Roethlisberger spends the weekend in a clinic

It sounds like the Steelers franchise QB is on the way to trying to get his suspension reduced, as reports from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette state Ben Roethlisberger spent the weekend in a clinic being evaluated.

Staying in the clinic is part of the sanctions handed down by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. The newspaper cited an unidentified team source saying the evaluation will take days rather than weeks.

A Steelers spokesman said the team is prohibited by league rule from discussing Roethlisberger’s treatment. NFL spokesman Greg Aiello said all details of the evalation are confidential.

Goodell says that the QB was to undergo a “comprehensive behavioral evaluation by professionals” after violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. Goodell announced the punishment a week after prosecutors decided not to charge Roethlisberger in a case involving a 20-year-old college student who accused the quarterback of sexually assaulting her in a Milledgeville, Ga., nightclub.

“I have talked to him,” coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday, according to the report. “I will continue to talk to him, and I don’t have a crystal ball in regards to when he’s going to be back in the (Steelers’) facility. A lot of that has to do with the things he needs to do and of course the judgment of the commissioner.”