NFL Sets Dangerous Precedent With Ben Roethlisberger Suspension
Ben Roethlisberger has been suspended for a minimum of four games by the NFL. The punishment has been set as a conditional six-game suspension that can later be reduced to four games with good behavior and positive feedback from future clinical evaluations.↵↵It’s an unprecedented move by the league, which until now has never suspended a player under the personal conduct policy without an arrest, criminal charge or failed drug test. With this move a new standard has been set in terms of what the NFL will consider actionable behavior under its conduct policy. Some may hail this as the league tightening its tolerance for untoward behavior, but just as many may have concerns with players being punished merely for accusations. Remember that Roethlisberger has been neither arrested nor charged in either of the two allegations of sexual assault made against him. In the first instance, the accuser didn’t even request that police investigate the matter.↵
↵↵The media pressure on the league to act was overwhelming. Faced with that and the angry fan sentiment it stoked, there was no way the NFL wasn’t going to act. The media paraded testimony from the ↵accuser’s friends that was made 12 hours after the alleged incident without placing much, if any, emphasis on the comments made to police that night which might cast doubt on the veracity of the accuser’s claims.↵
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↵The only thing in doubt was the length of the suspension after Steelers president Art Rooney II last week informed the media that discipline was forthcoming. Reports said that the league would rather make this bold statement instead of the team, and that's exactly what's been done, for better or worse, considering the long-term ramifications that will come with trying to interpret the ruling on a consistent basis. Those who looked closely at the Steelers' released schedule yesterday noticed possible hints in the layout of their games. Notice that the Steelers don't have a single prime-time game through the first six games, which would cover the maximum amount of Roethlisberger's reported suspension. The seventh game? A Sunday night game at the Super Bowl champion Saints, with four more prime-time games to follow through the remainder of their season. ↵
↵↵The immediate fallout is that the Steelers are now apparently shopping Roethlisberger for a top 10 pick in advance of tomorrow night’s draft, with one team reportedly considering the move. The Steelers yesterday brought in Byron Leftwich, who was effective in limited relief duty for the team in two games in 2008. If the Steelers pull the trigger, they can say they have moved on from a prolonged period of scandal, but they will also be putting the end to an era that produced two Super Bowl victories, all because of claims that were ultimately unproven.↵
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This post originally appeared on the Sporting Blog. For more, see The Sporting Blog Archives.
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