Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will not report to the Steelers off season conditioning program this week, according to a report by ESPN.com.
The decision for Roethlisberger not to report has been made by the team not him. Roethlisberger is accused of assaulting a 20-year-old college student in a Georgia nightclub on March 5. Ownership has yet to come out in support of Roehtlisberger.
Just a few days ago at the NFL owner meetings, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said he expected Roethlisberger to arrive with the rest of the Pittsburgh veterans on Monday.
According to ESPN, citing a team source, after it was discussed internally whether Roethlisberger’s presence on Monday would create too much of a distraction, the decision was made by the Steelers for him not to attend the team’s off season program.
The decision to not let Roethlisberger report is an interesting one to say the least. The voluntary workouts are just conditioning workouts that involve no on-field practices. The players are secluded for the most part from the media, so a media frenzy would not happen if Roethlisberger was attendance.
A number of prominent younger players including 2009 1st round pick Ziggy Hood have been working out in Pittsburgh since March 15.
It is not clear if starting right tackle Willie Colon will report. Colon is seeking a long-term deal and has not accepted his RFA offer. Colon was also apart of Roethlisberger’s entourage in Georgia.
The Steelers first OTA practice is April 19th.