As I’m sure many of you know by now, Steven Jackson was accused of beating his eight month pregnant girlfriend in March of 2009. The accuser is the girlfriend herself, Supriya Harris. Harris claims Jackson pushed her repeatedly into a door handle, causing a scar on her stomach and great pain. Jackson denied the allegation later in the day, calling them “untrue” and that he won’t address these issues through media outlets.

I’ll get to my take in a few moments, but first a handful of links on the situation:

• Turf Show Times post as the story broke
• TMZ’s original story
• St. Louis Post-Dispatch story
• Bryan Burwell’s (STLPD) response
• Bernie Miklasz’s bit on his blog

Obviously, this could become a big deal at Rams park and in the future of Steven Jackson’s career. Domestic abuse, especially of pregnant women, is not to be taken lightly and has to be very concerning for coach Spagnuolo and Billy Devaney. If Steven Jackson in fact did this to his girlfriend, then he should be punished to the highest extent of the law and told to pack his bags by the Rams. The Rams don’t need to action right now, but this is something that will become a story as the offseason progresses and the draft becomes closer.

However, I’m willing to give Jackson the benefit of the doubt right now. The accusations by Harris are suspect at the best, and it comes at a time when it would be convenient for her to make accusations. In fact, Harris waited almost a whole calendar year before coming forward with these “facts.” If she was so afraid for herself and her child, it seems like she would have come forward a lot earlier than this. Harris and Jackson have been in a custody battle for their child in courts for a long time, and that is ongoing. In all honesty, this could be a ploy by Harris and her attorneys to gain custody of the child or to extort money from mega-rich Jackson.

Unfortunately even if these accusations are proved untrue, this is still likely to have an adverse effect on Jackson and the Rams. That’s how this league works, guilty until proven innocent. The other teams around the NFL (and their fanbases) may see Jackson as a “punk” or a “wife-beater.” This calls Spagnuolo’s “four pillars” philosophy into question, and you can be sure people around the NFL (and the St. Louis media) will let him know that if Jackson is kept on the team.

I will have more on this story as it progresses.