It wasn’t long ago that Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger hooked up for one of the greatest plays in Superbowl history and helped lead the Steelers to their 6th Superbowl title. For his performance, Holmes was named Superbowl MVP. Surely, a play that will be remembered by fans forever.
In a post I wrote last month regarding the Steelers, I mentioned that it would be interesting to see what the Rooney family will do in response to the off-field behavior of Santonio Holmes and Ben Roethlisberger. Holmes and Roethlisberger were both accused of sexual assaults allegations this past summer, though as we’ll find out tomorrow, no charges will be brought up against Roethlisberger. However, in the past week, rumors were swirling that Holmes would be suspended for four games for a drug related incident. He has been a repeat offender, and has admitted on multiple occasions to using (and dealing drugs) in the past.
Finally today, the Steelers traded him for a 5th Round Draft Pick to the New York Jets. WOW. The 3rd most important player on the Steelers, behind Roethlisberger and Troy Polamalu, was just traded. The Superbowl MVP for crying out loud. A 26 year old player who is still in his prime. Traded…for the 151st pick in the draft. What a slap in the face to Holmes. This guy has the talent and the ability to the #1 receiver on any team. Talent wise…this guy could be one of the best WR in the next couple years. WOW.
What a message this sends from the owners to Ben Roethlisberger.
“You know what…we just took away your best offensive weapon. We’re not afraid to do the right thing. You dont shape up…we’re not afraid to let you go too.”
Again in my previous post, I questioned if the Rooney family had the balls and guts to do the right thing…to uphold the fine traditions that make the Steelers the class of all professional sports teams…and the finest team out there.
Tonight…they answered that.
WOW. WOW. WOW.
*edit*
1) and what do you know…the New York Jets are playing the Pittsburgh Steelers at Heinz Field next season…oh you know Holmes will have this game circled on his calendar.
2) interesting to know that if Holmes does get that 4 game suspension (which it is highly assumed that he will), the next violation after that will result in a 1 year suspension. The Steelers had to be thinking that if was highly likely Holmes wouldnt change…
April. It’s that time of the year again when I write my yearly “why the San Jose Sharks will win the Stanley Cup” post. For the past 4-5 years, I’ve started the postseason with great anticipation…”THIS WILL BE THE YEAR WHEN THE SHARKS FINALLY BRINGING HOME THE CUP!” Obviously, every year has ended in disappointment. The Sharks are the ultimate tease…great regular season team…horrible post season team.
Every year, I’ve said, “this is by far the BEST Sharks team in franchise history. this is the most complete team ever. We will finally win!”
I’m afraid to say it again…but…this is by far the best Sharks team in our team’s history. I believe this is one of the most complete teams we’ve ever had. However….will we win? Im actually kind of nervous this year. There are way too many good teams out there: Chicago, Washington, Pittsburgh, and Vancouver. Will we win? I’m actually not that confident this year…but I know we can match up with the best of them.
Some important thoughts going into the playoffs.
1. The play of the Sharks heading into the playoffs
Last year, the Sharks limped into the playoffs. They started the season strong, but by the end, they only won 5 of their 10 last games. A month before the end of the season, they were nursing some serious injuries with Jonathan Cheechoo, Torrey Mitchell, Jeremy Roenick, Patrick Marleau, Ryan Clowe, and Mike Grier all banged up. They were simply out of sync and not playing well. They were unluckily paired up with the Anaheim Ducks who were in the opposite scenario…they started the season poorly, but were playing so amazingly well come playoffs. They’re hot play continued on to the postseason, where they beat the Sharks 4 games to 2.
This year, the Sharks again went through a period of time when they lost 6 games in a row in March. That was actually…ok with me. It started to become gut check time, and they’ve responded extremely well in the last few games. In the past three games, against Colorado, Calgary, and Vancouver, they have played extremely well in “playoff like games.”
These past two games specifically have been extremely impressive. On Tuesday’s game against Calgary, Calgary was fighting for their playoff lives. They needed to win in order to have a chance to make the playoffs. The Sharks were up 2-1 in the 3rd period, and Calgary threw everything at the Sharks. Yet the Sharks played great defensive hockey, and hung on to win.
Tonight’s game was equally impressive. The Sharks skated out to a 4-0 lead through 2 periods, Vancouver got testy and physical, and the Sharks responded and fought back. There were a total of 76 penalty minutes in the 3rd, with the Sharks getting 51 of them. There was a time when there were 6 Sharks players in the penalty box. Yes the Canucks scored 2 power play goals, but that didnt matter. Sharks fan had to love the fact that the players didnt take any crap from the Canucks, got mad, and fought back. In the most encouraging sign, Joe Thornton even took exception about a play and got a 2 minute roughing penalty.
