Security tight as Roethlisberger weds in suburban Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH -- Ben Roethlisberger got the privacy he wanted for his wedding Saturday, with police providing tight security around the church in affluent Ohio Township where he and Ashley Harlan were married, and tinted windows on expensive cars left much of the guest list a mystery.

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger married Ashley Harlan on Saturday following a five-year on-and-off courtship. (Goldstein Photography/Special to NFL.com)

Still, the hope of a glimpse at the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, his new bride and the dozens of team luminaries who turned out for the ceremony was enough for Dolly Metz to sit in a car -- complete with Steelers covers on the headrests -- in a nearby parking lot with the windows down in 90-degree heat.

"This is the best part of my day," said Metz, who lives in McKees Rocks. "I know he was supposed to send a limo for me, too, but it broke down."

Metz and friends Eugene and Carol Lovely were among a small group of Steelers fans who tried to show their support for Roethlisberger.

The organization was well-represented, too, despite the NFL's ongoing labor dispute.

Owner Dan Rooney waved to security officials on his way inside, and guests included linebacker James Harrison and former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis.

Harrison entered in a rare Mercedes sedan, according to police, his presence perhaps proof there was no fallout from his criticism of the quarterback in a Men's Journal profile released last week.

The Pro Bowl linebacker placed some of the blame on the team's Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers on Roethlisberger in the story, then later apologized saying his comments were taken out of context.

Whenever Roethlisberger and his teammates return to the field, he'll be a married man, an idea that seemed to resonate with the fans who have watched his legal troubles the last few years with growing exasperation.

The Super Bowl-winning quarterback has twice found himself accused of sexual misconduct. Though neither incident resulted in charges, he was suspended for four games by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell last year.

Roethlisberger returned to lead the Steelers back to the Super Bowl, and he surprised some by revealing his engagement to 26-year-old Harlan, a physician's assistant from New Castle, Pa., this spring.

Roethlisberger has acknowledged the need to restore his public image, and fan Linda Moule admitted she was a little skeptical when she heard the news because the quarterback had kept news of the relationship quiet for so long.

"It certainly is a step in the right direction," Moule said. "Like anyone, it's a coin toss on if it will last. This is certainly not Prince William and Princess Catherine."

That didn't mean Moule and her extended family didn't want to send Roethlisberger a message that they were behind him.

Members of the Steelers' organization received permission from the NFL to join players Saturday at Ben Roethlisberger's wedding. (Goldstein Photography/Special to NFL.com)

Sitting on her parents' lawn, Moule, her two sisters and their children waved as wedding guests passed by, with some honking their horns at the homemade sign the family put together that read "Best Wishes Ben & Ashley."

It would be as close as most would get to one of the most anticipated -- and most secretive -- social events in the city's recent history.

Fans and media alike were kept at a safe distance from the ceremony, the details of which were closely guarded. Little information about the nuptials was leaked beforehand, though the police presence around the Christ Church at Grove Farm -- where both Roethlisberger and Harlan are members -- indicated this was no ordinary Saturday.

Fears of a fan frenzy led local resident Gina Schrauder to bolt for the city.

"I want no part of this," she said early Saturday morning.

Yet it never came. There was no tailgating. No Terrible Towels. Only a parade of luxury cars, trucks, shuttle buses and SUVs.

Guests were required to show an invitation and a photo ID to get in to the wedding. Moule didn't have a problem with the secrecy and considered the light turnout a sign that Pittsburghers were content to let the Roethlisbergers have their space on their big day.

"We all have private weddings, why can't they?" Moule said.

So, will marriage change Roethlisberger? Schrauder doesn't think it matters.

"As long as he keeps playing the way he's playing, it'll be fine," she said.

Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press

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Agent says Polamalu wants to finish career in Pittsburgh

It has been a busy offseason for Troy Polamalu.

