National Football League

Big debate over Big Ben in Pittsburgh

Published May. 3, 2010 4:34 p.m. ET

Alex Marvez

Ben Roethlisberger is bigger than ever here.

He is the talk of the town even as the Pittsburgh Penguins vie for their second straight Stanley Cup title. He was recently featured on "South Park" and in a new Eminem rap. Sports merchandise outlets downtown and in the nearby Strip District have new garb of the star quarterback on display.

None of these developments are good for Roethlisberger or the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They all stem from his six-game NFL suspension for deviant off-field behavior. Pittsburgh residents remain stunned by accounts of Roethlisberger’s sordid March romp with friends at a Milledgeville, Ga. bar.

The new clothing mocks what was once a beloved two-time Super Bowl winner. Some T-shirts pair Roethlisberger and golfer/philanderer Tiger Woods in spoofs of "Dumb and Dumber." Others feature a Roethlisberger photo alongside an empty bathroom stall, parodying where he allegedly had sexual contact with an underage college student.

And those are the tasteful images.

“They didn’t have enough evidence to convict him without a reasonable doubt, but there is evidence of bad doings and things that went on that shouldn’t have,” said Ralph Cindrich, a Pittsburgh-based NFL agent and legal expert. “I was infuriated by the report and what I read. He shamed the city. He shamed the Rooney family (that owns the Steelers). And he shamed the NFL. As the face of the franchise, you have a higher duty and have to conduct yourself at a higher level.”

But there are still ardent Roethlisberger supporters. They point to the fact no charges were filed after a thorough criminal investigation. Two local branches of national children’s charities (Ronald McDonald House and Make-A-Wish) are backing Roethlisberger’s continuing involvement. Nike also is standing by Roethlisberger, but Old Spice is undecided about sponsoring his upcoming youth football camp. Big Ben’s Beef Jerky is no more after the company dropped the product.

In essence, Roethlisberger is the most polarizing figure ever given such a severe suspension by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. Proof is found on the corner of Penn Avenue and 19th Street in when people walk past a table filled with the new Roethlisberger shirts.

“They’re funny as hell,” said 23-year-old Jason Rust of nearby Homewood. “[Roethlisberger] is a young guy. He likes women as much as any other young guy does. I think if the media wouldn’t have gotten a hold of this that it wouldn’t be such a big deal. He was a young guy making a mistake -- that’s all.”

Marissa Deasy also chuckled at the display, but she believes the two sexual misconduct claims against Roethlisberger filed in the past two years are no joke. Just like the alleged victim in Milledgeville, Deasy is a 20-year-old college student.

“What he did was completely abusing his privileges and the power he thinks he has,” Deasy said. “He’s a pig.”

Riding the fence is Gerald Laster.

“Ben’s just going to have to stay out of those situations,” said Laster, 39. “Time will tell how this will all play out. If he never has another misstep, it will just be business as usual. But there will always be a select few who remember what Big Ben has done and hold that against him. I believe in giving people a second chance.”

If every Steelers fan felt the same way, Roethlisberger wouldn’t be facing such a rough road ahead.

While off the hook legally, Goodell ruled that Roethlisberger was in violation of the league’s personal conduct policy. Goodell cited Roethlisberger and his party providing alcohol to underage women as well as his own drunken escapades as hurting the “integrity and reputation of the NFL.”

“You are held to a higher standard as an NFL player,” Goodell wrote in a letter to Roethlisberger. “There is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans. Your conduct raises sufficient concerns that I believe effective intervention now is the best step for your personal and professional welfare.”

Roethlisberger must undergo a “comprehensive behavioral evaluation by medical professionals” before being allowed to rejoin the Steelers. He is slated to miss the season’s first six games, although Goodell can cut the punishment to four contests if Roethlisberger is in compliance with league demands. Each game Roethlisberger misses will cost him roughly $471,000.

In a released statement, Roethlisberger said he would not appeal the suspension and would adhere to Goodell’s demands even though he “committed no crime.” A FOXSports.com interview request for Roethlisberger was declined through his agents.

Few NFL athletes have experienced such a stunning fall from grace. Five years ago, Roethlisberger could do no wrong. He enjoyed unprecedented success, guiding the Steelers to 15 consecutive victories and an AFC Championship game appearance as a rookie.

Roethlisberger’s popularity immediately rivaled that of other legendary Steelers. A late-night appearance with David Letterman drew record television ratings in Pittsburgh. An autograph signing at a local car dealership created a traffic jam. Attendance at one church boomed after a television station reported -- albeit incorrectly -- that Roethlisberger was attending service there.

He became the team’s top merchandise seller, with women and children among his biggest buyers. One sub shop created the Roethlis-burger -- an artery-clogging combination of sausage, ground beef, scrambled egg and American cheese topped with lettuce, tomatoes and mayonnaise. The sandwich still sells well at Peppi’s, although store manager Jennifer Yogmas admits she could do without the crass comments that now accompany some orders.