What was also encouraging tonight was that the three top lines chipped in to score goals: Thornton, Joe Pavelski, and Logan Couture/Manny Malhotra. The knock on the Sharks for a long time was whether or not they could generate enough scoring past their top line of Thornton, Marleau, Dany Heatley. In recent games, the 2nd and 3rd lines have been contributing tremendously to the scoring…a great sign heading into the playoffs.
2. The Mentality of the Sharks
In game 6 of the playoffs against Anaheim last year, Joe Thorton and Ryan Getzlaf, two of the best centers in hockey, dropped their gloves and fought only 2 seconds into the game. This was a continuation between bad blood between them in game 5.
Like the parody said, what would have happened if Joe Thornton started the playoffs angry? What would have happened if the entire team had started the playoffs angry? What have happened if the Sharks played with some heart last year? Things would have obviously been very different.
I’m starting to like the character the Sharks are playing with. Thornton isnt afraid to rough someone up. With Jody Shelly gone, Ryan Clowe is starting to take on the “you aint messing with my team” role. With the captaincy removed from him, Patrick Marleau is having a great year and is constantly always one of the best Sharks on the ice.
3. The X Factors
The key to success for the Sharks is the performance of two players: Joe Thornton and Evgeni Nabokov. I believe with everyone else on the ice, you know what you are getting. Dany Heatley, Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski, Ryan Clowe, Scott Nicol, Manny Malhotra, Dan Boyle, Rob Blake, Douglas Murray, Marc-Edouard Vlasic…you know that they will give you a good, solid performance.
Which Nabokov will show up for the playoffs? The one who performed atrociously in the quarterfinals game against Canada in the Olympics and gave up 6 goals. The one who gave up 5 goals on 21 shots against Dallas on 3/31 and was pulled? Or the one played lights out hockey in the past two games against Calgary and Vancouver, only giving up 3 goals on 70 shot attempts, while making some brilliant saves along the way.
Or Thornton…Will we expect a player who only scored 4 points in 6 straight losses…who while is one of the best passers in the game, still manages to give up the puck at the worst time. Or will we expect a player who wont play weak, but will pass will and skate hard? A player, who like tonight, showed his heart, character, and dedication to the team and fought for his team.
4. I will cry if…
The Sharks draw the Detroit Red Wings in the first round of the playoffs. Like the Ducks last year, Detroit started off the season horribly. All their star players were hurt, and they were in danger of not making the playoffs. They got healthy, and in March, they won 12 out of their 15 games.
The Sharks will finish either 1st or 2nd in the West. They will win the West if they beat Phoenix on Saturday, and Chicago loses at least one game. If Chicago wins their next two, they get the top seed. Los Angeles, Detroit, and Nashville are all tied with 98 points for the 5th spot. The only way the Sharks and Red Wings will match up is if the Sharks finish 2nd and the Red Wings finish 7th.
I cant even begin to think about the possibilities of “who needs to beat who”…in order for this to happen. It all depends on how Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, Nashville, and Colorado do in their next games, and because of some awesome scheduling, we get the following three games this coming weekend: Det vs Chi, Chi vs Col, LA vs Col.
5. Final Thoughts
The 2009-2010 playoffs are soon upon us. While we dont have it as bad as Cubs fans (60 years+ of sadness), it’s been a tough 5 years in San Jose. A great regular season team somehow magically disappears in the playoffs. We are the butt of so many hockey jokes.
Question: “How do you weaken Joe Thornton and make him useless?”
Answer: “Make him play in the postseason.”
Once again, I feel this is our best year to win it all. I really really do love the makeup of this team…from our top line to our fourth line…from our top defensive pairing to our 7th defenseman…from Nabby to Greiss. I believe this is a team built to go far in the playoffs.
Will Sharks fans be partying on the Alameda this June, or will we be asking the, “What happened question?”
Nike just released their new ad for Tiger Woods today.
Earl Woods: “I am more prone to being inquisitive, to promote discussion. I want to find out what your thinking was. I want to find out what your feelings are. And did you learn anything.”
I find it a very, very fascinating commercial. When I showed this to some people today, I was met with confusion. Why was Earl’s voice in it? What was the point of this? What are they trying to sell? Why did Nike do this?
