LATROBE, Pa. — Ben Roethlisberger
got a thumb's up from NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, and praise for
the way he's reshaping his life. What's missing for now is a reduction
of his six-game suspension.
Goodell met with Roethlisberger while
visiting the Steelers' training camp on Thursday but, while saying the
quarterback is going beyond what the league is mandating, didn't cut
his suspension for bad behavior to four games.
The NFL will continue to monitor
Roethlisberger's progress before he and Goodell meet in New York later
this month and the commissioner makes a final decision on how long the
Steelers star will be out. A reduction would allow Roethlisberger to
play Oct. 17 at home against Cleveland rather than Oct. 31 at New
Orleans.
"I'm very encouraged by what he's
doing," Goodell said. "I'll take the period of time that I have before
making the decision and make it probably right before the regular
season."
Asked what the league still needs to
see, Goodell said, "He's got to work through the program that's
designed for him to help him. A lot of that is confidential, but he's
done it and he's done it with enthusiasm. I think that's a good thing."
Goodell was vague when asked several
times if Roethlisberger's suspension could be reduced even further.
Later, league officials clarified that the commissioner's April 21
ruling specified a minimum of four games for his alleged sexual assault
on a college student early March 5 in Milledgeville, Ga.
"We created a framework of four to
six weeks and I don't see any reason to change that," Goodell said
later Thursday during a visit to the Browns camp in Berea, Ohio.
Roethlisberger wasn't charged, but was disciplined by Goodell for violating the NFL personal conduct policy.
Goodell praised Roethlisberger's
efforts following the image-damaging incident that left some of the
quarterback's biggest fans angry and disgusted.
"I think he's doing great," Goodell
said. "I had a chance to chat with him … and I'm very encouraged by
what I'm seeing. I think he's understanding the seriousness of the
issue and is working to improve and to make better decisions. I think
that's a very positive development."
Goodell again said Roethlisberger is going "above and beyond" what the league was asking.
"He hasn't just done what he's been
told to do, I think he's worked hard to really try to improve and focus
on himself and understand what he's been though and what he's going to
do differently going forward," Goodell said. "I think that's a very
positive thing."
Besides trying to be more fan
friendly at camp — he signs autographs for a half-hour almost daily —
Roethlisberger has made several unpublicized appearances to serve
dinners for the Salvation Army and to visit with the families of
seriously ill children.
Still, Roethlisberger apparently didn't use Thursday's visit to try to lobby Goodell to cut his suspension.
"He's the commissioner of the
league," Roethlisberger said. "He's the boss of the bosses, and he has
the right to do what he feels right to make his league run the way that
he wants it to be run. It's a tough job. I can't say it's easy because
he's got a lot of responsibilities and a lot of people to look over. So
he's doing what he feels is right."
It was another quarterback — Rams
rookie Sam Bradford, who recently signed a six-year contract that
guarantees him $50 million — who may have been on Goodell's mind at the
Browns' camp. There, Goodell said the NFL's rookie compensation system
"is broken," though he didn't specifically cite giving an unproven
quarterback one of the richest contracts in NFL history as evidence.
"I think our compensation system
should reward the players for their performance on an NFL field and
this is something I've heard from veteran players," Goodell said. "I
think it's something we have to address in the collective bargaining
system."
Numerous NFL players have expressed
pessimism this summer that a new labor agreement can be done soon. The
2010 season is the last covered by the current agreement.
"We need to find solutions to our
issues," Goodell said. "That's what people want. That's what our fans
want and that should be everyone's intent, not focusing on the negative
down the road."
The players union wants Goodell to
open the financial books of league clubs, but, Goodell said, "They know
our revenue to a penny. They know our player costs … They have a
tremendous amount of information."
Some Steelers fans believe
Roethlisberger, a two-time Super Bowl winner, received overly harsh
punishment from Goodell because other well-known players recently
escaped punishment for their off-field actions.
Cincinnati Bengals running back
Cedric Benson was not disciplined for his role in a bar fight.
Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young also wasn't punished after
getting into a fight at a strip club.
"The circumstances are different,"
Goodell said. "You have to look at the facts of each one … and make a
decision you believe is in the best interests of the individual."
Since the Steelers opened camp a
week ago, Roethlisberger has split time with Byron Leftwich as the team
prepares two starting quarterbacks, one to begin the season and the
other to play most of it. Roethlisberger can play in preseason games,
but can have no contact with the team, unless he is injured, once his
suspension begins.
Roethlisberger expects to find out exactly what he can and can't do when he meets with Goodell again later this month.
"I've got some ideas up my sleeve
that will help me stay in shape, stay around football without breaking
any rules," Roethlisberger said. "Obviously you can't do anything with
the Steelers organization. Hopefully we've just got to talk with him
(Goodell) and make sure that he's OK with it. But we've got some good
ideas that I'm sure you guys will hear about pretty soon."
Roethlisberger has been greeted
warmly by spectators during training camp, a possible sign that the
hostility previously directed toward him might be easing as the season
nears and fans focus on football rather than off-field issues.