PUZ: My Opinion of Roethlisberger

Sports Commentary by Chad Puz

First off, I’ve been trying to avoid talking about this subject until he is found innocent or guilty, but people have asked me for my take on it. I’ll talk about what is being said about the case and then I will state my opinion on the matter.

For the second time in less than a year, Big Ben has been accused of sexual assault. Ben was out celebrating his 28th birthday at Capital City nightclub in Milledgeville, GA. The alleged victim is a 20 year old female who recently dropped out of college shortly after the alleged assault. The police have ask for a DNA test of Roethlisberger which Ben’s attorney has not agreed to do.

Ben has admitted to having contact with the woman and said “it wasn’t consummated” implying that they did not have sex. He went on to say the woman slipped, fell and injured her head. If Ben is found guilty he could be suspended for a year if not longer by the NFL, not to mention what a very displeased Rooney family could additionally add on.

Ben is the franchised quarterback of one of the most respected teams in the NFL. He is a leader of Steelers and needs to act like one at all times and not get into these situations. The Rooney family has never had to deal with this type of situation and never should have. He is no longer a college student and needs to stop acting like one, but he is a 28 year old single athlete millionaire. He has a right to go out and meet women, he has the right to live his life and shouldn’t have to stay locked up in his house to celebrate his birthday. I’m a huge fan of Big Ben and would hate to see him go, but if this turns out to be true I will be very appalled.

If true, the Steelers could release Ben in an uncapped year and not have to worry about the salary cap hit.  A rumor going around the NFL is that NFL Commissioner Rodger Goodell has no intention of meeting with Ben at the time, but could sometime in the future.

PUZ: Steelers Tender Four Restricted Free Agents

Sports Commentary by Chad Puz

With free agency starting this Friday, the Pittsburgh Steelers made tenders to Matt Spaeth, Wilie Colon, William Gay, and Daniel Sepulveda.

What this means is that the four players are able to go into free agency and receive offers from other teams, but the Steelers have the right to match any offer to keep that player on the team. However, if the player is allowed to sign with the team, the Steelers will receive a draft pick from the team.

The higher the tender from the Steelers, the more valuable the draft pick would be. If Willie Colon is signed with a different team, the Steelers would receive a first round pick. The team would get a third round pick for Spaeth, a fourth round for Sepulveda, and a fifth round for Gay. If one of these players does sign an offer from another team, the Steelers have seven days to decide what they will do.

The Steelers did not tender Darnell Stapleton or Carey Davis, so either player could sign with any team they want.