Jimmy Coen, a lifelong Pittsburgh resident and owner of a novelty shop called Yinzers in the Burg, remembers the initial Roethlisberger hysteria well.

“We’d gone through five or six bad QBs and a couple of marginal ones,” Coen said. “We got to him, he was instantly a hit. He was a winner on the field. You can feel confident when he’s out there.

“From the time he got here, it’s been like a whirlwind everywhere he goes. Maybe he got too famous too fast.”

The explanation is plausible.

Before his 24th birthday, Roethlisberger already had won his first Super Bowl title. Another championship followed three seasons later. In between, Roethlisberger was given an eight-year, $102 million contract extension. Discounting injury -- he is prone to concussions -- Roethlisberger should have remained among the NFL’s best, wealthiest and most popular quarterbacks for seasons to come.

In retrospect, the warning signs were there for a crash as ugly as the motorcycle wreck that nearly cost Roethlisberger his life in 2006.

Bar photographs of a highly inebriated Roethlisberger pouring alcohol down the throats of female companions surfaced on the internet in 2006. Roethlisberger was allegedly doing something similar in Milledgeville. One witness told investigators that Roethlisberger ordered a round in a VIP room and demanded, “All my bitches, take some shots!”

Roethlisberger previously told ESPN that he began using bodyguards, including off-duty police officers, after having a gun put to his head outside a bar several years ago. Roethlisberger was with an entourage in Milledgeville. A bodyguard allegedly escorted the accuser into a bathroom while another blocked the door. One off-duty officer with Roethlisberger that night already was sanctioned; another is in danger of being fired.

Roethlisberger was also hit with a civil lawsuit last June. A hotel employee claimed she was raped in his room while Roethlisberger was in Reno, Nev. for a golf tournament.

At the time, skepticism surrounded the accuser’s claim because she had waited 13 months to submit the suit and there were no police charges filed. A co-worker also stated in an affidavit that the accuser bragged about having sex with Roethlisberger afterward and hoped she was pregnant. Roethlisberger also has counter-sued for damages.

The case is still pending, but the Milledgeville incident and its fallout have placed Roethlisberger in a much-less favorable light. He was mocked by "South Park" in an episode about celebrity sex addicts and in the new Eminem song Despicable with the lyrics, “I’d rather turn this club into a bar-room brawl/Get as rowdy as Roethlisberger in a bathroom stall.”

Stories began to surface about Roethlisberger acting crudely in the Pittsburgh area at nightclubs and restaurants, demanding preferential treatment and tipping poorly. Some irate fans mailed their Roethlisberger clothing to Steelers headquarters.

Louis Smith, a merchandise vendor in the Strip District, is offering regular Roethlisberger shirts for $4 “just to get rid of them.”

“Everybody that looks at a Roethlisberger jersey says they don’t want to buy it,” he said.

Few current and former teammates have spoken publicly in defense of Roethlisberger’s character. As one ex-Steeler told FOXSports.com, “It was one thing after the Reno incident. Nobody’s going to come out after this.”

“I feel sorry for him,” said Linda Kistler, a kindergarten teacher in nearby McKeesport. “He’s very good looking and athletic. From day one, he’s been told how wonderful he is for all these years. No wonder he’s so obnoxious.”

Roethlisberger backers point to inconsistencies in witness accounts from Milledgeville and what can be interpreted as sexually suggestive flirting by the accuser.

“There do not appear to be any hard, 100-percent reliable and true facts to prove he did what he’s accused of, so it confuses me that (fans) wouldn’t continue to support him,” said Sarah Swenson, a 26-year-old Minnesota school teacher who was contacted via email through the fan website bigbennews.com.

“I've seen so many stories about him acting like a jerk in public in media reports but very few positive stories of encounters with him. It just seems people want to focus on the negative.”

There are plenty of positives involving Roethlisberger’s charitable involvement. He has donated $100,000 to fund police-dog programs in the Pittsburgh area and remains active in supporting that cause through his foundation (www.bigben7.com). Roethlisberger also excels at communicating with ailing and despondent children, according to Make-A-Wish and Ronald McDonald House executives.

“Warm and loving” was the description of Roethlisberger given by Judith Stone, the president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Make-A-Wish branch. At home games, Roethlisberger meets youngsters with life-threatening medical conditions whose greatest desire is meeting their idol.

“He’s not at all uncomfortable speaking to them and getting right down to their level,” Stone said. “He has a special gift when it comes to these kids.”

The most special gift Roethlisberger has is his football ability. If he can win again and reinvent his off-field image, Steelers fans are likely to forgive -- if not forget -- what has transpired.

Carlos Page already has. The 40-year-old Pittsburgh resident said he is frequently approached by other Steelers supporters because of his black-and-gold hat that prominently features No. 7 in the middle.

“I tell them he’s still part of the team and he’s not going anywhere,” Page said. “If you’re really a Steeler fan, you’ll stick by your team no matter what. We just want to see Ben come back, play and get us another championship. The off-field stuff is separate.”

Not for everyone.

“I’m as big a Steelers fan as I was before,” Deasy said. “Just not for Ben.”