Ben Roethlisberger

One day, a disheveled young woman, in a cold police interrogation room with her face blurred to protect her identity, is on tape accusing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of unspeakable acts and taking what didn't belong to him. The next day, a boyish-looking Roethlisberger, in a bucolic setting at his family's farmhouse, is telling KDKA-TV sports anchor Bob Pompeani that he never intended "to gain the whole world and lose my soul. " Has there ever been more jarring, contradictory video?

The Ben Factor is taking effect. That is what Terry Hoeppner, coach at Miami (Ohio), calls the dynamic gripping parts of southwestern Ohio, which has started to become Pittsburgh Steelers country. The reason? With steady play and a strong arm, rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of the Steelers, a 6-foot-4, 241-pounder who played his college football in Oxford, Ohio, has been one of the NFL's most impressive rookies. "The town's abuzz," said Hoeppner, Roethlisberger's college coach.

TO THE writer who referred to "the same fans that booed Santa": A simple Google search will lead you to plenty of protesters against the continued employment of Ben Roethlisberger and Rick Pitino. The first team to give Donte Stallworth a "second chance" will also experience an enormous backlash. You live in Philadelphia, so Michael Vick is going to seem like he's the only one receiving any backlash. Ryan Cullen, Philadelphia

TD passes: 3, Kurt Warner, Cardinals; David Garrard, Jaguars; Ben Roethlisberger, Steelers. Seahawks. Rushing yards: 163 , Jamal Lewis, Browns. Sacks: 2, by several.

Something you might not know about me: I like stats. Stats are good. Stats are right. Stats work. And stats - you mark my words - will not only save your fantasy season, but they'll save that other malfunctioning corporation called the USofA. (Let's start with the fantasy season and get to the fixing-the-country part later.) Not too late but getting late early. The playoffs are the goal, and you need some tweaking lest you be tardy for the party. You don't need to get a new fantasy.

LeBRON JAMES. The very name brings out the haters among us. How many athletes have a book written about them? This one's titled "The Whore of Akron: One Man's Search for the Soul of LeBron James" by Scott Raab. Tuesday night, people across the nation will tune in to root against him as his Heat team hosts the Pacers in Game 5 of their tied Eastern Conference semifinal series. James isn't the first athlete/coach/owner people haved loved to hate. The following list, in no particular order, struck us as a good first draft.

INDIANAPOLIS - Shaun Suisham kicked a 38-yard field goal with four seconds left Sunday night, lifting the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 23-20 victory at Indianapolis. It was a wild game that turned three times in the final 51/2 minutes and was far closer than most expected. The Steelers (2-1) struggled as Ben Roethlisberger lost two fumbles and threw an interception in one 11-minute first-half span. But the Colts (0-3) proved hard to shake off. Joseph Addai's 6-yard run capped an 80-yard drive for a 20-20 tie with 2 minutes, 9 seconds to go. Roethlisberger then came back with a 60-yard march to set up the winning score.

PITTSBURGH - Ben Roethlisberger played through a painful left leg injury to lead the Steelers to a 14-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns last night. Roethlisberger passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns, including a 79-yard scoring strike to Antonio Brown with 2:52 remaining. Roethlisberger went to the locker room for X-rays following a gruesome second-quarter sack but returned to start the second half, passing for 178 yards after the break. Pittsburgh (10-3) moved a half-game ahead of Baltimore in the race for the AFC North title.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he got caught up in being a caricature called Big Ben, not the grounded player and person he once was, leading to his off-field problems - and affecting his play. In his first detailed interviews since a Georgia college student accused him of sexually assaulting her in a nightclub bathroom on March 5, Roethlisberger told Pittsburgh TV stations KDKA and WTAE that he expects to be booed this season. He also apologized extensively for his actions, and promised to become the role model he should have been throughout his career.

IT APPEARS THAT a youth football camp in Pittsburgh has dropped Ben Roethlisberger like a pass across the middle to Ricky Watters. For who? Well, the Steelers quarterback is being replaced by his head coach, Mike Tomlin, as the headliner of the summer camp at Mars Area High School. For what? Camp officials didn't come right out and say so, but it may have something to do with Roethlisberger being accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old college student in Milledgeville, Ga., in March.

