What about Bob? Glauber's NFL Blog

Black N Gold brought up a very valid point in wondering why the Steelers would be so quick to release marginal receiver Cedrick Wilson the day after he was arrested for assaulting his former girlfriend, and why the Steelers made no such move with Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison, who was also arrested on assault charges.

Steelers chairman Dan Rooney tried to explain.

"We're extremely disappointed with this incident,'' Rooney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this morning. "The Steelers do not condone violence of any kind, especially against women.

"The majority of our players are good citizens and make numerous positive contributions to the community. Unfortunately, these kinds of incidents reflect poorly on all our players and many innocent and good people are considered guilty by association, they get thrown into the pot, so to speak."

Rooney said Wilson, the team's No 4 wide receiver, was released because of the circumstances involved and that they differed from those of Harrison, who was arrested March 8 for assaulting his girlfriend in Ohio Township.

"I know many are asking the question of [why] we released Wilson and Harrison we kept,'' Rooney said. "The circumstances -- I know of the incidents, they are completely different. In fact, when I say we don't condone these things, we don't, but we do have to look at the circumstances that are involved with other players and things like that, so they're not all the same."

In Harrison's case, Rooney said the player was trying to take his son to be baptized, while Wilson had a previous incident with his girlfriend, although she was charged, but Wilson was not.

"What Jimmy Harrison was doing and how the incident occurred, what he was trying to do was really well worth it," Rooney said of Harrison's initial intent. "He was doing something that was good, wanted to take his son to get baptized where he lived and things like that. She said she didn't want to do it."

Listen, I think the world of Rooney, and I understand he wants to make some sort of statement here. And I think you know by now how much I personally detest hearing about a man striking a woman. But I still find it questionable that the Steelers would take such quick and decisive action in Wilson's case, while treating the Harrison case differently.

Yes, there are differing circumstances. And, in the end, Wilson's release might be appropriate. But with two cases involving a similar crime, why is a bit player kicked off the team immediately, while a star player gets the benefit of the doubt?