Rooney: Steelers Ready To Punish Roethlisberger Now

Steelers president Art Rooney II said the team is ready to discipline Ben Roethlisberger, but the punishment will be coordinated with the NFL and won't pre-empt any league action.

“Receiving the support of Pittsburgh Steeler fans all over the world is something that must be earned,” Rooney said Thursday.

“I've made it clear to Ben that his conduct in this incident did not live up to our standards,” Rooney said. “We've made it very clear to Ben that there will be consequences for his actions. And Ben has indicated to us that he's willing to accept those consequences.”

The Steelers likely would have acted by now, but Rooney said the NFL's labor agreement makes that difficult.

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Rooney expects NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to spend several weeks reviewing the recent accusations that Roethlisberger sexually assaulted a 20-year-old college student. The quarterback won't be charged in the case.

Rooney probably won't decide on any action until after next week's three-day draft.

Rooney said the Steelers' and Roethlisberger's images have been damaged because of the incident.

Channel 11 News got reaction from current and former Steelers players.

“Discouraged a little bit," wide receiver Hines Ward, who was at North Hills High School on Thursday. "Because the Pittsburgh Steelers come with a high level and expectations are high, and it’s unfortunate that our organization had to be in the news like this, but one thing about us, we're a close-knit family."

"I don't think the team would be interested in trading Ben," former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis said. "I think the situation is serious enough that they have to look at it from a disciplinary standpoint and say, 'Listen, this type of behavior cannot continue to happen.'"

Roethlisberger met with Goodell in New York on Tuesday to discuss whether the league would be taking action over the sexual assault allegations.

On Thursday, Rooney said any action the team takes will be agreed to by the NFL and that only one action would be taken. He also said Goodell would like to take a couple of weeks to review the situation before making any announcements.

According to a story posted on NFL.com Thursday, the Steelers have internally discussed trading Roethlisberger.

"According to the source, Steelers ownership remains dismayed and embarrassed by Roethlisberger's actions in a Georgia college town this offseason and finds his string of off-the-field incidents troubling. The team has been closely monitoring the public backlash against Roethlisberger," NFL.com reports.

On Wednesday, Steelers Chairman Dan Rooney talked to the media briefly about the situation ahead of an AFL-CIO awards ceremony.

"I would just say that it's a serious matter and it's being handled properly," he said.

Goodell, a friend of the Rooney family, also attended the ceremony.

"You can't take things personal in the NFL. What you've got to do is understand that we have a very high standard for everybody involved in the NFL," Goodell said.

On Monday, a Georgia district attorney announced he was not going to file criminal charges against Roethlisberger. Prosecutors said the woman's accusations could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt and revealed that the accuser no longer wanted authorities to prosecute.

"I think he understands the situation. I think he understands how important the personal conduct policy is to the NFL. I hope he has a better understanding of how important it is for everybody in the league," said Goodell.

The Steelers quarterback practiced Wednesday with the team for the first time since the sexual assault allegations came to light.

As Pittsburgh's first-round draft pick out of Miami of Ohio in 2004, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to Super Bowl victories in 2006 and 2009.

Previous Stories: April 15, 2010: D.A. Details Roethlisberger's Entourage Night Woman Claimed Sexual Assault April 14, 2010: Roethlisberger Working Out With Steelers On South Side April 14, 2010: Roethlisberger Trade Rumors Fly; No Suspension Yet April 13, 2010: 'Big Ben Beef Jerky' Sponsor Cuts Ties With Roethlisberger April 13, 2010: Lawyer: 2nd Roethlisberger Nevada Incident Investigated April 13, 2010: Adoration Fades, Support Remains In Roethlisberger Hometown April 13, 2010: Bradshaw Cautions Big Ben: 'Fight The Temptation' April 12, 2010: Roethlisberger Talks To Media; No Sex Assault Charges Filed April 7, 2010: DA Gets Roethlisberger Case; 2nd Interview Never Happened April 7, 2010: Hines Ward Voices Support For Roethlisberger, Holmes April 1, 2010: Target 11: Ga. District Attorney To Get Roethlisberger Case Soon March 30, 2010: Roethlisberger Doesn't Show For Steelers' Off-Season Workouts March 26, 2010: Report: Manager Told By Accuser's Friend She Was In Bathroom With Roethlisberger March 26, 2010: Lawyers: Roethlisberger Accuser Still Cooperating With Investigators March 25, 2010: Roethlisberger's DNA Controversy: Did Police Ask For It Or Not? March 23, 2010: NFL Commissioner To Meet With Roethlisberger March 22, 2010: Tomlin Speaks Out On Roethlisberger Ordeal March 19, 2010: Steelers' Rooney: Wait And See On Roethlisberger Concern March 17, 2010: Georgia Officials Want To Talk To Roethlisberger's Other Accuser March 15, 2010: New Questions Surrounding Roethlisberger's Security March 12, 2010: WPXI Scopes Out Club Where Alleged Roethlisberger Assault Occurred March 12, 2010: Ga. Police Posed With Roethlisberger Before Alleged Assault March 12, 2010: NFL.com: Steelers' Roethlisberger On Rocky Ground With Rooneys March 12, 2010: Exclusive: Rick Earle Interviews Lead Investigator In Roethlisberger Case March 12, 2010: Attorney For Off-Duty Officer With Roethlisberger Talks To WPXI March 11, 2010: Maker Of 'Big Ben's Beef Jerky' Concerned About Allegations March 10, 2010: Roethlisberger’s Accuser To Return To Ga. College March 9, 2010: Roethlisberger Accuser Drops Out Of College, TMZ Reports March 8, 2010: Roethlisberger's Attorney: 'No Sexual Assault Occurred' March 8, 2010: Investigation Continues After Roethlisberger Accused Of Sex Assault

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