Pittsburgh Steelers "James Harrison's assault charge merits a suspension"

The Pittsburgh Steelers are generally known as a clean organization. With the loss of Alan Faneca, a team captain, and James Harrison's arrest for assault, second-year coach Mike Tomlin has his first genuine Public Relations alarm to answer. It's in his best interest to suspend the Pro Bowl linebacker quickly if he is indeed guilty (an affidavit entered at the time of Harrison's arrest says Harrison corroborated everything the victim said). Harrison was arrested in Ohio Township (outside Pittsburgh) March 8 on charges of 6 Sanchez White Jersey
assault. He is accused of slapping his girlfriend across the face after he broke in her room, where she had locked herself in, presumably to avoid Harrison. When Tomlin took the reins from former coach Bill Cowher in January of 2007, his immediate concern was getting the Steelers back into the playoffs after an 8-8 season. Since then, he's presided over the bitter departure of Faneca, the arrest of RB Najeh Davenport for assault, the general collapse of one of the better offensive lines in the game, a somewhat questionable first round draft pick (Lawrence Timmons) and now, a criminal charge against one of the team's best players. How will Tomlin spin this? Cowher had to deal with then-rookie WR Santonio Holmes picking up a domestic assault charge in the summer of 2006, but that was eventually dismissed. Former Steeler Richard Siegler was charged with running a prostitution ring in Las Vegas in 2006, when he was a member of the Steelers practice squad. He was quickly released from the team.Harrison, a Pro Bowl OLB in 2007, won't be so easily dismissed. Obviously, Tomlin is not going to condone Harrison's behavior. Considering the Steelers' reputation, and the pressure NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has placed on the league since he took over in 2006, suspending Harrison for one game may be the Steelers' wisest course of action. Harrison has become a fan-favorite ever since he was placed on the practice squad as an undrafted free agent in 2002. Known for his toughess - which earned him the nickname "Silverback" - Harrison gained YouTube fame in 2003 when he picked up and slammed a fan on the ground who ran on the field during the Steelers at Browns game that season. It's not so 6 Sanchez Green Jersey
funny anymore. His image certainly has been damaged, and a traditionally straight-arrowed organization is going to be forced into action over this incident. While we can expect the standard "We're going to let the authorities investigate the matter before rushing to action," the affidavit filed by Ohio Township Police basically says Harrison admitted to it. It might help the Steelers save some face with their fans and the league to look into the matter right away, and avoid any distraction going into the draft in April and training camp this summer.