LeBRON JAMES. The very name brings out the haters among us. How many athletes have a book written about them? This one's titled "The Whore of Akron: One Man's Search for the Soul of LeBron James" by Scott Raab. Tuesday night, people across the nation will tune in to root against him as his Heat team hosts the Pacers in Game 5 of their tied Eastern Conference semifinal series. James isn't the first athlete/coach/owner people haved loved to hate. The following list, in no particular order, struck us as a good first draft.

Junior Seau's family is revisiting its decision to donate the former NFL linebacker's brain for research into football-related injuries. Chargers chaplain Shawn Mitchell said Sunday that the family, which is of Samoan descent, is consulting with a group of elders on a number of matters. He said it doesn't necessarily mean that the family won't donate Seau's brain for research. "They really want to do everything right," Mitchell said. The medical examiner's office said Friday it was awaiting a decision by the family on whether to turn over Seau's brain to unidentified outside researchers for study.

HINES WARD, a four-time Pro Bowler and the Pittsburgh Steelers' recordholder for receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, will be released, the team announced. "We had a conversation today with Hines Ward and informed him that we plan to release him of his contract prior to the start of the 2012 NFL calendar year," Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a statement on the team's website yesterday. "Hines has been an integral part of our success since we drafted him in 1998, and we will forever be grateful for what he has helped us achieve.

Tiger Woods , needing a birdie to stay in his match, missed a putt by five feet on the final hole Thursday in the second round of the Match Play Championship at Dove Mountain in Marana, Ariz. His miss gave Nick Watney a 1-up victory. Watney will play Lee Westwood of England, the former world No. 1 whom Watney has beaten at Dove Mountain in each of the last two years. BOXING: A rematch between Philadelphia's Bernard Hopkins and former world champion Chad Dawson is set for April 28 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

HERE WE go again. According to a survey, Michael Vick has been deemed America's most disliked athlete by Forbes. It must be true because Forbes commissioned Nielsen and E-Poll Market Research to do the polling - the same pair that found Vick to be the most disliked player in the NFL in November. In the more recent survey, Vick finished tied for first with Tiger Woods. Sixty percent of those surveyed described Vick and Woods as an athlete they "dislike," "dislike somewhat" or "dislike a lot. " So why was Vick given the top spot?

The Dolphins have hired Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Joe Philbin to be their next head coach, the Miami Herald, citing sources, reported Friday. Philbin, who has no head coaching experience, was one of three finalists, including Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy and Dolphins interim coach Todd Bowles. The Dolphins would like to keep Bowles, the team's defensive coordinator prior to coach Tony Sparano's firing, sources said. Terms were not disclosed.

THE DALLAS COWBOYS are no longer "America's Team," but are the most hated, and Eagles quarterback Michael Vick has not won over a large percentage of NFL fans, according to a survey released by Public Policy Polling in Raleigh, N.C. In trying to determine America's most popular team, the poll listed nine choices. The Packers are the favorite team of 22 percent of respondents, while 11 percent prefer the Cowboys, 8 percent each the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers, 7 percent the New Orleans Saints, 6 percent the New England Patriots, 4 percent the Washington Redskins, and 2 percent the New York Jets.

In what might have been the most brutal night of the season for quarterbacks, Ben Roethlisberger was knocked out of Thursday night's game with an ankle injury, limped back in, and led the Steelers to a 14-3 win over Cleveland. Browns quarterback Colt McCoy also was injured and returned and has been diagnosed with a concussion. Roethlisberger returned to pass for 178 yards and a TD in the second half. Roethlisberger's prognosis remained vague a day later. X-rays taken during the game showed his ankle wasn't broken, and underwent an MRI on Friday to get a closer look.

PITTSBURGH - Ben Roethlisberger played through a painful left leg injury to lead the Steelers to a 14-3 victory over the Cleveland Browns last night. Roethlisberger passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns, including a 79-yard scoring strike to Antonio Brown with 2:52 remaining. Roethlisberger went to the locker room for X-rays following a gruesome second-quarter sack but returned to start the second half, passing for 178 yards after the break. Pittsburgh (10-3) moved a half-game ahead of Baltimore in the race for the AFC North title.