What an idiot
Please pardon my indelicate language, but Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes is a dumbass. Holmes has about as many brushes with the law as seasons in the NFL, including an accusation that he assaulted the mother of one of his children and an arrest for having dope in his car. He managed to skate in those cases. But more recently, he got into a dispute in a nightclub, an incident that has yet to be adjudicated. And now, just weeks later, we get word that Holmes is facing a four-game suspension in the coming season for violation of the NFL drug policy. It's being reported that Holmes either missed a required drug test or failed a test. If this suspension is upheld, any further transgression could possibly see him getting kicked out of the league for a whole year. With his rookie contract entering its last year, there's no way in hell that the Steelers should ante up millions of dollars to re-sign this dipstick. I'm guessing the Steelers aren't that stupid. But there are enough dumb owners in the NFL that someone will write a big check to this ticking time bomb. If the Steelers can unload Holmes before this season, that would be even better. We also aren't sure who will be chucking the ball when the season starts. Although there are reports that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not be charged in the Georgia nightclub incident, it's possible that Commissioner Roger Goodell, tired of the bad publicity Roethlisberger has brought to the league, will suspend him anyway for a couple of games. Charlie Batch is a senior citizen in football terms, and I have my doubts whether Dennis Dixon will ever be a better-than-average NFL signal caller. So, it will be interesting to see if the Steelers spend an early draft pick on a quarterback. The Steelers have a great many solid citizens on their roster. It's just very disconcerting that two of the most prominent offensive players can't seem to avoid trouble.
posted by Brant at
10:39 AM
14 Comments:
The New York Giants are in need of a crime-prone wide receiver. Theirs is in jail.
Pittsburgh Steelers, the new NFL poster team for punks, criminals, drunks, douchebags, woman abusers, and dopeheads.
Is this the "classy" organization that the media and Goodell keeps referring to?
This is a "classy" team.........and the "Mean Machine" had a roster full of classy players too.
Well, that was quick. I wake up today to the report that the Steelers have traded Holmes to the New York Jets for three used jockstraps. Actually, it's a fifth-round draft pick. You know they really, really wanted to move on when the send a 1,250-yard receiver to another team for a measly fifth-rounder.
Good riddance
But now who will council Big Ben about keeping a low profile in public?
If the Rooney group chooses not to move Ben, how can they explain their inconsistency?
Who is attracting these thugs to the Steelers? This was not a problem under Chuck Noll, nor much of a problem under Bill Cowher. Is Mike Tomlin promoting all this garbage?
Today's news: Rothlisberger, problem in Georgia,
Holmes, traded to NY Jets after many scrapes with the law and league,
Jeff Reed, charge dropped after his several scrapes with the law.
Others:
Harrison, history of domestic abuse in Pittsburgh,
Burress, formerly here, but with the mentality of a flea about his behavior off the field.
I expect the list goes on.
Somebody commented on the news today: "Steelers send a message with the Holmes trade."
Really, what message didn't all these yo-yos already know? There is nothing new they need to be told. Ben stands up today and talks again about role models. Does he know how stupid he sounds with this stuff? First, clean yourself up Ben, look like a man. Get rid of the scruff, get a haircut, get some decent clothes. What parent wants this man to be their role model, even the looks, let alone the carousing. This man is making himself look like he needs some time on an island with a tutor telling him how to live life.
I don't see how it's the coach's responsibility to monitor what the players do off the field in the off-sesaon, so to assume that Tomlin or other coaches are "promoting" this behavior is off the mark. They are coaches, not parents. These players are adult men; they should act like it. Millions of people would do anything in the world to be in their shoes.
The cause of this is that almost all of these guys - football, baseball, basketball and even hockey (although not so much...yet) have been coddled, pampered and spoiled since someone first noticed an inordinate amount of talent. We as a society place far, far too much importance on our entertainment than we do on values, morals, the Golden Rule, etc.
