Commenting on Roethlisberger

One week later, we're still not sure what happened between Ben Roethlisberger and a 20-year-old woman in the bathroom of a bar in Georgia.

But what we do know is this.

A. Roethlisberger has been pretty much found guilty in the court of public opinion.

B. No charges have yet been filed.

C. Everyone has an opinion about the situation.

I have put off commenting on the sexual assault charges lodged against Roethlisberger while waiting to see the evidence. But since it seems not to be forthcoming at this time, I feel I cannot wait any longer.

At this point, Roethlisberger is guilty of poor judgment, nothing else. While a number of people in Pittsburgh and elsewhere are calling for the NFL to suspend him and the Steelers to cut or trade him, the bottom line is that he hasn't even been charged with a crime.

Nor was he charged with a crime last summer when a Reno, Nevada woman claimed he raped her in a hotel room. Instead of filing criminal charges in that case, the woman filed a civil case, making it appear money was her main motivation.

That should have been the only life lesson that Roethlisberger needed. But he's a young guy in the prime of his life. He's famous. And I'm sure there are plenty of women out there who are willing to sleep with him just because he's rich and famous.

Does that mean he should hop in the sack with every one? Nope. There are some women out there who likely see him as nothing more than a big paycheck.

I'm not saying his accuser in Georgia is one of them. But many are automatically assuming that since she went directly to the police after the alleged event, she had no ulterior motive.

Maybe they should ask Jerome Bettis about that.

Bettis, you'll remember, was once accused of forcing a young lady to perform a sex act on him outside a Greensburg bar. She immediately went to the police.

It later turned out she had been put up to the whole thing by a relative who figured they could get a payoff out of Bettis.

Here's what we've been able to ascertain about the current case.

Roethlisberger, who owns a home in the area of this Georgia bar, has been known to go into that bar during the offseason.

Roethlisberger at this bar with a number of friends, among them Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon and two off-duty Pennsylvania police officers.

His party was joined by a group of co-eds from a nearby college.

Something happened, in the women's bathroom of this bar between Roethlisberger and the young lady.

KDKA TV reports that "sources" tell them that Roethlisberger had admitted contact with the woman but said there was no intercourse.

The woman, meanwhile, went to a local hospital afterward to be treated for injuries.

According to the KDKA report, those same "sources" tell them that Roethlisberger said the woman fell and hit her head.

I have a great deal of respect for KDKA, but their information is third-hand. I'm sure they have vetted these sources, but unless they have seen a report from Roethlisberger's interview - which at some point will be made public if charges are filed - I have to treat them with some skepticism.

As for the argument that the 28-year-old Roethlisberger should not be hanging out at a college bar, I defy anyone who was single at 28 to tell me they never went to a bar that had a younger crowd.

Those people argue that it's "creepy." Again, would it be "creepy" had this alleged incident happened at a martini lounge populated by 40-something cougars?

It makes me question Roethlisberger's judgment, but it's not damning material.

I've also heard the argument put forth a number of times that somebody knew somebody who knew somebody else that said Roethlisberger wouldn't sign an autograph for them. Therefore, he's a jerk and guilty.

Nonsense. I've seen Roethlisberger be gracious. I've seen him be a jerk.

The bottom line is that I don't know him any more than he knows me. I may be around him more than the general public, but that doesn't mean I know him by any stretch of the imagination.

There are some Steelers players who are a little more friendly with the media that others. Roethlisberger is not one of them. Does that make him a bad guy? I don't know because I really don't know him.

Anyone in the media who does claim to know him is either stupid or fooling themselves.

The Steelers are upset that Roethlisberger is having yet another public incident. They thought he learned his lesson the last time.

People have also claimed that because Roethlisberger has hired a high-priced, high-profile attorney that he must be guilty. Ditto his leaving of the state and his lawyer's denial of giving a DNA sample.

With so much to lose, why wouldn't he hire a high-profile attorney? I know that Ben Matlock may have gotten better play in Georgia, but he wasn't available.

And any good attorney would delay having a client give DNA or an official statement as long as possible. It's just what they do. It neither proves nor disproves guilt.

So let's let the dust settle and wait and see if criminal charges are ever brought forth before we convict Roethlisberger of - at this point - anything more than poor judgment.