PITTSBURGH — Steelers president Art Rooney II says the team is ready to discipline Ben Roethlisberger but the punishment will be coordinated with the NFL and won’t preempt any league action.
Rooney said yesterday that Roethlisberger told him he is prepared to accept disciplinary action. The Steelers likely would have acted by now, but Rooney said the NFL’s labor agreement makes that difficult.
Rooney expects NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to spend several weeks reviewing the accusations that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted a 20-year-old college student in a Georgia nightclub bathroom. The quarterback won’t be charged in the case. The NFL and the Steelers probably won’t settle on any punishment until after next week’s three-day draft.
“When we get to the point where we have agreed with the commissioner on what that action will be, that’s when it will be imposed,” Rooney said during his first news conference concerning the Roethlisberger case.
The Roethlisberger case has been unsettling to the Steelers, and Rooney did not hide his displeasure.
“I have made it clear to Ben that his conduct in this incident did not live up to our standards,” Rooney said. “We have made it very clear to Ben that there will be consequence for his actions, and Ben has indicated to us he is willing to accept those consequences.”
Rooney said the Steelers’ image and Roethlisberger’s have been equally damaged because of the incident.
“It’s a situation that he’s going to have to work hard to rehabilitate his image that, no question, has taken a hit,” Rooney said. “It’s a long journey back and he’s going to have to be up to the challenge.”