Bye Ben*

Sunday, the Chiefs kicked the Steelers out of the playoffs and Ben Roethlisberger out of the NFL. Big Ben is likely to retire, although he hasn't made any announcement to that fact. For many, it's long past the due date. 

From a football standpoint, Ben defied the odds. He came from a small university and wasn't drafted first. He couldn't run. He didn't have Peyton Manning's football genius. But he had heart and grit, and he loved the game. 

His stats are impressive. Three trips to the Super Bowl and two rings. Six pro bowl appearances. Rookie of the Year in 2004. He leads all quarterbacks with four games of passing over 500 yards. In his 18 years in the NFL, he hasn't had a losing season, and on Sunday, he passed Joe Montana and Brett Favre for the third spot behind Tom Brady and Peyton Manning for most career passing yards. 

As a Steelers fan, I'm grateful for what Ben brought to the game and our team. I thank him for his 18 years in black and gold. I bow down to his accomplishments. I can admire his ability in the no-huddle and in his comeback wins. But, I can also acknowledge that my stomach clenches when I do. 

Off the field, Ben wasn't a good guy. He crashed a motorcycle while not wearing a helmet and not carrying a valid license. Reports of him ignoring fans popped up. Pittsburgh establishments deemed him surly and egotistical. Then came the first of two female accusations accusing the 6'5 quarterback of sexual assault. No charges were filed in either case. Action came swiftly, led in part by the Steelers organization. 

The NFL suspended Ben for four games after the second accusation. He underwent a professional behavior evaluation and adhered to recommended counseling. The Steelers owner Dan Rooney made Ben report to him once a week for a sit-down chat. By all accounts, he pulled up his big boy pants. 

 He attended church and found religion. He married. He granted interviews and answered inane questions with a smile. He stayed out of trouble. He took pay cuts to help the Steelers' salary cap. 

But while I'm all about redemption, I disagree with ignoring that part of Roethlisberger's history as he fades into retirement. To hear everyone on TV these last two weeks, the man was the messiah in Pittsburgh, and that is far from the truth.

I've written for years how I believed Roethlisberger's trouble was the beginning of the Steelers' downfall. Legally, the owners had no choice in retaining Ben. I credit Dan Rooney with most of Ben's one-eighty turnaround. But I'll always believe that many in the locker room could not look to him as a leader. Even while the NFL, and other major professional sports leagues, gloss over the ugly (the NFL has had murder for hire, domestic abuse, and battery charges, among sexual assault charges), some men in the locker room have to be angry. Many have daughters or sisters. Hell, even Antonio Brown referenced Ben's past when excusing his own.

There are too many good NFL players off the field as they are on the field. Those are the guys that should be revered. The rest, like Roethlisberger, can be admired, but let's not leave out the truth. Like the Brady bashers who want an asterisk next to his name in Canton, Steelers fans should be asking for the same for Roethlisberger's.