The clock is striking headlines again for Pittsburgh Steelers Quarterback “Big” Ben Roethlisberger. The two-time Super Bowl champ may be facing a second round of sexual assault charges, this time following a recent round of drinking in Milledgeville, Georgia, where a 20-year old woman accused him of assault in a nightclub bathroom. 

Roethlisberger has had this problem before. In 2008, a Lake Tahoe hotel worker accused Big Ben of the same thing. This was scoffed at by Steelers fans, the NFL and sports fans in general. Roethlisberger is not perceived as "predatory" and the hotel worker's story was full of holes. This case was quickly wrapped up when it came to light that the hotel worker waited almost two years to come forward and, with little proof of the event, quickly offered to settle.

Since that case appeared to be nothing more than opportunism by a hotel worker crossing paths with a professional athlete, it was back to normal for Big Ben and the NFL. Until now. This latest controversy won't go away so easily. It's possible that Roethlisberger didn't cross any lines at that club in Georgia, and just has the bad luck to be targeted by another person who sees dollar signs. Or, it could be that he's not that innocent. The evidence is still forthcoming.

Whether or not Roethlisberger is guilty, he definitely now has an image problem and, even in the scandal-ridden NFL, it's not a good thing to become part of that hall of fame. With a second accusation brewing for Big Ben, it's difficult for fans not to wonder if there's fire where there's smoke. Roethlisberger is generally liked by fans who want to believe he's done nothing wrong. It could be that Ben can’t handle his bar juice - which is nearly character assassination in a hard-drinking town like Pittsburgh - and maybe he said something inappropriate, or perhaps stumbled and fell into a woman by the bathrooms (which might feel like an assault given the general size of NFL players).

At this point, who knows? Most guys can probably relate to the variety of politically-incorrect scenarios that might bring such an accusation against someone, famous or not, especially in an increasingly litigious culture. But the fact remains that this second accusation against Roethlisberger creates an image problem for him and for the Steelers that won't easily go away. Until it's resolved, let's just all agree that Big Ben needs to stay home at night and enjoy his fame and money with people he knows and trusts.

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