Big Ben benched

So Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger is gonna get some down time next season – six game on the bench.

Some fans may think this is unfair because Big Ben, as he is so charmingly nicknamed, wasn’t convicted of a crime – or even charged with one.

Still, a 20-year-old woman basically said he raped her in a toilet in a Georgia bar when she was drunk.

That is not the kind of thing you put on your resume. Or mention to Mom at Sunday dinner.

And last year Big Ben was accused of a similar assault by a lady in Las Vegas.

You know what they say: Once is an accident, twice is a pattern.

So Commish Roger Goodell dropped the hammer, saying to Ben:

“ … There is nothing about your conduct in (the incident) that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans.”

OK, but “the values of the league” also pretend that players reach 300 pounds of muscle mass without any illegal substances and include violent hits that often produce concussions and hot-dog celebrations for tackles or touchdowns.

Big Ben also has to undergo something called a "comprehensive behavioral evaluation by medical professionals."

I’m pretty sure those experts will find out that Big Ben is a typical millionaire jock who thinks he can get away with anything … because he usually does.

After all, he is fawned over by team officials, worshipped by the media and for some reason viewed as a “role model” by countless kids.

Maybe the commish could do something about those little problems too.