Mort: Rooney won't announce discipline of Roethlisberger

[cowboyjoe]

Mort: Rooney won't announce discipline of Roethlisberger
Posted by Mike Florio on April 15, 2010 2:09 PM ET
In less than 30 minutes (unless he's on Tannenbaum time), Steelers president Art Rooney will meet the media to provide an update regarding the status of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

ESPN's Chris Mortensen reports that Rooney will not announce punishment of Roethlisberger at that time.

So what will Rooney say? It's presently unclear, but if they don't plan to trade Roethlisberger, Rooney needs to make that point, loudly and clearly.

In Pittsburgh, the media has been talking incessantly about a possible trade. Apparently, the Steelers have said nothing privately to any of them indicating that Ben isn't available. One high-level source with another team agrees that the lack of any effort by the Steelers to address the matter via off-the-record communications to the press represents either a genuine interest by the Steelers to move Roethlisberger -- or complete mismanagement of the situation.

"You've got to nip that talk in the bud," the source said, if the Steelers don't plan to trade their two-time Super Bowl winner.

[jzcowboy]

Trade him to the Argonauts!

[Jon88]

This should be interesting.

[Dallas]

Someone give us a run down of what Rooney says, please?



Thanks

[davidyee]

...do you think the Rooneys are having right now?

On the eve of the draft and this is what your organization has to contend with?

[Jon88]

Originally Posted by Dallas

Someone give us a run down of what Rooney says, please?



Thanks

He said the Steelers image has taken a hit and that Ben knows that discipline will be handed down.

[SDCowboy85]

Originally Posted by Dallas

Someone give us a run down of what Rooney says, please?



Thanks

He said Ben is going to be punished. When asked if he was going to be traded, he said they don't talk about trades before they happen. Doesn't look good for him either way.

[jzcowboy]

Originally Posted by SDCowboy85

He said Ben is going to be punished. When asked if he was going to be traded, he said they don't talk about trades before they happen. Doesn't look good for him either way.

Punish him to the fullest extent of the law (Goodell Law) X 2!

[Thick 'N Hearty]

If it happens, I don't see him going to the Rams, which BSPN has reported as a possible trade partner. I don't think they would trade him to a team in the AFC, either. So another potential landing spot is SF. I can even see Carolina getting into the mix.

[dallasfaniac]

Perhaps the trade is part of the punishment, lol. Let's see how many trophies you can win in Oakland. Muwahaha.

[cowboyjoe]

Rooney says Roethlisberger discipline will come from Steelers
Posted by Mike Florio on April 15, 2010 2:44 PM ET
In a Thursday afternoon press conference regarding the status of quarterback Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, president Art Rooney II said the Steelers are prepared to impose discipline against Roethlisberger "at this point."

The full text of the statement Rooney read has been posted at the team's web site.

Rooney added that the punishment would come the week after the draft at the earliest, and that it would be coordinated with the league. As a result, there will be only one punishment.

Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, a team may impose a maximum sanction of four games without pay. Rooney said that Roethlisberger has indicated a willingness to accept whatever punishment is imposed.

This development apparently means that the league will not be disciplining Roethlisberger under the Personal Conduct Policy, which means that the NFL won't have to create a new precedent based on suspending players who has never been arrested nor charged. The Steelers have no authority to discipline a player under the league's Personal Conduct Policy.

Rooney also said that Roethlisberger was permitted to rejoin the offseason workout program after the team concluded that the quarterback was truly contrite.

"We believe that each of our players not only has a responsibility to live up to the highest standards on the field, but equally high standards off the field," Rooney said.

It sounds good. But it's not the standard that the team has applied in the past. Previously, the Steelers have at times used a double standard, ignoring the off-field issues of key players and swiftly cutting ties with marginal players who get in trouble. Moving forward, the Steelers must be committed to holding all players to the same standard.

[cowboyjoe]

Rooney says Steelers have not talked to other teams about Big Ben trade
Posted by Mike Florio on April 15, 2010 3:01 PM ET
Amid rampant speculation that the Steelers could trade quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and at least one report that the team is willing to "listen intently" to offers (as opposed, we suppose, to listening half-assedly), Steelers president Art Rooney said that a trade has not yet been discussed with any other club.

