Today Jeff Reed is happy he only assaulted a paper towel dispenser.

Not even the news that the Steelers traded away their #2 receiver for magic beans and a Happy Meal could distract from the circus that is Big Ben. Finally the DA in Georgia came to the same conclusion everyone else did about 5 minutes into this case: there's no way he's facing charges for this. Now the airwaves in Pittsburgh are swamped with moral outrage, people are demanding the Steelers cut ties with Ben since his actions have been an embarrassment to the franchise.

With all due respect, the only response to that can be "Are you fucking crazy"?

I get it, by all accounts Ben's not the nicest guy in the world off the field, especially when booze is involved. He shows all the signs of being the drunken frat boy who never grew up. Why would he? He's been the HNIC probably since he was in grade school. He was the star QB at a small school, and his first season as a NFL QB led to a 15-1 run. He's won two Super Bowls already, so in a football crazy town like this, he's practically the second coming of Jesus Christ. Plus he signed a contract worth $100 million, so all the ingredients were in place for what ended up happening.

So what do the Steelers do? Honestly, nothing. He's never been charged with a crime, he hasn't even been arrested for anything. That puts him ahead of teammates like Jeff Reed, James Harrison, and the recently departed Santonio. Taking drastic action like cutting him would not only be insanely dumb, it would also be caving in to fan anger that will disappear by the time the season begins.

People may not like it, but the truth is a 0 TD 5 INT game will run Ben out of town faster than a sexual assault charge. He could rape someone on the 50 yard line at halftime of a playoff game, but if he throws the winning touchdown pass, all will be forgiven. Sports fans have notoriously short memories, and the thought that MORAL RAGE~! felt in April will remain in September holds no water. Are all these fans disgusted with Ben going to feel the same if the Steelers go into the season with 100 year old Charlie Batch behind center? Or unproven Dennis Dixon? As a wise man once said, "highly unlikely".

This latest incident should serve as a wake-up call for Ben to grow the fuck up and not blow what is almost certainly his last chance. The Holmes deal was a clear message by the Rooneys that they are not putting up with any more bullshit from anyone. The team has a long history of trading/releasing guys who turn into bigger headaches than their talent affords. Ben should be aware that there's a strong possibility the only reason he didn't follow Santonio out the door is that the franchise is well aware the main reason we went 25 years between Super Bowl eras was not having a franchise QB. No one wants to go back to the Brister/Maddox era of Steeler quarterbacks, so Ben's going to have a lot more leeway than anyone else would in this situation.

Holmes was given a a chance, and he responded by tweeting about "wake and bake" and getting involved in an altercation in the VIP room. He's now a New York Jet, and even that was because he was just going to be flat out released before the offer came. So in a way the Steelers "won" by getting anything for a guy they were just about to throw out on his ass.

Oh by the way, Jeff Reed's charges were thrown out today since he completed his community service. Most folks probably didn't hear anything about that today, but I'm guessing he won't be pissing on the sidewalks after this.