If you think this kind of behavior -- at least barhopping and VIP clubs -- is limited to professional athletes, you're very naive. Search the Internet for VIP clubs and you'll see that there's no lack of wanton behavior going on in VIP clubs, much of it by women in their early 20s or younger who have no problem whatsoever to being filmed having intercourse in front of friends and strangers. I'm too old to be shocked by this behavior and I thought the 1960s was supposed to be the era of free love, but I do find it curious that the Christian Right is in an uproar over homosexuality but has stopped screaming about rampant promiscuity among heterosexuals.
What do we expect from men in their 20s who have been pampered and treated as gods most of their lives? It seems clear from the DA's report that Rothlisberger is guilty of stupidity, just as are the alleged victim and her friends.
A professioanl athlete is the last person I want my son to look to as a role model. Look to a guy who goes uncomplaining to a menial job everyday and provides for his family before all others. That's a good model.
About the coach attracting "thugs" to the Steelers: Every player you cited was either drafted or signed by Bill Cowher. I suppose there are questions about whether Mike Tomlin has lost control of the team, but most of these incidents occurred in faraway cities in the offseason.
As for Big Ben... I hope the Steelers are somehow able to trade him to the Rams for the first overall pick. Wishful thinking, I know.
In many work settings, the phrase is often used "he/she rose to their level of incompetence."
I think this describes Mr. Rothlisberger. He apparently is a highly skilled athlete, smart about the game of football, and executes his job very well. But, beyond that, he has demonstrated that other qualities are non-existent. The primary missing element is leadership.
Typically, the primary quarterback of the team is the team leader, or at least one of them. Ben is not a leader. He has risen to his level of incompetence as a team leader. Consider other great quarterbacks in terms of their skills, their football smarts and their execution. People like Brett Favre, John Elway, Roger Stobauch, Bart Starr, Terry Bradshaw, Peyton Manning, and so the list goes. These are people who not only are gifted athletes, have good smarts, and execute well, but have demonstrated great leadership skills.
Ben has demonstrated nothing, nada, zero, with regard to leadership skills. He didn't even show up for the team meetings and practices a couple of weeks ago. He is not one of those who other members of the team look to for strength, courage, respect, and leadership. He is just another one of the highly skilled athletes on the team, but certainly not a team leader.
Only when he can demonstrate leadership will he ever reach the level of those mentioned above. He is lacking a very important ingredient for a great player. I'm doubting he can change his ways to elevate his person to assume the role that some in Pittsburgh expect, and should expect. He was given a large money contract with two assumptions, a great player, and a great leader. On one, he has done well. On the other, he has fizzled. He will never reach the level of those mentioned above (BTW, that is not intended as an exhaustive list).
Leadership -- Ben does not have it.
I fear we again make the mistake of elevating athletes to ridiculous heights, then reacting with great surprise when they prove to be human. Santonio Holmes can catch a ball with his feet in bounds. Does that mean he respects women and knows enough not to use drugs?
Roethlisberger is 28 -- but not really any more "old enough to know better" than a 50-year-old man or woman who gets drunk in public or a Republican National Committee employee who pays for visits to a strip club on the company tab. If stupidity were grounds for divorce or dismissal, most of us would be divorced or unemployed.
Because of his athletic prowess Roethslisberger most likely has been given a free pass when it comes to taking responsibility off the field. Why else would he ride a motorcycle without wearing helmet, or travel with his posse feeding shots to underage women? A two-game suspension and a hefty fine might catch his attention, and I applaud Dan Rooney & the NFL is they have the guts to do either.
Roethlisberger unquestionably leads on the field, but the ability to do well in sports doesn't necessarily translate to the ability to balance a checkbook, dress with class or treat women as something other than playthings. Expecting uniform competence based on athletic ability is the same mistake we made in expecting Tiger Woods' golf skills to make him a perfect husband and father.
And as for leadership on the field, it's rather ridiculous for a group of adult men or women in any profession to be looking to one person to lead them. What happened to self-motivation and pride? In the real world, if I wait for my boss to show me the way once a week, I'm likely to be out looking for a job after a few months.
Ben loses his jerky endorsement deal? If there's a bigger jerk in Pittsburgh, lemme know.
Touche
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