Pittsburg Fans Turn on Ben Roethlisberger

April 22, 2010— -- He's been called a jerk, a louse and words that just aren't printable on this site.

Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may have escaped criminal charges in the sex assault scandal stemming from a night of drinking in a Georgia bar, but in the court of public opinion, many have already convicted him.

"Everybody has an opinion," said Marcia Feinberg, owner of the Mike Feinberg Company, a novelty store in Pittsburgh that sells Steelers merchandise. "I've never had anyone defend him."

"They all agree he needed some kind of punishment," she said.

Roethlisberger, who brought two Super Bowl championships to Pittsburgh, was once untouchable in the football crazed city. Instead, he is now the subject of rampant trade rumors

A Georgia district attorney announced earlier this month that he did not have enough evidence to prove that Roethlisberger raped a 20-year-old in the bathroom of a Milledgeville, Ga., club after plying her and other underage women with shots of alcohol.

Shortly after the investigation was dropped, police released a report stating that another woman confirmed to officers that Roethlisberger twice accosted her, but she didn't want to press charges. He also faces civil charges from a Nevada hotel employe who accused him of sexual assault.

The NFL suspended him for six games and ordered him to undergo a psychological evaluation.

Feinberg's store stocks Steelers' products, but they marked down framed pictures of the quarterback after his scandal broke from $30 to $10. They've sold only one since.

While sports apparel giant Nike is standing by "Big Ben" Roethlisberger, PLB Sports, the Pittsburgh-based maker of Big Ben Beef Jerky announced last week it was ending its contract the quarterback. Company owner Ty Ballous said the questions about Roethlisberger's character were key in making the decision.

"They're all disappointed. It's kind of tarnished the name," Feinberg said of the rabid Steelers' fans that live in her city.