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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Citing job security, coaches side with players in labor dispute

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFL Coaches Association filed an amicus brief with the U.S. 8th Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday, supporting the players' cause as the league appeals an injunction granted to lift the lockout.

The NFLCA's contention, as stated in the brief, is that the NFL "is attempting an end-run around a unanimous Supreme Court," saying that the court clearly stated the league is subject to the Sherman Act in the American Needle case last year and held it responsible for subsequent antitrust violations.

"To me, this is a real simple deal: Coaches are opposed to the lockout because it's negatively affecting coaches," said Larry Kennan, director of the NFL Coaches Association. "If it were a strike, we would be against the strike, like we were in '87. This just happens to be the owners, and we're opposed to them, because they're locking out. But if it was a strike, we'd be against the players."

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The brief does not have the names of any current coaches attached to it.

"It's not something you need names to do," Kennan said. "We are by definition a friend of the court, we're telling the court we're doing this because we'd like the strike to end. It was never a requirement to put names on it."

Kennan confirmed that the association filed an AMICUS on American Needle. He also said that his belief is 10 to 12 teams have cut salary/benefits of coaches already.

The trade association representing the coaches went on to say that its members are suffering irreparable harm as part the lockout, now in its third month.

The brief reads: "Coaches who cannot produce immediate results suffer irreparable harm. They must uproot their families to seek employment elsewhere, and they have difficulty overcoming the perception of failure. The hours and effort demanded of assistant coaches are justified only by the prospect of lucrative and stable employment that follows proven success. Failure at an early stage of one's career, however, can falter career aspirations for many subsequent years."

In particular, the brief cited the NFL's eight new head coaches -- two of whom were promoted from positions as interim coaches -- as being in a particularly precarious situation.

Of those eight, only John Fox has previously been an NFL head coach, something that was also raised in the brief.

"To me, it's simple: The league mandated new coaches get an extra minicamp, because they realize they need extra time to get everything taught," Kennan said. "This is not the NFL of 20 years ago, where coaches have five years to get the program up and running. They have two or three years max, and then they're fired."

Kennan acknowledges there will be some "mixed emotions" among coaches regarding the association's decision.

"Some coaches will get nervous about it, most of them will probably be on teams not having salaries and benefits cut," Kennan said. "And those who are having those things cut will probably be more for us than against us. The reason we formed the coaches association is so we could speak with one voice, and guys didn't have to do that themselves."

The brief reads: "The lockout, if left in force, will prevent the coaches from meaningfully preparing and readying themselves for the season. While all coaches will be exposed to greater risk of failure, the eight teams with new coaching staffs are at particular risk. Since unforgiving expectations for immediate results will persist regardless of any lack of opportunity to prepare, these eight coaching staffs are losing irreplaceable time to prepare for a job that demands success.

"Thus, a lockout that prevents coaches from preparing their players for the season will inflict irreparable harm on all coaches; coaches on the eight new staffs -- especially the new assistant coaches on those staffs -- will suffer even greater harm that will be even more impossible to repair."

The coaches' brief also included charts showing an uptick in coaches fired after two and three years in an effort to show how important a single year with players can be.

From a legal standpoint, the NFLCA used the irreparable harm argument, as well as its stance on the Sherman Act and also the Norris-LaGuardia Act, to seek protection for its members as "nonunion employees."

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello released a statement making it clear the league wasn't caught off guard by the Coaches Association's stance.

"The Coaches Association offices with the Players Association in Washington. So this comes as no surprise."

Kennan made it clear coaches just want to get back on the field.

"We want to get back to coaching; If there's a normalcy to coaching, we'd like that to return."

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