Doesn't matter. If you're not disciplined enough to refrain from punching someone who's talking trash, you deserve to be ejected. Everyone in the NFL knows that an actual punch (open or closed fist) will get you tossed.
Agreed. Punch, slap, whatever should get you ejected, plus a fine, plus a suspension for a couple of games.
But if Roethlisberger provoked the incident, he should not have been allowed to just walk away.
And by the way, to those folks who get all upset when Roethlisberger is called a “rapist”, I would say where there’s smoke there’s fire.
If Roethlisberger was just a poor victim of circumstances in that bar, would the League have suspended him? Would he have accepted the suspension so readily?
If your good name was tarnished unfairly, wouldn’t you fight the charge?
An open hand sounds like a slap, not a punch, except if you are wearing pink cleats.