It’s with mixed feelings that I read about Santonio Holmes going to the Jets. The man showed questionable behavior off the field. But on the field he was very dependable. I hoped he would avoid becoming a full-time knucklehead.
But with reports of him being accused of hitting a woman with a glass in a bar (not the first time a woman made a similar accusation), I had my doubts.
Peter King of Sports Illustrated has a brilliant analysis of the trade. He missed a point. It’s the Rooney’s way of saying “We’re not the Bengals.”
Speaking of full-time knuckleheads, a Georgia prosecutor is supposed to announce whether he will pursue charges against Ben Roethlisberger. Peter King is one of a couple people reporting sources say there will be no charges.
That doesn’t mean Ben is out of trouble. He still faces a civil suit in Nevada. The Georgia incident could turn into a civil suit also. Let’s hope this doesn’t become a class action suit.
Which has people in the NFL, Steelers front office and homes SteelerNation nervous. Is Ben a knucklehead?
The Holmes trade shows the Steelers still have some backbone. Their moral judgments haven’t seemed perfect. But they’re willing to let a dangerous weapon go to an AFC team. They just may be drawing a line in the sand for Ben.
I hope this means Ben will live up to the image he wants to project. Unfortunately it probably will mean he will go into seclusion and alienate himself from fans. It also will be harder for him to make friends outside of football. I don’t think this is going to help.
I hope New York treats Santonio well, and he gets his life together. He has done a lot for SteelerNation.
And I hope Ben treats himself well. I don’t want to read next week that he has been traded to the Raiders.