He didn't say that it can't be, and he didn't say that it won't be.

I'd say more about it now, but then I wouldn't have anything to write for SportingNews.com.

[Arch Stanton]

NFLDraftBible

WOW! Suzy Kolber of ESPN reports that the accuser was dragged to the back of the bar by a body guard and was highly intoxicated. Had no idea

[Jon88]

Originally Posted by Arch Stanton

NFLDraftBible

WOW! Suzy Kolber of ESPN reports that the accuser was dragged to the back of the bar by a body guard and was highly intoxicated. Had no idea

I've looked for the details of what happened and have gotten bits and pieces. I wish I could hear the D.A.'s press conference that had Rooney so mad.

[GoCowboysGo]

Originally Posted by Arch Stanton

NFLDraftBible

WOW! Suzy Kolber of ESPN reports that the accuser was dragged to the back of the bar by a body guard and was highly intoxicated. Had no idea

Can't believe this isn't up here yet! Big Raper Ben is a total a..h...

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5094224

A friend of the woman who accused Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault told authorities that Roethlisberger's bodyguard "dragged" the woman into a bathroom where the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and woman had sexual relations.
In documents released Wednesday, Nicole Biancofiore told investigators from the Georgia Bureau of Investigations that her friend, a student at Georgia College & State University, "was dragged by a bodyguard to the back room in Capital [City, a local nightclub]. She was extremely intoxicated and not aware of what was happening."
"He had sex w/me and meanwhile his bodyguards told my friends they couldn't pass them to get to me," the accuser wrote in her statement, which was reported in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
[View Full Quote]Roethlisberger was not charged in the incident, which occurred in the early morning hours of March 5 in Milledgeville, a central Georgia college town about 30 miles from where Roethlisberger owns a lake home.
Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney Fred Bright said Monday that after exhaustive interviews and inconclusive medical exams, the student's accusations could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. He also revealed the young accuser no longer wanted him to prosecute.
Thursday, Steelers president Art Rooney II says the team is ready to discipline Ben Roethlisberger but the punishment will be coordinated with the NFL and won't pre-empt any league action.
Rooney said the Steelers' image and Roethlisberger's have been damaged because of the incident.
Roethlisberger, who was out drinking with friends to celebrate his 28th birthday, bumped into the student and her sorority sisters throughout the night. They linked up at Capital City, where he invited them to a VIP section and bought them a round of shots.
Another friend, Aliesha Scholten, told investigators that she tried to open the locked door, but "she was taken away by a bodyguard of Ben's."
A third friend, Ann Marie Lubatti, told police, that she "approached the other security guard and told him that she [the accuser] was in no shape to be back there with Ben Roethlisberger. He couldn't look me in the eye, and told me he didn't know what was going on. My friend went to open the door, and it was locked."
The initial police report said that "One of the suspect's bodyguards escorted her to a back room/hallway area where the suspect was. Once there, she stated, the suspect asked her for sex. At this time it is unclear to what happened after this point due to the complainant's recollection being foggy from her intoxication level. However, she did write a statement of what she thought happened."
In part, the woman's statement read: "I met Ben Rotheseburgehergh [sic] at Velvet. He went to the Brick because he was [unreadable] to not be bombarded by fans. He then met us at the Brick and called me 'a tease.' Eventually we saw him at the Capital City & saw him there."
Roethlisberger met Tuesday with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, who is expected to decide on punishment for the two-time Super Bowl winning quarterback.
The New York Times reported Thursday that the NFL sent a memo addressed to team owners, executives and head coaches, saying in part: "Unfortunately, in recent weeks there have been several negative incidents. These incidents include subjects that we have previously identified as particularly troublesome, such as alcohol-related offenses, allegations of violence against women, and weapons offenses."
It added: "The Policy makes clear that NFL and club personnel must do more than simply avoid criminal behavior," the memo said. "We must conduct ourselves in a way that 'is responsible, that promotes the values upon which the league is based, and is lawful."