santonio-holmes-living-the-high-life

Santonio Holmes is a Steeler no more. The wide receiver and former Super Bowl MVP was traded to the New York Jets for–get this–a fifth-round pick. The move really depletes the Steelers’ depth at felon, and makes the AFC North a safer place for your kids to play after school. The trade comes within a month of Holmes throwing a drink at a female nightclub patron in Orlando; he was already slated to sit out the first four games of 2010 for violating the league’s substance abuse policy. Oh, but if only someone could have seen this train wreck coming…

“I had an impression of the kid [before the draft], where he was from, such a tough area, but soon as he told me he had three kids I knew it was going to be a problem,” [former NFL executive Ken] Herock told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the time. “He was dirt poor, all of a sudden he’s got a little money, you get a little rambunctious…But I would have never thought it would happen now. I thought he might explode in year two or three. Add it up — no money, poor family background, three kids already — something’s going to happen.” –PFT.

Santonio was in the last year of his deal with the Steelers, which still doesn’t explain why the Steelers decided to essentially give him away to New York, a team that they may be competing against for an AFC wild card berth this season. I guess one could argue that the Steelers, with Hines Ward, Mike Wallace and the has-to-eventually-stop-playing-like-a-rookie Limas Sweed, can carry the load at wideout. I’m no good at speculating these kinds of things, but if you’re looking for a long-term investment play, it’s all about porkbellies and gold. That’s where the value is.