Last week prosecutors in Milledgeville, Ga., decided not to charge Big Ben in a case involving a 20-year-old who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a bar.
But that didn’t keep the NFL from sending Roethlisberger, who played at Miami from 2001-2003, to the bench.
“I don’t necessarily agree with the NFL’s police on disciplining players but I definitely think in this case it’s appropriate,” Miami graduate student John Lisec said.
Lisec said given Roethlisberger’s supposed history with women, the NFL has the right to suspend him. Big Ben also is facing a civil lawsuit in a case in Nevada involving a woman who alleged he sexually assaulted her last year at a Lake Tahoe hotel.
“His behavior toward women has been a little sketchy,” Lisec said.
Paul Davis, a Cincinnati resident visiting relatives in Oxford, disagreed with the decision.
“He wasn’t convicted so I don’t think it’s appropriate,” Davis said. “They’re jumping the gun too much.”
Alisha Jones, a senior at Miami, said that Roethlisberger’s alleged actions could damage the image of the NFL. “I think it’s the reputation of the whole football league, there has to be some kind of standards,” Jones said. “Don’t put yourself in positions where that happens.”
Jones also felt his punishment was enough for him to think about the consequence of his actions.
“If he’s suspended for six games then that’s the consequence,” Jones said. “Maybe next time he’ll learn not to do something like that.”
Mark Angelo, a father visiting his daughter, a Miami student, said the suspension might not have been adequate.
“If he treated my daughter like that, I’d probably kill him,” Angelo said. “Six games is probably not enough.”
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