Friday column: A changed man? Only time will tell

Let us now praise famous men.

Especially quarterbacks who have managed to go a full 10 months without being accused of sexual assault.

Yes, the re-deification of Ben Roethlisberger has begun.

After the Pittsburgh Steelers held off the New York Jets 24-19 Sunday to earn a Super Bowl berth, a writer for SI.com purred, “This effort illustrated the entire palate (sic) of greatness Roethlisberger possesses … He improvised, extended plays and showed the will of a champion.”

He gave Roethlisberger an “A” for his performance.

Pretty high mark for a quarterback with a passer rating of 35.5.

But Roethlisberger’s team won, and winning is the all-powerful deodorant, strong enough to lead team president Art Rooney II to gush, “I’m proud of the way he picked himself up and acted like the man he really is.”

The man he really is.

As if Rooney knows.

Rooney’s comment, of course, wasn’t — ostensibly — about Roethlisberger’s play on the field but his actions off it, specifically his keeping his nose clean since the March incident in Milledgeville, Ga., in which he was accused of buying alcohol for a group of young women, then assaulting one in a bar bathroom while his creep cop friend guarded the door.

The district attorney, you might recall, didn’t prosecute Roethlisberger — but not because he believed the incident didn’t happen.

This was the second time in recent years Roethlisberger had been accused of rape. Less-serious black marks on his character also surfaced, painting a portrait of a rich, boorish athlete with a serious case of entitlement-itis.

Asked if the Steelers had considered dumping their franchise quarterback in March, Rooney said, “You go through a lot of different thoughts at times like that. But, at the end of the day, I knew Ben and I knew his parents. I just believed that if he got back to being the type of person he really is deep down inside, he is still the type of person we want to be around. He hasn’t disappointed us.”

He certainly hasn’t disappointed his handlers, staying out of trouble and saying the right things, which shows he has some brains. Good for him.

But for his being a changed man, in 10 short months?

I’m a believer in repentance, and I hope Roethlisberger’s purported turn-around is genuine. But his cleaning up his act during one season isn’t enough to convince me. Like with Michael Vick and his story of regeneration, time will tell.

But part of repentance is facing up to what you’ve done wrong.

Which brings me to an exchange Roethlisberger had with a reporter following the Steelers’ victory Sunday.

Asked if he thinks about what he did in Milledgeville, Ga., Roethlisberger said, “I don’t. I don’t. I’ll stop you now. Not at all.”

Not at all?

Contact Jim Gordon at gjames43@msn.com.