A member of the Pittsburgh Steelers may be one step closer to clearing his name. Santonio Holmes was accused of assault by Anshonae Mills, who alleges that Holmes threw a drink – glass and all – at her during a dispute over VIP seating in a nightclub. Holmes’ attorney, Adam Swickle, claims to have a sworn statement from another man present in the club in which he confesses to being the drink tosser. According to ProFootballTalk:
“Attorney Adam Swickle said that the man admits to throwing a juice drink in the face of Anshonae Mills, but that he didn’t throw the glass. Mills claims she was struck by the glass, which cut her under the eyebrow, and temporarily blinded by the contents.”
This would be great news for Holmes, who has maintained his innocence, as well as the Pittsburgh Steelers. In an unrelated incident, District Attorney Fred Bright is taking the weekend to decide whether to press charges against Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger in Georgia amid allegations of sexual misconduct. These charges are more serious than what Santonio would have had to contend with, as Ms. Mills was only interested in filing a civil suit before moving forward with criminal allegations.
Is it possible that these incidents are enough to keep players out of nightspots? Probably not. Will they perhaps think twice about the actions they engage in while out partying? Only time will tell, but Roger Goodell is probably hoping that it does. Because if it doesn’t, he’s already demonstrated that he has no problem sitting you down for an extended period. Perhaps Holmes avoids a suspension if his name is cleared, but anymore instances of trouble will definitely have Goodell on his heels.
