Whether or not any charges will be brought against Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is beside the point.

The main point is when is his poor off-the-field behavior going to end?

More importantly, when is he going to grow up?

Roethlisberger has shown remarkable leadership abilities on the field. One of 10 quarterbacks to win at least two Super Bowls, Big Ben has developed into a future Hall-of-Fame quarterback — and he just turned 28 last week.

That last part, however, is the problem: He's 28 years old.

He already is being sued by a Lake Tahoe hotel employee, Andrea McNulty, who claimed she was raped by the quarterback during his stay for a golf tournament in 2008, although she waited about a year before filing charges.

Now, a 20-year-old college student has accused Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her.

In today's society, one incident is bad enough. Now there's been two separate occurrences in just nine months.

There's definitely a disturbing trend here and Roethlisberger needs to realize that his casual lifestyle is catching up to him.

Granted, athletes are in the public eye, and, when dealing with the public, run the risk of potential lawsuits for anything.

Roethlisberger has yet to be indicted on either count, but he needs to understand his behavior is not helping him.

After the Lake Tahoe incident, I'm sure it took on a 'he-said, she-said' attitude and many people gave Roethlisberger the benefit of the doubt. Even though it happened less than a year ago, it's almost been a forgotten subject.

But early Friday morning, that all came back and now Roethlisberger will be painted as a spoiled athlete with little regard for the respect of anyone.

His attorney, Ed Garland, said Monday, that the "facts show that there was no criminal activity. No sexual assault occurred. Ben is completely innocent of any crime."

If only it was as easy as Garland makes it appear, but this could get pretty ugly.

Roethlisberger, guilty or innocent, has embarked on a hideous pattern of behavior, one that can't be excused or dismissed.

At some point, Roethlisberger must face his employer and explain himself to Art Rooney II.

It seems Roethlisberger has turned his attention to nightclubs frequently by college students.

You would think in his time at Miami of Ohio, Roethlisberger would have gotten the party mentality out of his system.

Apparently, enticing young women into a back room — sorry, a VIP area — for free drinks is Roethlisberger's idea of fun.

I'd love to hear the phone conversation to his parents — especially to his mother and sister — about what he's been doing.

Roethlisberger might be a stand-up guy on the field and in the locker room, but in the public eye, he needs to sit down and reassess his life before it spirals out of control.