When I wrote about a month ago that the league should stop sitting on its hands and punish Big Ben already, never did I believe that there would actually be some drum-beating for Pittsburgh's golden child to be on the first thing smoking. However,a lot has happened since that post was written. Longtime Eagles QB Donovan McNabb was traded from Philly to Washington. Roethlisberger's teammate/SB MVP Steeler Santonio Holmes was traded. So was Brandon Marshall from Denver to Miami. All three men have one thing in common: They were talented stars who wore out their welcome with the fans and city they played for. Roethlisberger has reached that point. Adding to that point is the fact that we're a little over a week away from the NFL Draft and fans with too much time on their hands see all this big name movement and start hatching conspiracy theories.
The McNabb and Marshall trades, though, weren't exactly a surprise. Many expected Marshall to be dealt at some point after his antics during training camp and McNabb has seemingly been on the trading block his entire career. The exile of Holmes, who like Roethlisberger was a former Steelers hero who had acrued quite the checkered rap sheet, was seen as punishment for Holmes' mistakes as well as a subliminal message to Big Ben. Once Holmes was dealt and Roethlisberger wasn't, the inevitable race card that I wrote about a month ago(and that ESPN's Jemele Hill had reinforced) got placed onto the table. Suddenly, the NFL's most race-friendly organization was having its morals called into question. Do I think Roethlisberger's a Steeler and Holmes is a Jet because Ben's white and Santonio's black? Of course not. Holmes was in the last year of his deal, while Roethlisberger just signed an eight-year, $102 million extension two years ago. Holmes also plays a position that is a bit easier to replace. As Browns and Raiders fans will tell you, franchise quarterbacks that can win you multiple Super Bowls before their 27th birthday don't grow on trees. However, those desperate enough to play the race card aren't trying to hear that. As far as the two men are concerned, both are pro athletes that screwed up but it was the black guy that got run out of town. To them, they see a guy like Jay Cutler get dealt in the middle of his prime and wonder "Why can't we do that with Big Ben?".
That's another thing fueling the Trade Ben parade: The precedent set by the Broncos trading Cutler to Chicago for two first round picks, a 3rd round pick and QB Kyle Orton. All of a sudden, a franchise QB in his mid-20's had a price tag. The problem with that thought process is that Jay Cutler, while superbly-talented, never led the Broncos to anything of substance. It's much easier to deal a potential franchise quarterback in his prime by reasoning with yourself and your fan base that said quarterback can't take you to the Promised Land. That was part of the reason behind McNabb's upheaval. The Eagles knew McNabb was only taking them but so far. As for Roethlisberger, the price tag has to be a bit higher for a guy who won two rings within his first four seasons in the league, even if that guy the kind of glaring public warts that Big Ben has.
If a player like Cutler is worth three high picks and a fringe starting QB, what is Roethlisberger worth? Two 1sts, a 2nd and a player of note? Who wants to pay that price for somebody with the history of well-publicized brain farts as Roethlisberger? As rare as Roethlisberger's accomplishments are, he's not the type of guy you sell the farm for. In a Madden-dominated world, it's easy for fans to conjure up Godfather offers. Their jobs aren't the ones that are at stake when things go awry. Eventhough Roethlisberger has managed to dodge this latest charge and has a decent chance of beating the other rape beef, he's still the same guy who followed his first Super Bowl with a near-fatal motorcycle accident and followed his second Super Bowl with the kind of headlines that keep Roger Goodell up at nights. If Roethlisberger is staring at a 2-game suspension now(which I think is light, four would suffice. These aren't exactly DUIs, they're rape charges and if you listen closely to what the Georgia DA said when he announced he wasn't pressing charges, it sounded more like a man who didn't think he could win rather than someone who believed Roethlisberger was innocent), who knows what happens if Big Ben screws up again(not that I'm saying that that's a certainty but, after these last few months, it's certainly possible).
Look, I like Ben Roethlisberger. He could've very easily shown the immaturity that led him to forget his bike helmet or led him to two mysterious liasons with these estranged women and went ballistic over the media criticism, Big Papi-style. Instead, much like he does on the field, Roethlisberger stood tall and took the hits. Do I think Pittsburgh has the stones to deal their former face of the franchise? No, but had you told me after the Broncos fired Mike Shanahan that Jay Cutler would be following him out of the door three months later, I probably wouldn't have believed that was possible either. In a 24/7 news world where bloggers, journalists and fans alike need something to fan the flames on the hottest daily headlines, it doesn't take much for a rumor to gain enough steam to become reality. The fact of the matter is Big Ben isn't the son of Pittsburgh he was at this time two years ago. He went from never having to buy a drink to never being allowed within 50 feet of your daughter. The parade that once led Roethlisberger as a Steel Curtain legend has now become the train hoping to lead Roethlisberger out of town, and it will take a lot more than a few dropped charges to change that fact.
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