Pre last Thanksgiving, Tiger Woods was the world’s most marketable athlete. He had signed record breaking endorsement deals with Nike, General Motors, Accenture, and Gatorade. During the fallout of his marriage infidelity fiasco, every single one of his major sponsors dropped him…except for Nike. Nike was the only major sponsor to stand by his side throughout the past couple months. They were the only ones to not give up on Tiger, and were willing to support him and help him through this time.
This commercial is Nike’s first official “statement” in their support of Tiger Woods. The questions Earl Woods asked are the same questions that Nike and the rest of the world are asking him. “What are you thinking? What are you feeling? What did you learn?” Basically, Nike (through Earl) is saying to Tiger, “How have you changed through this? How are you different?”
Nike’s not trying to sell anything in this ad. It’s their first public statement to Tiger, “We stood by you. Dont let us down.”
Today’s headline: “Boston College hires Cornell’s Steve Donahue as coach”
Steve Donahue lead Cornell to an amazing run in the NCAA tournament. After winning the Ivy League, they made it all the way to the Sweet 16 before losing to Kentucky. This was also the same Cornell team that was up by 3 on Kansas at the half back in January, before losing by only 5. Donahue coached a great team…a team led by 4 seniors, including stars Ryan Whitman and Louis Dale. They were a strong team with a ton of experience…a team that had great post players and players who could shoot well.
The only reason why I know the Cornell team well this year was because they were Jeremy Lin and Harvard’s main competition this season. Unlike other conferences in the country, the Ivy League doesnt have a season ending tournament, where the winner gets the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The representative from the Ivy League is the winner of the regular season title, hence the regular season is often referred to as the “14 Game Tournament.”
The regular season is extremely important, and every single game matters. Cornell and Harvard played twice this year, one home and one away, and both times Cornell completely dominated and outclassed Harvard. Cornell’s four best players were seniors. Other than Jeremy Lin, Harvard’s 4 other top players were 3 freshman and 1 sophomore. Harvard’s starting 5 was extremely talented, but they simply lacked the experience to play with Cornell.
I really wanted to see Jeremy Lin lead Harvard to the Ivy League title, and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. I really wanted him to get that opportunity to play on the national level, and let the entire country see how good he is. But while he may have been disappointed in not winning the Ivy League this year, he should take encouragment/comfort/satisfaction in knowing that he laid down the foundations for a solid program at Harvard for the years to come.
With Cornell’s coach leaving and 4 best players graduating, the Ivy League race will come down to a battle between Harvard and Princeton next year. This year, Harvard had a great group of underclassman in Kyle Casey, Keith Wright, Christian Webster, and Brandyn Curry. After a year’s of experience, they will only get better in the years to come. Also, coach Tommy Amaker is bringing in a surprisingly good recruiting class. Even though Harvard is losing great talent in Jeremy Lin next year, they are returning almost the entire team and are bringing in a ton of new recruits that its highly probable that Harvard will gain a bid to the NCAA tournament next season.
All of this couldn’t have happened without Jeremy Lin. Jeremy was one of the few players who interviewed Tommy Amaker in 2007 for the open coaching position, and has been a leader of this team for the past three years. In his first season under Amaker in Lin’s sophomore year, he lead Harvard to an 8-22 (3-11 conference) record. By the time Jeremy was a senior, Harvard went 21-7 (10-4). As the team’s leader, and one of the few seniors on the team, Jeremy had to lead the youngsters by example during every game and every practice.
I dont know the history of Harvard Basketball or who have written their names in the history books while at Harvard. However, even though Jeremy Lin didn’t make it to the NCAA tournament or lead Harvard to an Ivy League title, he has to go down as one of the best in Harvard basketball history. If not for the numbers and stats that he put, then for the winning program he helped established.
One Shining Moment, the greatest song associated with a sporting event ever (The Champions League anthem is a close 2nd), was written by David Barrett after he watched Larry Bird play for Indiana State in the 1979 NCAA tournament.
Since 1987, CBS has closed its coverage of the tournament with a video montage recapping the tourney, using One Shining Moment as the song. Since the 2003, the song has traditionally been sung by Luther Vandross. This year, CBS decided to have Jennifer Hudson sing it.
2009 One Shining Moment by Luther Vandross.
2010 One Shining Moment sung by Jennifer Hudson.
Call me a traditionalist or whatever, but Im not a fan of Hudson’s version of this song. I also dont like shots of her singing the song interspersed throughout the montage…that’s never happened in the past 15+ years or so.
