That day seems like ages ago for the organization now.
In July 2009, Roethlisberger was sued for sexual assault and battery for an alleged incident that took place in 2008.
After a promising 6-2 start to the 2009 regular season, Pittsburgh enduring a tough 5 game losing streak that included losses to Kansas City, Oakland, and Cleveland. The Steelers couldn't seem to be able to put together 60 straight minutes of solid football. They finished the season on a high note by winning their final three games to finish 9-7 but had been left out of the playoffs.
The uninspiring play and disappointing season were bad enough, but things have gotten worse.
In the last month, Roethlisberger was again accused of sexual assault and now recently Santonio Holmes has been in the news for assault and battery. Holmes added to the controversy by telling a heckling fan to commit suicide, via his Twitter account.
Steelers' Head Coach, Mike Tomlin, said he was "concerned" about Big Ben's situation, and Steelers' President, Art Rooney II, said that the organization was "disappointed" with Holmes' lawsuit.
The Steelers are a team in trouble regardless of the outcome of these court cases. These incidents have called into question the character and integrity of their entire organization. It is hard to sell tickets when you don't make the playoffs. It's harder to sell tickets and jerseys when people look at the faces that represent your team and think: "rapist" or "thug".
The Steelers are one of the best franchises in sports. They just need their players to focus on football and not trying to live out a real life version of "The Hangover".
Every Morning Quarterback by Aharon Williams is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License.
Based on a work at www.everymorningqb.com.
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