The Pittsburgh Steelers have terminated the contract of receiver Cedrick Wilson, less than a day after he was arrested for punching his former girlfriend.

The team announced the move in a news release.

Before anyone claims that the move violates the time-honored American notion of “innocent until proven guilty,” keep in mind that plenty of people get fired from their jobs after getting arrested, even if they never are convicted.

In Wilson’s case, the NFL’s Standard Player Contract seems to permit the move.  Paragraph 11 states that the player’s deal may be terminated “if Player has engaged in personal conduct reasonably judged by Club to adversely affect or reflect on Club.”

So, in other words, while the league won’t take action against a player under the Personal Conduct Policy unless and until there is a conviction or a plea of guilty or no contest, a team can take swift and harsh action, if it so chooses.

But there’s still a potential problem with the team’s decision to dump Wilson:  It reveals a double standard.  Eleven days ago, linebacker James Harrison — the team’s MVP in 2007 — was busted for busting his girlfriend.  But Harrison didn’t get cut.

Maybe the Wilson arrest was the straw the broke the camel’s back.  Or maybe the Steelers realized that they couldn’t afford to send a message to the rest of the roster by cutting one of the best players on the team.

Wilson has the right to challenge the move via a grievance.