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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