Steelers QB meets with NFL commish in NY

Associated Press

New York

The NFL is weighing possible disciplinary action against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who met with league commissioner Roger Goodell one day after learning he won’t be charged in the alleged sexual assault of a Georgia college student.

Roethlisberger described the Tuesday afternoon meeting in Manhattan as “very productive,” but gave no hint whether he expects to be suspended or fined for several off-field incidents that damaged his reputation and angered the franchise he’s led to two Super Bowl championships.

“It’s a very serious matter, one we take seriously,” Roethlisberger told ESPN as he and his representatives left the meeting with Goodell.

While Roethlisberger faces no criminal charges after being accused of assaulting the 20-year-old student in a nightclub bathroom, in a separate case he also is being sued in civil court by a former Nevada hotel employee for an alleged sexual assault in 2008. No criminal charges were filed in that case.

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says the league will review the facts and will follow up with Roethlisberger and the Steelers. He gave no timeline.

Possible options include a suspension, fine or having the $102 million quarterback undergo counseling or rehabilitation.

The team had no comment Tuesday as it awaits the NFL’s findings, and it isn’t expected to discuss the issue until the league makes its ruling.

However, the Steelers are angered with their star player’s conduct, and apparently are ready to discipline Roethlisberger even if the league doesn’t. Team president Art Rooney II was upset by the sordid details of the incident in Milledgeville, Ga., which were explained at great length during a news conference Monday by district attorney Frederic D. Bright.

“C’mon, you’re supposed to stand for something,” Bright said in criticizing one of the NFL’s best-known players. “I mean you’re a leader, you’re supposed to be a role model. You don’t need to put yourself in his position anymore.”

The Georgia prosecutor suggested that Roethlisberger “grow up” and stop taking groups of friends to bars, where his entourage stakes out a private area and invites patrons to join them.

Roethlisberger effectively agreed a few hours later, saying while reading a short statement that he planned to reshape his image and make the team’s fans proud of him again.

Roethlisberger’s appearance changed greatly in the less than 24 hours between the time he read that statement to reporters and his meeting with Goodell. He’d gotten a haircut and he wore a suit, rather than a sports shirt and slacks.