The Ben Roethlisberger question
I have tried very hard not to comment on the Ben Roethlisberger situation. I really didn’t want to talk about the topic at all. After all, it is more of a tabloid story, and has little to do with football. But after thinking about it, I realized that I have to talk about it.
For those of you who have been living in a cave, Big Ben has been accused of sexual assault (again). A woman in Milledgeville, GA (where the heck is Milledgeville?) has accused Big Ben of sexually assaulting her in the restroom of a college bar.
Like the rest of you, i don’t know if Big Ben did it or not. But regardless of whether he did it or not, this new incident has raised several concerns about Ben.
Ben Roethlisberger & "friends"
Here are a few of my concerns.
Lack of good judgment
Ben seems to like hooking up with the ladies. He’s a young, handsome, rich, celebrity athlete, so I can completely understand that. However, Ben has been down this path before. He should know better.
What was he doing in a college bar? Ben is 28 years old. The average college student is 18-22 years old. Ben is too old to be hanging out on campus. Besides, Millegeville is almost 100 miles from Atlanta and 40 miles from Macon. It’s in the middle of nowhere. So why was Ben there on his birthday? He could have been in any of the hottest night clubs in Atlanta, but instead he was in a remote college bar. Why? Was he fishing for a tenderoni?
Initially it was reported that Ben admitted to having sex with the young lady, but that it was consensual. Now he claims that they never had intercourse. This is starting to sound like Bill Clinton-style semantic games.
Regardless of whether it was intercourse or not, why is he having ANY TYPE of sex with a young girl in a college bar?
Ben is a target
Does Ben understand that his wealth and fame make him a target? He can’t continue to put himself in situations where he is hooking up with total strangers. He doesn’t know their character or their motivations. When some women look at Big Ben, all they see is dollar signs.
Perhaps Ben should go back to dating celebrities like Natalie Gulbis or Jamie-Lynn Sigler. At least then he’ll know that they aren’t after him for his money.
Jamie-Lynn Sigler
Ben is embarrassing people who love him or look up to him
Does Ben realize that he plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the proudest franchises in all of sports? Does he realize that the the Rooney family strives very hard to run a classy organization, and that character is very important in their eyes? Does he realize that Pittsburgh is a blue collar town that likes their players to be wholesome, family-oriented, and hard working? Think Aaron Smith, Hines Ward, or Troy Polamalu. The Tony Stark-like millionaire playboy routine really isn’t a good fit in Pittsburgh. Nor is the repeat offender routine.
Steelers fans have grown tired of Jeff Reed’s off-court antics. But these accusations against Big Ben make Reed look like a Boy Scout in comparison.
C’mon Big Ben, you’re better than that. I know you are.
Big Ben doesn’t seem to understand his importance to the team
Possibly the most concerning aspect in all of this is that Big Ben doesn’t seem to realize that he has a team and a town that all depend on him.
Sure, Dennis Dixon did okay in his one start last season. But he is not a franchise quarterback. The success or failure of the Steelers does not depend on him. But it does depend on Big Ben.
Without Ben Roethlisberger, the Pittsburgh Steelers have no hope of returning to the Super Bowl. None. He’s that important.
I am old enough to remember the Cliff Stoudt era. And the Mark Malone era. And the Bubby Brister era. And the Mike Tomczak era. And the Neil O’Donnell era. And the Kordell Stewart era. And frankly, I don’t want to go back to those days.
Big Ben is the first franchise quarterback that the Steelers have had since Terry Bradshaw. And in today’s NFL, it is almost impossible to win a championship without a franchise quarterback. Just ask the Oakland Raiders.
Ben has to understand that the hopes of a city rest squarely on his shoulders. He has to be mature enough to bear that burden. And right now, I’m not sure that he is.
We all hope that Ben is innocent. But the truth is that none of us really knows. But one thing that we do all know is that we’re getting tired of hearing Ben Roethlisberger’s name mentioned in the same sentence as the words “sexual assault”. I just wish that Big Ben understood that the same way that we all do.
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Ben needs to go back to the days when he wore WWJD on his shoes. He was on top then. Now sporting the devil on his tee shirt, look where is. Return to your roots Ben.
1I agree Ben needs to wake up, the time for going to college bars and having fun getting some strange is over! He needs to grow up and take responsibility and be the GREAT QB he can be!!! I hope he is innocent and he can move on before the season starts!! GO STEELERS!!!
2Regardless if he is guilty of “sexual crime” or not he has crossed lines with me finally. I spoke out harshly the firs time he was accused if you remember. I spoke about his disrespect of the fans and the Steelers Organization. And if the readers of this blog remember, I was met with opposition from several thinking I was reading too much into it. I wonder how many still think so.
Let me take this opportunity to bring up another angle on this saga. Before I lay down all my evidence let me just ask the question.
Why was it when Cowher was coach, very rarely did we see players get in this type of trouble? Cowher coached Ben, Santonio, and Reed. Only after he leaves did we see this type of behavior flare up. (I’m not saying everyone was angels mind you…but if they were doing questionable things it certainly was not to this degree)
Could it be that they respected Cowher more? Could it be that they knew what he would do if caught in this type of behavior? Could it be that they knew he was not a coach of empty threats?
