Roethlisberger's Risk

The WSJ's Law Blog has weighed in on the possible contract implications arising out of Ben Roethlisberger's boneheaded decision to rid a motorcycle. Apparently Ben's contract does not prohibit him from riding a bike. The Law Blog correctly points out that the standard NFL player contract prohibits "risky behavior," which might give the Steelers an out if Roethlisberger should prove unable to play. The Law Blog has overlooked, however, a possibly easier avenue for the Steelers -- NFL contracts are not typically guaranteed, as they are in other sports, and I expect Roethlisberger's deal is no different. In the NFL, player deals -- even so-called "long term" contracts, are really just a series of one year contracts. The Steelers could just release Roethlisberger and would likely only be on the hook for the current year. I offer no commentary on what the salary cap implications might or might not be.