Steelers football blog

WR Holmes named in lawsuit

Another high-profile Steelers player has made news for the wrong reason.

A lawsuit claims wide receiver Santonio Holmes, MVP of Super Bowl XLIII, injured a woman at a Florida nightclub by throwing a glass at her face.

Anshonone Mills is suing Holmes for battery assault and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

She claims an altercation with Holmes on March 7 at Rain nightclub in Orlando, Fla., left her with a cut below her eye, and that the wide receiver as well as police tried to talk her out of pressing charges.

The allegations were made against Holmes in a civil lawsuit filed last week in Orange County.

Big Ben won't attend workouts

Ben Roethlisberger's return to the Steelers apparently won't occur this week.

The two-time Super Bowl quarterback isn't expected to join his teammates this week for voluntary offseason workouts that begin today, team spokesman Dave Lockett said Sunday night.

Roethlisberger has been accused of assault by a 20-year-old Georgia college student, but he hasn't been charged in the case. An investigation is ongoing, and it's possible the Steelers advised Roethlisberger not to show up to avoid creating a distraction.

Roethlisberger also is being sued in Nevada by a woman who's accusing him of assaulting her in a Lake Tahoe hotel in 2008. He has strongly denied the accusation and has filed a counter suit in the case. Continue

Batch is back

The Steelers bolstered their depth at quarterback Friday by re-signing Charlie Batch to a two-year contract.

The Steelers now have three quarterbacks on their roster, though starter Ben Roethlisberger is under investigation following an accusation of sexual assault at a nightclub in Milledgeville, Ga. Even if no charges are filed in connection with the March 5 incident, Roethlisberger could be punished for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy. Commissioner Roger Goodell said he plans to meet with Roethlisberger at an undisclosed date.

Batch, who at 35 is entering his 13th NFL season, has proved to be a reliable backup, though he has battled injuries the past two seasons. He missed the last six games of 2009 after breaking a bone in his left wrist in a 27-24 loss at Kansas City. A broken collarbone suffered during an exhibition game sidelined Batch for the entire 2008 season. Continue

Goodell plans to meet with Big Ben

 Roger Goodell has acted swiftly and decisively since instituting a policy that holds NFL players to a higher standard than the law.

Next in his sights could be Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

The NFL commissioner said Monday that he plans to meet with Roethlisberger, who has been accused of sexual assault twice since July.

"I think the most important thing is we take the issue very seriously," Goodell said yesterday at the NFL owners' meetings. "I have spoken to the Steelers. I have spoken to (team president) Art Rooney (II) about it. We are concerned that Ben continues to put himself in this position."

Roethlisberger is under investigation in Milledgeville, Ga., after a 20-year-old college student accused him of assaulting her March 5. He also has a civil suit pending against him in a separate incident in Nevada.

Goodell did not specify when he plans to meet with Roethlisberger. Continue

Tomlin speaks about Big Ben

Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin isn't hiding his anxiety about the sexual-assault allegation against quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

"I'm highly concerned for our franchise and for Ben personally," Tomlin told the NFL Network after arriving in Orlando, Fla., on Saturday for the NFL meetings, which start Monday.

The police in Milledgeville, Ga., are still investigating a 20-year-old female college student's accusation against Roethlisberger.

"My concerns are many," Tomlin said, "but I think at this time it's kind of appropriate to watch these things and let these things run their course. I think it would be inappropriate for me to have strong feelings one way or another with the investigation being ongoing and so forth. Like everyone else, you watch these things unfold." Continue

LB Foote signs 3yr deal

The signing of linebacker Larry Foote to a three-year, $9.3 million contract Monday could be the last significant free-agent signing for the Steelers — at least for a while.

"We haven't closed the door on anything, but I would just say we're refocusing on the draft," director of football operations Kevin Colbert said yesterday after agreeing to talk only on the condition that questions pertain to free agency.

The shifting of the Steelers' focus comes after they were unusually aggressive during the first part of free agency.

Pittsburgh, which is normally quiet at this time of year, have signed five free agents — including former Steelers Foote and wide receiver Antwaan Randle El. Continue

Big Ben's night out gets a little clearer

 Shortly after 9 p.m. on March 4, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger turned to Heath Burton and told the restaurant owner that he was going to do something he'd never done before: Drive to tiny Milledgeville.

"He told me he'd never been down there," said Burton, owner of the posh Eenoco Japanese Steak & Sushi restaurant a few miles from Roethlisberger's mansion in the Reynolds Plantation resort.

After a 45-minute drive to the home of Georgia College & State University, Roethlisberger indulged in a few hours of bar hopping -- complete with Big Ben holding court in the VIP room of the popular Capital City nightclub. The fun ended soon after a 20-year-old woman told a Milledgeville patrolman at 2:30 a.m. March 5 that Roethlisberger, 28, had sexually assaulted her there.

The ongoing criminal investigation into Roethlisberger's conduct that night and a flood of national media washing over the seat of Baldwin County are revealing in greater detail the cloistered world of a National Football League icon known not only for his two Super Bowl rings, but also two allegations of sexual assault. Continue

Big Ben in photos with Milledgeville police officers prior to assault claim

 The Milledgeville police officer who took the March 5 statement from a woman who accused Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her mugged for photographs with the star hours earlier.

Patrolman Jerry Blash was joined in the photo, taken during Roethlisberger's downtown bar-hopping, by Milledgeville Detective Everett January, Lt. Willie Goddard and Officer Paul Cressman.

Milledgeville authorities insist none of the officers spent time with Roethlisberger at the Capital City nightclub or the dance bar's VIP room, which is adjacent to a restroom where Roethlisberger is accused of assaulting the 20-year-old Georgia College & State University student. Continue

Clark signs 4 yr deal with Steelers

For a team that historically has tiptoed into free agency, the Steelers dived headfirst and unleashed a flurry of activity that began with the quick signing of two unrestricted free agents and ended Monday with a new four-year, $14 million contract for free safety Ryan Clark and a three-year agreement to bring receiver Antwaan Randle El back to his former team.

Randle El, one of their Super Bowl XL heroes who played for the Steelers from 2002-05, is expected to visit the Steelers today to sign his contract. He was released four days ago by the Washington Redskins despite being their second-leading receiver in '09.

But that's not all.

After signing Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Will Allen and San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Arnaz Battle to three-year contracts Monday, the Steelers will sign another unrestricted free agent today with whom they already have reached contract agreement -- former Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Jonathan Scott. Continue

Big Ben in hot water again with 20yo woman

A 20-year-old college student has accused Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her early today at a dance club in Georgia, police said.

"It is alleged he is the perpetrator," Richard Malone, the deputy police chief in Milledgeville, Ga., said at a news conference this evening.

Malone said investigators briefly spoke with Roethlisberger and that no charges have been filed. "We have been in touch with his attorneys and they are going to make available all the personnel to talk to us who were here last night."

Roethlisberger's agent, Ryan Tollner, acknowledged police have talked with Roethlisberger.

"Last night, Ben and his friends met a group of women and everyone mingled together throughout the evening," Tollner said in a statement. "We have spoken to law enforcement. Based on information currently available, an allegation was made against Ben, which appeared to be dismissed after a preliminary investigation last night." Continue