Playing The Character

The upcoming NFL Draft and last night's trade of Santonio Holmes both stir up the subject of "character issues".

The term seems to be a catch-all for everything from having an overinflated ego to assaulting your children and their mother (like Buffalo Bills wide receiver James Hardy was accused of in 2006).

While doubts are surrounding current draft prospects like Jimmy Clausen and Dez Bryant, they are having their decision making scrutinized "under the microscope."  Players like Santonio Holmes are being traded or cut for their off the field decision making.

While social media has been a huge hit in most of the world, some players have struggled with using it. Larry Johnson called his own head coach a "punk" and a "fag" via Twitter. Something tells me that if you felt like it was totally necessary to tell your coach how you felt about him, it might best be done in private. He was subsequently released. 

Santonio Holmes' issues with Twitter  have been well documented on this blog and others. The fact is that alienating fans, talking openly about drug use, and being accused on assaulting others is not the best way to gain leverage for the new contract you're playing for this upcoming season. Add the four game suspension for violating the NFL substance abuse policy and a possible additional suspension for violating the conduct policy, and it was easy to see why the Steelers would take a fifth round pick. At least he will have a cheap three year contract and doesn't have a one year suspension hanging over his head.

The Jets will have to decide if the benefits of signing Holmes to a long term contract outweigh the risks. His talent will demand a large guaranteed pay day.  His decision making shows he doesn't care about the consequences of his actions.

In this day and age of constant media, athletes can no longer afford to have an attitude that reflects invincibility. This expectation directly conflicts with attitude that we expect on the field or court. Unbridled confidence is a trait that is almost universal in all great athletes. If you don't think that you are better than your opponent then you never will be.

The same confidence that we admire in Brett Favre, we despised in Ryan Leaf. The line between an ego in check and an over inflated ego is a fine line.

Santonio Holmes is a example of that attitude bleeding over into his personal life. As fans we want players who know they are the best players in the world. We also want ones that are intelligent enough to know that this doesn't allow them to treat others as sub-human or meaningless.




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You Make The Call

As I watch Georgia District Attorney Fred Bright tell the world that he "could not prove this case beyond a reasonable doubt".  I can respect the fact that he did not want to waste tax payers' money on a case he doubted he could get a conviction on.

I can not help but also think, that beyond a reasonable doubt, something went terribly wrong that evening in Milledgeville, GA.  The description of the victim having - and  I'm paraphrasing - lacerated bruised bleeding genitals still sends chills down my spine.

I have detailed the downfall of the Pittsburgh Steelers since winning Superbowl XLIII and hadn't really imagined the possibility of the team losing Roethlisberger and Holmes. But this is now a reality.

The prosecutor's office could not prosecute for "sexual assault" but repeating asked if the victim and her family wanted to pursue "assault" charges.  It sounds like they might have been able to go after the lesser charge.  If the victim decides to file a civil suit, expect that to cost Big Ben a pretty penny along with adding fuel to the case going on against him in Nevada.

What is clear to me is this:  Big Ben beat the tar out of a twenty year old college student in a night club bathroom.  Santonio Holmes was traded because the Steelers knew that this terrible Monday morning was coming.  Holmes' suspension and the lurid details of Roethlisberger's assault were too much for a proud organization to take in one afternoon.

Even though I don't believe that Roethlisberger will be traded or released, I do believe at least a four game suspension is coming for the Steelers' starting quarterback.

The possible suspension of Roethlisberger and the known suspension of Holmes would have been a media firestorm.  The question would have been: are the Steelers falling apart?  By trading Holmes, they only have one gigantic issue instead of what seems to be many.

The face of the Steelers' franchise and his now permanently tarnished reputation seem to be the biggest problem of them all.




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Weeding Out Problems

http://fitsnews.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/santonio-holmes1.jpg

Superbowl XLIII MVP, Santonio Holmes, has been traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers to the New York Jets.

Holmes has had a rocky offseason to say the least, and the trade doesn't surprise me much considering his "the fans don't sign my checks" rant on Twitter.

That being said, his attitude is a perfect fit for the Jets' locker room.  His life with the New York press should be  even more interesting.

Reports have sprung up that Holmes will miss four games for either missing or failing a drug test. This is very risky move because Holmes has little or no regard for the drug testing program, as earlier this month he tweeted that he was going to "wake and bake".

The Steelers obviously don't want to continue to play Holmes' game. They shipped the former first round pick off to the Jets for just a fifth round pick. This gives them a hole in their receiving corps, but it is obvious that they were favoring locker room sanity over on the field talent.

This move signals that the Steelers aren't going to sit around and watch their organization's reputation be ruined. Ben Roethlisberger has heard this message loud and clear.

The Jets are obviously looking to win now as this is a move that is a high risk/high reward endeavor. Holmes has obviously gone rogue, and the Jets will have to reel him in.





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The Hangover (Steelers Superbowl Edition)

February 1, 2009 wasn't that long ago. Ben Roethlisberger throwing the game winning touchdown pass to MVP Santonio Holmes in the back of the end zone. The Steelers won their NFL record sixth Superbowl and all was perfect in the "Steel City". 


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.
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