates, and Roethlisberger placed not only himself, but several teammates in the line of fire that night in early March. That is not how the Steelers were built, and Roethlisberger may now be led out of town by the true leaders of the organization, and in many regards, the true leaders of NFL - the Rooney's.

April 21, 2010
Posted By Vincent Tapoglia III
Staff Editor, CasinoGamblingWeb.com
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