Today in the Champions League quarterfinals, Barcelona’s Lionel Messi proved why he’s the best player in the world, scoring a hat trick against Arsenal in the span of 21 minutes.
If I were to ask you who do you think has been the best team in the Bay Area this past decade, who would you say?
Definitely not the 49ers or the Raiders. Definitely not the Warriors, Giants or Athletics. You could make an argument for the Sharks, but they haven’t made it past the Western Conference Finals yet, and are a perennial playoff disappointment. Great regular season team…horrible playoff team when it matters.
Let’s go away from the pro level, and look at the college level. Stanford men’s basketball has had its moments this past decade, but haven’t been consistent in the past two years. You could make a case for Cal Football, but they too like the Sharks have just succeeded in disappointing its fan base. While Cal men’s basketball and Stanford football are on the rise recently, they were flat out atrocious the beginning of this decade.
So who would you say is the best team out of the Bay Area this past decade? I will argue…the Stanford Women’s Basketball Team, who will be playing in the national title game this coming Tuesday!
Before I go on, I will be the first to admit that I watch and follow women’s college basketball, and I can tell you the names of all the stars who have played this past decade. While women’s basketball isn’t as fast, explosive, and “exciting” as the men’s game, it is still very fundamentals based…and sometimes thats just fun to watch.
Tara VanDerveer, the coach at Stanford, has built a dynasty in Palo Alto. She has a career record of 757-193 (.797) and has led Stanford to two national titles in the 90s.
In this decade, the Stanford women has either won or had a share of the regular season title every single year. They won it outright in 8 years, and shared the title in 2. The women have also won the Pac-10 tournament 7 times as well. This past decade, they’ve amassed a record of 291-52 (.848 winning percentage). They have made the NCAA tournament each year for the past 23 years.
They have made it to the Elite 8 for the past 7 years, and have made the Final Four for the past 3 years. This coming Tuesday, they will be playing in their 2nd national title game in the past 3 years!
Some of our generation’s great female basketball players have played at Stanford. Nicole Powell played at the Farm from 2001-2004, as did Candice Wiggins from 2005-2008. Both were drafted #3 overall in the 04 and 08, respectively and both are having amazing careers in the WNBA right now.
No other team from the Bay Area has had as much success on the national level than the Stanford women have. They are by far the best team in the Bay Area right now.
Honorable Mention…
1. San Jose Sabercats – Arena Football League. Won the Arena Bowl in 2002, 2004, and 2007.
2. San Jose Earthquakes: Major League Soccer. Won MLS Cup in 2001 and 2003. Then the team proceeds to relocate to Houston…where they win the MLS Cup in 2006 and 2007…with almost the exact same team. No I’m not bitter. I blame it all on Landon Donovan leaving for Germany for a couple months and then coming back and signing with the LA Galaxy.
******************** Why you should watch the title game between Stanford and Uconn
If you were to watch only one woman’s basketball game in your life…watch this coming Tuesday’s national title game between #1 Connecticut vs #2 Stanford. The Stanford women are 36-1, with their only loss coming to UConn last December. Connecticut is undefeated this season, 38-0, and has won 77 straight games, with their last loss coming to Stanford two years ago in the Final Four. Connecticut was ranked #1 the entire season, while Stanford was ranked #2 the enitre season. These are without a doubt the two best teams in the country, and it’s only fitting that these two teams would be playing in the national championship.
Uconn features Tina Charles and Maya Moore, maybe the best players in the entire country. Charles was the 2010 AP Player of the Year, while Moore was the 2009 AP Player of the Year. In their win against Baylor in the Final Four, Charles dropped 21 points and 13 rebounds, while Moore dropped 34 points and 12 rebounds.
While none of Stanford’s players made it to the 1st Team All-American, they boast the best frontcourt in the entire country, in center Jayne Appel and forwards Nnemkadi Ogwumike and Kayla Pederson. These three players terrorize opposing team’s defenses and create matchup problems all around. While they are all big players, they are all very quick and are great shooters.
This will be one of the best matchups in the womens college basketball ever. Not only does it pit two great teams with a ton of star players against each other, but it also pits two of the best coaches in the game against each other: VanDerveer vs Geno Auriemma, who’s led Uconn to 6 national championships.
Again, if you want to witness a great matchup between two of the best teams in the country, watch this Tuesday’s national championship game. No you wont see dunks or alley oop passes, but it will be hard fought and physical game. You will see great shooting, coupled with great defense at the same time.