Ultimately, coaches can not control the behavior of their players off the field directly. But I think Steeler Nation would be putting their head in the sand if they acted as if there has been no change in the control of the team since the departure of Cowher (love him or hate him).
It is sad, but Ben will never recover from this even if he is “innocent” of a crime. He’s certainly lost my respect.
3yeah big ben is becoming more of a limp weak human ben wich makes bad decisoins and realy bad judgement calls i tell u i hope he wakes up or leaves we dont need this on the team
4This was the best article i have read. Ben needs to grow up ! He is not living up to the Pittsburgh morals of the greatest sports city in the world lives by!” I hope you are innocent Ben!
5Well first of all it goes without saying Ben is a great qb no doubt but that does not give him the right to act a fool for the 2nd time… he should grow up and stop acting likea child he has an image to uphold We as LOYAL Fans don’t deserve this. We need someone who is going to uphold that image on and off the field and if he can’t do that i’m sure there are plenty of men who would be glad to be a part of the best nfl team… who gives a damn what he does, but c’mon do it the right way….
6An excellent article. I have been a die hard Steeler fan for almost 37 years. As much as I love Ben’s style of play on the field, his off-field behavior is embarrassing to say the least. I wonder how long the Rooney’s will tolerate this kinda of behavior? We’re not there yet, but it is becoming quite clear that a change may be in order at the QB position. I would rather cheer on a team that has respectable players and go 6-10 then try and back a run to another superbowl being led by a complete loser like Ben appears to be. C’mon Ben GROW UP!
7All week long I have been getting ribbed and ridiculed by my Steeler hating friends. I know its not about me, but I, like a lot of Steeler fans do not like being subjected to ridicule because of bad behavior. I can handle the crap when we lose, although I hate it then too. As Donald pointed out above “Does Ben realize that he plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the proudest franchises in all of sports? Does he realize that the the Rooney family strives very hard to run a classy organization, and that character is very important in their eyes?.” I am proud to be a Steeler fan and I do not need someone that should know better to screw up (again). We love Ben, but he needs to grow up.
8I posted this on Steelergurl – Ben needs to wake TF up! It’s all alleged – I get it. But, one does not have to look far to learn the lessons that need to be learned here. Did what happened in Reno have no affect on him? All that talk last year about growing up and being a leader on our Team, is it ALL BS? Ben, are you our franchise quarterback and a true Pittsburgh Steeler (with all that goes with the legacy and responsibility) or are you some arrogant clown who is forever an ‘Uncola’ (never had it never will)when it comes to class?
9Denis Dixon can take us too a S.B.I have no doubt in my mind.We will win with or without him and maybe a more conservative attack might get us back to playing Steelers football.
10You hit the nail right on the head. All of the Steeler Nation fans I’ve talked to are devastated by this incident, whether or not Ben is guilty. We take it personally. Ben is my QB and I’ve always been proud of him. I’m hurt and disappointed. What was he thinking! He admitted to performing a sex act in a public place with a woman he didn’t even know–especially with a civil suit pending. Now she’s accused him of sexual assault. He could be in very serious legal trouble here, nevermind that the league doesn’t need a guilty verdict, or even a criminal charge against him, to take action. And neither do the Rooneys. I hope for the sake of the Rooneys and the entire Steelers organizations, Ben’s teammates, the fans and the city of Pittsburgh, that this goes away. That’s my bias. That’s how much I love my team.
11I don’t think Ben really CARES about what effect of his stupidity means to his team! Ben seems to be very self-absorbed, going all the way back to his motorcycle accident. He will continue to be this way until someone (NFL ?) cuts him loose.
12Ben should now better. And I do hope Tony is not implying that his behavior has anything to do with the job Mike Tomlin is doing. Thats would be ridiculous to say. Ben is a grown a$$, wealthy, single young man and shouldnt have put hiself in this situation AGAIN.
13Rodney,
It was a slight implication, yes. You have to admit the public behavior of players have gone down hill since Tomlin was named head coach. Why is that? There have been more public problems in last 2 years than 14 prior years.
The internet was around during Cowher’s career too. Men players were wealthy womanizers then too. There were many bars to get drunk in and take swings at cops. There was plenty of weed available then too.
We know Tomlin has a track record of not backing up his tough words.
Again, Ben is his own man! Tomlin will not do jail time or get sued in these matters. I just think Tomlin is like the mother that says to the misbehaving child, “If you do that one more time…”
But having said all of this, I have just thrown the thought out there. And people can disagree just like they did when I told people it would happen again when he first got accused.
Oh, and don’t think we’ve heard the last from Reed either. All he got for getting drunk in public, acting a fool, and taking swings at police is more money with the Tag.
14fair enough. that being said, tomlin is not their daddy nor their boss. they work for the rooneys. reed, ben and who ever else is LUCKY enough to were that black and gold needs to respect the organization, team mates, fans AND have some self respect. And what is taking so long with this investigation????? What other information can they possibly be looking for? Good greef…. lets talk football.
