Reports: Roethlisberger on trading block

PITTSBURGH, April 21 (UPI) -- The Pittsburgh Steelers have gotten trade inquiries regarding troubled star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, team sources say.

Citing unnamed sources, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported Wednesday that while the Steelers are not actively shopping Roethlisberger as this weekend's NFL Draft approaches, they have fielded trade inquiries and haven't ruled out dealing the signal-caller.

U.S. broadcaster ESPN, meanwhile, reported the Steelers have indeed offered Roethlisberger for a top draft choice to the Rams, 49ers, Raiders, Bills, Jaguars, Seahawks and Browns.

Roethlisberger was suspended for six games Wednesday by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell for violating the league's personal conduct policy.

The discipline came after authorities declined to charge the quarterback in connection with a March incident in Milledgeville, Ga., in which a 20-year-old college student accused him of sexually assaulting her in a nightclub bathroom.

The Post-Gazette said that while the Steelers weren't shopping him, management hasn't ruled out the possibility of trading Roethlisberger if the price is right. To insure against such a possibility, the Steelers on Tuesday traded a seventh-round draft pick to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for quarterback Byron Leftwich, the newspaper said.

Leftwich was Roethlisberger's backup in 2008 when the Steelers won the Super Bowl.

The NFL Wednesday ordered Roethlisberger benched, without pay, for six games and also said the quarterback would undergo "comprehensive behavioral evaluation" during the suspension.

If Goodell determines Roethlisberger makes progress, the suspension could be dropped to four games or extended if the quarterback isn't cooperative.

Goodell notified Roethlisberger of the disciplinary action by telephone and in a letter, which the NFL released.

"You are held to a higher standard as an NFL player and there is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans," Goodell said in the letter.