My predictions: Uconn over Stanford. As much as I think Stanford has a great team and will fight hard, Uconn is simply too powerful. With a win on Tuesday, they will cap off their 2nd straight undefeated season.
My original brackets were atrocious. I was 0/2 in the title game, 1/4 in the Final Four, 4/8 in the Elite 8, and 9/16 in the Sweet 16. This was by far the worst I’ve ever done in picking a bracket.
In my 2nd chance bracket (starting at the sweet 16), it was even worse! 0/2 in the title game, 0/4 in the Final four, and 4/8 in the Elite 8. Pathetic.
Last week, I made my predictions for the Final Four and title game: West Virginia beating Duke and Michigan State beating Butler, with WVU winning the title. Oh what do you know…I was wrong in both games.
While most of the time I think I know a lot about sports, it are times like these where I realize I know absolutely nothing.
*******************
Well. The National Title game is set! Duke Blue Devils versus the Butler Bulldogs. Back in November, I dont think you could have found any person (not related to the Bulter program) in this country who would have predicted that Butler would play in the national title game. Honestly, Im not even sure sure the Butler players would have predicted it.
This is David vs Goliath to the extreme. Never before since Michigan State and Indiana State pitted Magic Johnson vs Larry Bird in 1969 have we seen such polar opposites in programs (and coaches). We have Duke, the 4th winningest college basketball program of all time, vs Butler, who before this season never even made it past the Sweet 16. Duke on the other hand has made it to the Elite 8 18 times. This is Butler’s 1st trip to the National Title game. Duke has played in 9!
Side note/fun trivia: Butler plays their home games at the Hinkle (Butler) Fieldhouse. The Hinkle Fieldhouse used to host the Indiana State high school basketball championships, most famously the 1959 game between Milan High and Muncie Central, one of the biggest David and Goliath games in basketball. The story was famously made into a movie, Hoosiers, one of the greatest sports movies of all time.
Besides, the uneven match up between schools, you have the uneven match up between coaches: Brad Stevens vs Mike Krzyzewski. Brad Stevens is only 33 years old. Coach K has been coaching for 35 years (30 at Duke). Brad Stevens had only been coaching for 3 years. Coach K has won 3 national titles at Duke.
However, what I love about Brad Stevens is that he isnt fazed by any of this. He’s already beaten Syracuse and Michigan State, coached by Jim Boeheim and Tom Izzo, respectively, who are two of the top 5 greatest college basketball coaches in the game. Jim Boehiem was just voted “Coach of the Year” by the AP Press. Just by looking at Stevens coach on the sideline, you can tell he has a confidence about him and that he knows that he and his team belongs on the big stage.
The title game on Monday will be a very interesting game, and in predicting the outcome, let’s take a look at the semifinal matchups and what were the difference makers.
Butler vs Michigan State
One thing you noticed about Butler is their amazing defense. In all 5 of their tournament games so far, they have kept their opponents to under 60 points. This is extremely surprising when you see that all 5 of these opponents averaged more than 72 points a game over the entire season: Michigan State (72.4), Kansas State (79.7), Syracuse (80.9), Murray State (76.5), and UTEP (75.3). Their stingy defense creates turnovers, and these turnovers lead to fastbreak points. Against Michigan State, Butler scored 20 points off turnovers. Also, 12 out of Butler’s 15 transition points came off of turnovers as well. Butler’s man defense is one of the most disciplined units I have seen in the college game.
On offense for Butler, you obviously have Gordon Hayward, who may be the most NBA ready player in the Final Four. There’s not really much to say about him other than the fact that he’s the real deal…a complete player who shoots, passes, and rebounds all extremely well. He was definitely the star of the game.
Duke vs West Virginia
When 2 of the big three of Kyle Singler, Jon Scheyer, and Nolan Smith are on in any given night, Duke is amazing, and its normally enough to win. In all games this tournament, one of these three players had an “off shooting night”, yet Duke found a way to win. Tonight, all three players were on fire, and it was outright scary. They were a combined 22/45 from the field, and 12/23 from the 3 point line. They combined for a total of 64 points, and they outscore the entire WVU team (57). It was only the 3rd time this season that all 3 scored more than 19 points each. Their chemistry and ball movement on the court was like watching a well-oiled offensive machine at its finest.
My Prediction: Butler over Duke. Im finally jumping on the Butler bandwagon. Defense wins championships right? Singler, Scheyer, and Smith can’t have another game where they shoot amazingly well….right?
