NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, acting as juror, judge and executor, sentenced Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a six game suspension without pay for violating the NFL personal conduct policy. Roethisberger was also ordered to undergo a behavioral evaluation.

Goodell handed down the decision after a 20 year-old college student accused Roethlisberger of sexually assualting her in a Georgia nightclub back in March. Ben was suspended even though Georgia prosecutors decided not to charge Roethlisberger for sexual assualt.

Goodell, in a letter sent to the former 2-time Super Bowl champ said, “I recognize that the allegations in Georgia were disputed and that they did not result in criminal charges being filed against you,”

“My decision today is not based on a finding that you violated Georgia law, or on a conclusion that differs from that of the local prosecutor. That said, you are held to a higher standard as an NFL player, and there is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible, or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans.”

As part of the suspension, Roethlisberger must undergo a behavioral evaluation by medical professionals before he can participate or attend any team off-season activities.

Goodell left open the possibility that he could reduce the suspension from 6 games to 4. The Steeler QB could lose close to $3 million in salary if he sits out 6 games.

Many in the NFL expressed shock at the length of the suspension, given he was not charged with a crime. However, this is not the first time Ben Roethlisberger has been accused of improrieties. Back in the summer of 2008, a woman named Andrea McNulty in Nevada accused Roethlisbeger of sexual assault.

Will the suspension of Ben Roethlisberger mean the Steelers won’t make the NFL playoffs in 2010? Not necessarily, especially if the sentence is reduced to 4 games. The Steelers are scheduled with a bye in NFL Week 5, allowing the Steelers to give Roethlisberger all the reps to get ready for NFL Week 6. Here is Steelers schedule for the first six games in 2010.

Sunday, September 12 - Atlanta Falcons - Home
Sunday, September 19 - Tennessee Titans - Away
Sunday, September 26 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Away
Sunday, October 3 - Baltimore Ravens - Home
Sunday, October 10 - BYE
Sunday, October 17 - Cleveland Browns - Home
Sunday, October 24 - Miami Dolphins - Home

source: foxsports.com, espn

The Giants won the right, via coin toss, to play the first regular season game at the new Meadowlands stadium, and Jets owner Woody Johnson is flipping out.

Almost immediately after the NFL announced that the Giants - via coin flip - would play the first regular-season game at the new Meadowlands stadium, Woody Johnson released a statement aimed at NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, criticizing the coin toss process because it took place without a presence of a representative from either team.

“An NFL coin toss has a few fundamental elements that are missing here, most notably the presence of the teams involved”, said Johnson, whom one source described as “outraged” by the procedure. “That’s how it’s always done in the league, whether it’s determining the order of the draft or deciding who’s going to kick off the game”.

The funny thing is that Johnson claims it was his idea to use the coin toss, but the NFL initially rejected the idea. He said it was “the fairest way to resolve the issue”. Johnson said he was informed on Friday that the coin toss occurred at the NFL league office, and the Jets had lost.

“We rejected a process in which neither team was present”, he said. “The league departed from our time-honored tradition and declined that the opportunity to set the matter straight with a transparent process.”

After the coin toss on Friday, the Jets posted a story on their website Saturday night, reporting the NFL had made plans for a coin flip. The story promoted the coin toss idea, saying the Jets wanted to make it a media event that their fans could witness. It appears the story was a ploy to put pressure on the NFL league office into a do-over.

According to sources, Goodell didn’t invite the teams to send reps to the coin flip because the Giants didn’t want to flip. To appease each team, Goodell’s plan was that the coin toss winner would open the stadium on Sunday and the loser would host the first Monday Night Football game the following day.

The Giants will play the Sunday afternoon game at the Meadowlands on opening day and the Jets will play the next day at 7:00 pm on Monday Night Football. The opponents for both games will be announced on Monday at the NFL meetings in Orlando, Florida.

I’m surprised that the usually mild-mannered Woody Johnson publicly released such a strong statement. Maybe the speaking style of Jets’ head coach, Rex Ryan, is rubbing off on him.