I spent a couple of hours during Easter weekend reading your comments and emails regarding the way the Steelers handled the release of reserve wide receiver Cedrick Wilson following his arrest on domestic abuse charges.

In some circles, the club was immediately hailed for taking a strong stance against domestic violence. But as I wrote Friday, the release actually pointed to an obvious double standard.

Only 11 days earlier, starting linebacker James Harrison had broken down his girlfriend's door and allegedly slapped his girlfriend hard enough to knock off her glasses. Coming off a breakout season for the Steelers, Harrison was not released following his arrest. Instead, he's now receiving anger management counseling.

But what bothered me most wasn't the fact that the Steelers displayed a double standard. It was owner Dan Rooney's embarrassing attempt to justify Harrison's actions.

"What Jimmy Harrison was doing and how the incident occurred, what he was trying to do was really well worth it," Rooney told reporters about Harrison's intent. "He was doing something that was good, wanted to take his son to get baptized where he lived and things like that. She said she didn't want to do it."

I'll say it again. Dan Rooney is one of the most honorable men in sports, but that doesn't mean he should be immune to criticism for making a ham-handed statement. Rooney came back and attempted to clarify his statements, but the damage had been done.

The Steelers' organization decided that, on some level, Harrison's heart was in the right place. The Steelers simply did what a lot of teams would do. They kept the star player and conveniently sent the reserve packing.

Some of you have suggested that I left out some of the facts in Wilson's case. I know he was involved in another altercation with his estranged girlfriend in January that ended with her firing a couple of gunshots. I also know that the woman is changing her story and saying that Wilson didn't actually punch her in the face as she stated in the original police report.

Forgive me for being old-fashioned. I'd just love to see an organization enforce a zero tolerance policy when it comes to striking women or children. Domestic abuse is a national plague, and trying to justify it in any way only perpetuates the cycle of violence.

The only mitigating factor in Harrison's situation is that he's a helluva linebacker.