He has been rehabilitating an Achilles' tendon injury in Los Angeles. He earned his bachelor's degree in history from USC. He'll have a maximum 99 rating in the "Madden NFL 12" video game when it's released next month.

But has the Pittsburgh Steelers' star safety also been planning a request for a contract extension once the NFL lockout is over?

"The Steelers always have done this sort of thing the year before a contract is up," Marvin Demoff, Polamalu's agent, told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review when asked Thursday about the possibility. "There's been no discussion yet, but I'd say it's highly likely that was because of the lockout. We'd be open to it, sure. Troy's played there eight years and wants to finish his career in Pittsburgh."

Polamalu, who signed a four-year, $30 million extension in 2007, never fully recovered from the Achilles' tendon injury he suffered during a Week 14 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals when he approached the end zone to score a touchdown off an interception return. He missed subsequent games against the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers before returning for the regular-season finale against the Cleveland Browns.

Following treatment and rehab under the care of an orthopedic surgeon with ties to the Steelers' medical staff, Polamalu was expected to be ready by training camp -- whenever that might be.

"Troy tends to be pretty hard on himself emotionally and physically," Demoff said, "and he feels really good about where he is."

Now 30 years old, Polamalu has fully played a 16-game schedule in just four of his eight seasons because of his physical style of play. He has missed 13 regular-season games the last three seasons but still has 17 interceptions and 35 passes defended.

With the Steelers' defense rock solid but aging -- nine of the unit's 11 regular starters last season are either over 30 or about to turn 30 -- the question of a long-term contract might be troubling to the front office. But Demoff doesn't see his client just hanging around to collect a paycheck.

"That's not Troy," Demoff said. "He's not the type to keep playing when he's not at a high level. No offense, but he's not going to be Brett Favre."

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University of Pittsburgh interested in Bengals coach Lewis

Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is on the short list of candidates to take over the University of Pittsburgh's football program, a league source said Sunday.

Lewis was emotional following Sunday's 13-7 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis might not be back next season, although the University of Pittsburgh job could be an option. (Gail Burton/Associated Press)

"I can't answer where things are for me," Lewis said after the game. Responding to questions about his future with the team, Lewis said, "Officially, today I'm unemployed," ending with a laugh.

The Bengals' Twitter page followed Lewis' remarks with a post that read: "We need to talk and i need to sleep on it."

Lewis' contract with the Bengals expires after this season and might not be renewed. Cincinnati managed just four wins through 16 weeks and earlier this season tied a franchise record with 10 consecutive losses.

In eight seasons under Lewis the Bengals recorded a 60-67-1 record, posted just two winning seasons and lost in both of their playoff appearances.

Pittsburgh's vacancy appeared when the school fired head coach Mike Haywood on Saturday, saying he couldn't continue in the job he held for just 2½ weeks because of his arrest on a domestic-violence charge.

Haywood was released Saturday from St. Joseph County Jail in Indiana on $1,000 cash bond, said an officer at the jail who declined to give her name, after the charge was upgraded from a misdemeanor to felony domestic battery in the presence of a minor.

Within hours of Haywood's afternoon release, Pittsburgh put out a statement from Chancellor Mark A. Nordenberg, saying the coach had been dismissed, "effective immediately," and the school was reopening its search.

Haywood was arrested about 3 p.m. Friday after a custody issue developed with a woman with whom the coach has a child, police said. The unidentified woman told police that Haywood grabbed her by the arm and neck and pushed her as she tried to leave the home that the coach owns in South Bend, Ind., where he once was a Notre Dame assistant.

Assistant St. Joseph County Police Chief Bill Redman said the woman had marks on her neck, arms and back.

Haywood's hiring by athletic director Steve Pederson was greeted unenthusiastically by fans, boosters, alumni and students who questioned why a school with annual Top 25 aspirations hired him away from mid-major Miami of Ohio. Dave Wannstedt, forced to resign last month following a disappointing 7-5 season, coached the Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins before his 2004 hiring at Pittsburgh.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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