"Georgia, TMZ and Steelers stars. What a terrible combination.

Last offseason, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (dis)graced the cover of TMZ's website, sporting a Satan T-shirt during his ill-fated night on the town in Milledgeville.

Saturday morning, it was receiver Hines Ward who grabbed the salacious site's top billing after a traffic stop in DeKalb County, about 90 miles from Milledgeville. Ward wasn't smiling in the photograph.

Who smiles for a mug shot?

The headline over the photo — "Hines Ward Busted for DUI" — might as well have read "Hines Ward's Image in Tatters."

That doesn't mean Ward is guilty, of course, after he was held on $1,300 bond, posted it and was released. It just means that until his guilt or innocence is determined, his reputation will take a major hit at a point when his Q-rating was at an all-time high.

People who didn't know of Ward even after his Super Bowl XL MVP award became familiar with him through his recent "Dancing With the Stars" triumph. He's one of the hottest celebrities in the country — and if he doesn't beat this charge, he will never be looked at the same.

Nor should he."