For as good as Ben Roethlisberger is at staying cool, calm and collected on the field, he seems to be equally inept at maintaining that off it.

Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault by a 20 year old college student.  Roethlisberger allegedly sexually assaulted the woman in a nightclub in Milledgeville, Georgia, which is a college town roughly 85 miles southeast of Atlanta.  This is the second such accusation made against the two time Super Bowl winning quarterback in the past three years.  A woman working as a VIP hostess at Harrah's in Lake Tahoe claimed that she was lured to Roethlisberger's room under false pretenses in 2008, where he then forced himself on her.

She has sued Roethlisberger for $440,000 and an additional $50,000 from Harrah's, claiming that the casino conspired to help cover up the matter.  One thing Roethlisberger doesn't seem to need if the allegations are true is Viagra...maybe he should just invest in some vitamins for men or something to keep his head on straight. 

Roethlisberger also has had other off field issues.  In 2006, he was in an accident after he crashed his motorcycle that he was driving without a valid license.  In that incident, he broke his jaw and several other bones in his face. 

Roethlisberger's agent, Ryan Tollner, released the following statement (courtesy of ESPN.com):

"Last night, Ben and his friends met a group of women and everyone mingled together throughout the evening.  We have spoken to law enforcement. Based on information currently available, an allegation was made against Ben, which appeared to be dismissed after a preliminary investigation last night. Obviously, given the prior accusation against Ben, we are skeptical of motive, but we will continue to cooperate with everyone involved."

A spokesman for the Steelers, Dave Lockett, said that the team was still gathering information and had no further comment at this time. 

Roethlisberger is going to have to decide at some point if he wants to be a football player or a party guy.  The fine line between talent and stupidity gets blurred more every day.  Athletes with checkered pasts are looked at with a microscope when it comes to contracts, especially during free agency.  Antonio Cromartie is a prime example of this, as was Pacman Jones.  Roethlisberger has put himself at a crossroads, where he must decide if he wants to continue to play football for the Pittsburgh Steelers, or start wondering if he might be moved to a team that might be a bit more lax with his off field indiscretions.

Pittsburgh is a blue collar town, and its inhabitants stand by a regular code of ethics and common sense.  To draw their ire, or the ire of the Rooney family, is as good as signing your own extradition papers from the Steel City.  It's Roethlisberger's move.  What he does next may very well determine the fate not only of his career, but the Steelers' fortunes for the next few seasons.