# 1 Pick Santonio Holmes Signs Deal!

First-round pick Holmes, entire Steelers roster reports to training camp

Saturday, July 29, 2006By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

By 6 p.m. yesterday, all the Steelers were present and accounted for at Rooney Hall on the St. Vincent College campus in Latrobe, an accomplishment that might rival winning the Super Bowl itself, all things considered.
Ben Roethlisberger, the quarterback who mashed his head in a motorcycle accident fewer than seven weeks ago, showed up early in the afternoon. Receiver Santonio Holmes, the top rookie who has been arrested twice since he was drafted, came in right before the reporting time and signed a contract. Joey Porter, the veteran linebacker who privately considered holding out and had knee surgery in May, reported. So, too, did cornerback Ike Taylor, who is entering the final year of his contract, just like last year's holdout Hines Ward. And, of course, Bill Cowher, the coach who talked about retirement with associates last fall, started what could be his final training camp with the Steelers.
All joined the rest of their teammates -- 86 players in all -- and coaching staff to begin preparations to defend their Super Bowl championship.
Holmes became the final piece in place when he signed a five-year contract last night for $8.11 million, including $5.42 million in bonuses. The new collective bargaining agreement limits any forfeiture the Steelers could insert in that contract, but they included as many in as permitted for a rookie who reported to camp under the biggest cloud of any Steelers first-round choice in a generation or more.
Holmes, the 25th player chosen, was unavailable for comment because he was involved in signing his contract and then whisked off to meetings. But Kevin Colbert, the team's director of football operations, said the player has toed the line since his dual arrests, one in Miami Beach for disorderly conduct and the other in Columbus, Ohio, for domestic violence and where an Aug. 15 trial date has been set.
"Our opinion hasn't changed," Colbert said of Holmes. "Obviously, he had some incidents that are being dealt with legally, they're being dealt with on a league basis as well, and he's done everything that he is supposed to do to this point.
"It's up to him to take the next step. We feel comfortable that he will make all the necessary correct steps from this point forward, both on the field and off the field."
He'll have to deal with both during his 31/2-week stay at St. Vincent College. While Holmes and the Steelers are hopeful he can resolve his domestic violence charge before it goes to trial in 21/2 weeks, there's no promise it will happen. Also, he has had to answer to the NFL because of his two arrests, although Colbert could not say what that is or still could be.
He fell behind other rookies entering training camp because he was unable to participate in any of the Steelers' spring drills other than their three-day minicamp because of an NFL policy forbidding those rookies from doing so until their classes end.
Fellow rookie receiver Willie Reid, a third-round pick who signed his three-year contract yesterday, participated in all of their spring drills and felt it provided him with a head start for training camp.
"I feel pretty confident in what we're trying to do, what the philosophy is here," Reid said of the offense. "It helps out a whole lot just to go through that whole process."
Said Colbert, "You miss a lot of football learning, so there's a lot of catching up to do."
Despite Holmes' two arrests, Colbert said he has not changed his opinion of him.
"We still feel good about the kid. He's done all the right things since the incidents. We feel good that he's going to continue to do everything correctly.
"When you pick the player, you hope that he does everything you thought he could do and we still feel that way. Our beliefs haven't changed even though he set himself back with a couple of incidents. Those will play themselves out legally. He has the opportunity to make good and we think he'll make good."
Colbert said those "incidents" were another reason it was important for the team and Holmes that he arrive in training camp on time.
"When you get some negative attention, however you get it, you want to see something positive. We all wanted to see something positive. His representation, Joel Segal, has worked very well with us to make sure his player was here on time. Santonio himself was very pro-active about making sure he was here.
"He wants to do good, there's no question about that. He'll have his opportunities and we'll see how it unfolds these next couple of weeks. But it was important for everybody for him to be here to start off on the right foot."

(Ed Bouchette can be reached at ebouchette@post-gazette.com or 412-263-3878. )