Put emotions aside and stop Roethlisberger trade talk
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Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
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I wanted so badly to hear Steelers president Art Rooney II put an end to all of the troubling speculation Wednesday.
"We are not looking to trade Ben Roethlisberger. He is our quarterback now and will be our quarterback in the future. We won two Super Bowls with him. We plan on winning more with him."
Instead, I got this from him:
"We can't answer questions about trades."
Please tell me the Steelers aren't looking to move Roethlisberger.
Let me clarify that point.
Unless the Steelers know something deep, dark and dirty about Roethlisberger that goes beyond his problems in Georgia or unless they are convinced he is incorrigible as a human being and will embarrass the organization again with his abhorrent behavior, they would be crazy to trade him.
The Steelers are in the business of winning games, just like any other professional sports team. Roethlisberger, as a franchise quarterback, gives them their best chance. You want to get rid of him? That's easy to say in April. Get back to me in December when the Steelers are 4-10. Get back to me in December 2011, when they are 5-9. Get back to me after they have gone years and years searching for that next great quarterback who can win for them.
Spare me the argument that you would rather the Steelers lose than keep Roethlisberger. I won't tell you that you aren't entitled to your feelings. I'll just say that I believe you are in the minority. The majority of fans want to see their team win with good guys. If they can't have that, they'll settle for their team winning.
Rooney II has to get that.
He has to know that time, a few terrific performances by Roethlisberger next season and a lot of Steelers' victories will ease the public's perception of the quarterback and his team.
Don't underestimate the importance of time.
The wounds Roethlisberger has caused are still fresh and oozing. We just learned April 12 that he wasn't going to be charged in the Georgia sexual assault. We just learned Wednesday that he must serve a conditional six-game suspension handed down by the NFL.
It's an emotional time.
Certainly, it isn't the time for the Steelers to make a decision that could have an impact on their franchise for years.
I'm suggesting the situation might seem a little different in September.
A little less dire.
That isn't to condone Roethlisberger's actions in Georgia. Far from it. A 28-year-old man hanging out at a college bar at 2 a.m.? Buying shots of alcohol for underage patrons? Ending up in a dingy bathroom with an intoxicated 20-year-old girl?
First Published April 22, 2010 12:00 am
