First off let me get my initial reaction out of the way, WOOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWWWWW. Did Roger Goodell really just pull that off? Did he just suspend a guy who had not been arrested or charged with a crime for the first time in NFL history? The answer to both questions is of course yes. Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers was suspended for the first six games of the season. First let me say I think this reeks of a suspension that will be lessened. Most suspensions like the drug offense suspension are four games and I don't see Ben sitting a game past week four. With good behavior and an appeal to the league I think Ben will lessen this suspension by four games. Second these rumors of Ben being traded are null and void. Not going to happen. The Rooneys did not build the Steelers into a consistent power house by being over reactionary. Roethlisberger is still a top ten quarterback and his on the field performance will not suffer from this problem. This is a guy who hurt himself riding a motorcycle after winning a super bowl and came back and won another one. The trade talk is a PR move in my opinion. I mean we never thought Santonio Holmes would be traded by the Steelers a few weeks ago, do you really think the Rooney's will choose now to let trades out into the public?
Now to Roger Goodell who I think is very interesting in this suspension. Does this guy have big marbles or what? Not only did he just do something that has never been done before but he set an incredible precedent. When you get down to it what was Ben Roethlisberger suspended for? You can't say rape or sexual assault because then Goodell would be saying that the Georgia D.A. is flat out wrong. He said in his letter to Ben Roethlisberger that that was not the case. In my mind Goodell is suspending Roethlisberger for being in a bar and drinking copious amounts of alcohol. Some will say it was for buying alcohol for a minor. How is that Ben's fault when the bar was checking ID's and decided the accuser of Roethlisberger was 21? I am wondering how often Goodell will extend his power over players in bars now. If T.O.'s reality show features him in a bar buying shots for a girl is that bad for the league and grounds for a suspension? I have to believe in the labor negotiations Goodell's power will be a contentious issue for the union. I am getting sick and tired of this Roger Goodell is a tough ass talk. Yeah yeah he suspends harshly but has he curved players problems. One look at all the problems this off season clearly shows that he has done nothing in curbing bad behavior. The benefactor in all this has to be the charity getting all of Ben's suspended pay.
VIDEO: Goodell Speaks
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