When I think about model franchises in all of sports over 3+ decades, only a couple teams come to mind. Los Angeles Lakers, Boston Celtics, New York Yankees, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys. Boston Red Soxs. Detroit Red Wings. There are some other great franchises currently, like the New England Patriots, that have been great this past decade, but dont have the history that spans 30 years. Other teams, like the Montreal Canadian and Toronto Maple Leafs, have done well in the past, but currently have not been competitive as of late.
One can make the case that the Pittsburgh Steelers is the model franchise in all the NFL, if not all of sports.
They have played in 7 Superbowls, one behind Dallas, and won a record 6 of them. The team has been owned by Rooney family since 1933, and has stayed within the family for over 70 years. The current owner, Dan Rooney, is one of the most respected owners in the entire league. He is credited with implementing the “Rooney Rule”, which requires NFL teams with coaching and GM openings to interview at least one minority candidate. On top of that, Barack Obama just recently made him the ambassador to Ireland.
As a result of the constant stability of ownership and the owner’s loyalty and trust, there has only been 3 coaches since 1969: Chuck Knoll from 1969-1991, Bill Cower from 1992-2006, and Mike Tomlin from 2007-present. In an era where coaches constantly leave for a better job and better opportunities, this is absolutely unheard of. This is also a reflection of the amazing ownership of the team. Even in down years in the 1990s when the Steelers werent playing well, the Rooney family instilled enough confidence in Bill Cower and remained loyal to him and didnt fire him. They stuck by his side, and allowed him to finally win his first Super Bowl in 2006.
Steelers players have also been a model of class throughout NFL history. Players like Mel Blount, Terry Bradshaw, Joe Greene, Franco Harris, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth, Lynn Swann, Jerome Bettis, and Hines Ward have been great ambassadors for the team and for the league as a whole.
Having lived in Pittsburgh for 5 years, I have witnessed how much Steeler fans love their team and their players. No other fans are as passionate about their team as Steeler fans.
That’s why its troubling to see the two of the Steeler’s best (and maybe most important) players in so much trouble recently. Ben Roethlisberger has been the subject of two sexual assault charges in the past year. Santonio Holmes has been the subject of multiple drug possession charges over the past couple years, and is also accused of recently assaulting a woman in an Orlando nightclub.
Why is all of this happening? Have Roethlisberger and Holmes found success too soon? Roethlisberger has already won 2 Superbowl titles in his first 6 seasons in the league, and Holmes was the Superbowl MVP in 2009. Do they think they’re on top of the world now and feel that they’re invisible and can do anything they want?
Is this a reflection on coaching and ownership? Mike Tomlin is only 38, and is the third youngest head coach in any of the 4 professional sports league. He’s only 10 years older than Roethislerger (12 for Holmes). Is he not feared and respected by Roethlisberger and Holmes because of his age? Do they take not take him seriously? Are they not worried about punishment and discipline because they know they are the two most important players on offense for the team? Is Dan Rooney becoming older and more out of sync with the team, being the ambassador to Ireland and such? Is he not fostering a sense of family and responsibility to the team and community in Roethlisberger and Holmes?
It’ll be very interesting to see what happens in the next coming weeks with regards to disciplining these two players. In the past, the Rooney’s have had a policy that players are never bigger then the team. Both Plaxico Burress and Antwaan Randle-El were let go after both these WR asked for gigantic contracts.
However when players have been the subject of legal problems, the Rooney family has been the center of controversy. In the past couple years, three players have been the subject of domestic abuse cases: Najeh Davenport, James Harrison, and Cedrick Wilson. Davenport and Wilson were let go from the team, while Harrison, the NFL Defensive player of the year, was not punished. Rooney got a lot of criticism and was accused of a double standard: Wilson and Harrison were accused of both domestic violence, yet Harrison wasn’t punished. As great as the Rooney family is, did they show favoritism in trying to “justify” the actions of one of their best players?
This past month, Oregon Ducks coach, Chip Kelly, suspended his star QB, Jeremiah Masoli for the entire season after Masoli pleaded guilty for a burglary charge. Masoli was a potential Heisman trophy candidate for next season, but Kelly made the difficult decision to suspend him, despite knowing that his changes of playing in the national title game next year took a big hit.
What will the coaching and ownership do with regards to Roethlisberger and Holmes? Will Dan Rooney claim that Roethlisberger was never convicted or charged and let him off free? Will they do the same for Holmes? Or will they make the difficult decision and punish both these players, even if it may cost them a couple games next season?
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