Don't expect to see Brian Shackelford doing a tourism testimonial for Milwaukee in the near future.

Shackelford, the Cincinnati Reds pitcher who was arrested for third-degree sexual assault earlier this month, was not charged in the incident. He was embarrassed, though, and the episode led to his demotion to Class AAA Louisville.

"I am grateful and relieved that this issue can finally be put behind me," Shackelford said in a statement released by the Reds. "I have said from the beginning that the claims made against me were absolutely false and I am pleased that the District Attorney's office in Milwaukee, after careful review, agrees that there is no merit to these allegations.

"I want to thank the District Attorney's office and my attorney for working so hard to resolve this case quickly. I want to apologize to the Cincinnati Reds organization for any negative publicity this may have caused. I hope that any damage to my reputation from this unfortunate incident will not be long lasting, and that I can continue to work hard to help the Cincinnati Reds long into the future."

Shackelford's attorney, Michael Hart, was informed Tuesday that charges would not be issued. That begs the question: why did this thing go public in the first place?

Back in the dark ages, before cell phones, Web cams, blogs, MySpace and tabloid TV, etc., most media outlets had a policy against naming people who were arrested until formal charges were issued. In this day and age, all bets are off. OnMilwaukee.com reported Shackelford's arrest, as did every other media outlet in the country.

In the age of instant gratification, reporting and verification standards have been lowered. The no-naming policy wasn't always fair. Let's say, in this case, that it had been reported "A Reds relief pitcher was arrested in Milwaukee..." that wouldn't have been particularly fair to the other members of the bullpen. But, it would have saved Shackelford from major embarrassment and possibly a severe cut in his per diem.

I didn't investigate this incident and don't know many of the particulars. If the woman involved in this incident feels like telling her side of the story, other than "I thought we'd just get naked together" one making the rounds at the safety building, I'll gladly take the call. While some may find it hard to believe, it's possible to feel badly for her while also feeling some compassion for Shackelford.

There were no winners in this case, only losers.

Exoneration aside, it's not a reach to say that Shackelford exercised bad judgment in this matter and the fact that a big-league player used a Web site to pick up women on the road is worthy of a chuckle. (So is his police mug shot).

Based on how things played out, though, I'd say that Shackelford got a bit of a raw deal in this case. He was the joke of the sports world for a day and, according to the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office, he didn't commit any crime other than incredibly bad judgment.

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