But it's also a good first step. Big Ben and rookie wide receiver Santonio Holmes both paid a visit to the Steelers management office Tuesday morning. Holmes issued an apology for his recent off-field issues, saying:
The key part, of course, is that last bit that I underlined. Holmes is apologizing for his second arrest. One arrest is supposed to get a guy back in line. As such, Steeler fans have to view Holmes' apology a bit skeptically. It's time for him to act like a professional. God knows he's about to get paid like one.
The other troubling part of Holmes' apology statement was that it was released by the team. At some point, part of of accountability is doing it yourself - stepping up in front of the camera, looking out to the fans, and apologizing. It's not quite as small a thing as it sounds, and I'm a little bit worried by the off-field problems that are dominating the offseason Steeler news.
As for Ben, the latest news is good, but we shouldn't consider there to be any kind of guarantee that he'll be able to take the field this September. There are just so many things that can go wrong medically for Ben - some of them permanent. We just won't know for another six weeks or so.
It's going to be a long wait. Let's hope the next bit of Steeler off-field news is some good news.
--PB--