15Things like this illustrate what sports is all about. For some people, it’s all about entertainment and personal glory. For others, it’s about representing your fans and your owners, about teamwork, perseverance, and fair play. I don’t know if Ben is a criminal or just an idiot, but I do know I won’t be wearing my number 7 jersey any time soon, if ever.
16Ben is a great quarterback, and we probably need him to have a realistic shot at winning a Superbowl, but Superbowls have been won with defense and running before and it is early enough to put together a lucrative trade. Yes, I’m talking about trading Big Ben. We might lose a chance at another SuperBowl, but we would still be competetive, and I wouldn’t mind losing games knowing that it’s because my team stands for honor on and off the field. Ravens/Bengals fans ever talk trash about us losing and I could at least fall back on moral superiority. As it is…
Rodney,
You are right, Ben has slapped the Rooneys in the face along with fans, family, teammates, etc…
Matt,
Wow, I hadn’t thought of my #7 jersey! From now on I will be wearing former and retired player’s jerseys. Hopefully they won’t embarass me. I believe I will pull out my #99 (Kirkland).
And yes, forget about talking about all the Bengal’s troubles or even Ray Lewis being guilty of murder or not. Steelers no different now.
17I’m not very happy about this either but am going to wait until all the facts are out, however I will comment on some of the facts right now that do give me some hope that this is just gold-digging.
Ben owns a house just north of Millegeville, that explains why he was there. He was with another player AND 2 OFF DUTY COPS!! and both of them were stone cold sober. Sounds to me like Ben learned a lesson from the first accusation. Dont go out alone and make sure you have REPUTABLE witnesses. The only time he was out of their sight was when he went to the bathroom, that sounds ok. I will wait to hear if this incident took place in the mens or womens bathroom. That will be the deciding factor, if she followed him into the mens bathroom then I will not hold this against Ben, but if he followed her into the womens bathroom then we need to be giving Dixon alot of work this summer and looking to the future without Ben.
Just my 2 cents worth.
18Ben isn’t worth the ongoing mess that he is causing not only to himself but all of the off field issues to the Steelers org. The Rooney’s and the Steeler are a class act org and when you do the type of garbage Ben has been doing, then you are slapping the Rooney’s in the face and if this case turns out to be true, then it will be will be the final nail in the coffin for Ben’s Steeler career. No amount of success that we had with Ben is worth this mess, because it’s garbage like what Ben is doing that brings org down. The last thing the Steelers org needs to turn into is a media circus.
19I find this particularly frustrating and difficult as I have a 10 year old daughter that idolizes Ben. Action Figure, Jersey, Pennant, Big Ben hat, footbal cards…you name it. So far, even though she watches NFL network quite a bit she hasn’t mentioned seeing anything about the allegations and I haven’t brought it up with her. If things go south on this, I’m not looking forward to that conversation which would be followed by the removal of her Big Ben collection. This would include my own #7 Jersey. It’s a shame that he’s too stupid to realize there are thousands of kids (and some parents) that look up to him. Ben, you’re no longer a kid at 28. Stop the BS Ben-a-palooza garbage, grow up and be both a man and a leader. Otherwise, get out of Pittsburgh and stop soiling our franchise.
20You had me till you said “handsome”. He is turning into a slob and it appears a predator as well.
21My 12 year old son LOVES Big Ben. He has followed him from Day 1 of his Rookie season. He hasn’t missed many Steelers games. He has pictures and autographs and jerseys and hats galore of Big Ben and the Steelers. How do I explain to him that Big Ben, although a great football player, is not much of a moral or responsible person? I am so disappointed in Big Ben. Now I use him as a bad example of how to act when you are a superstar. Maybe he and Tiger should hang out.
22By the way……I totally agree with Steve K — couldn’t have said it better!
23From Mexico:
24Hi. I’m a mexican girl and I follow the Steelers because my boyfriend is a big fan. Now I’m feeling truely disapointed about Ben’s behavior. I can’t trust in a player, even if he’s so good, if as you say he is constantly involved with the words “sexual assault”. I work with women victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, and believe me, if a girl says in public “this really happened”, it’s true. I’m feeling really sad for her and for the team.
I am very disappointed in Ben. I can imagine how his family is taking all of this. Very sad and disappointed, I’m sure. A radio show caller who lives across the street from Ben said that he had a huge party at his home when they announced that he would be suspended but not traded or charged with anything. She said that they partied all night and music blared loudly throughout the evening. It seems to me that he is happy that he dodged a major bullet and really just doesn’t care. I don’t think he has learned anything until it happens again and it will. I think that he also is surrounded by the wrong people. He needs someone who can see beyond the nonsense and direct his actions accordingly. His current posse just enables him, no one seems to have any common sense because they are busy enjoying his money and what and who the party makes available. The sooner he grows up and finds humility then the black cloud over his head will disappear.
25I have been a Steelers fan for as long as I remember, and living in the Kansas City area I have heard a lot about it from Chiefs fans. I always tell them no other team has the heart, tradition, and class of the Steelers, and the Rooney organization. How can I still say that when the QB is running around getting wasted in college bars? If he is guilty, he should go to prison, if not, he needs to wake up and smell the steel burning, or get out of Pittsburgh.
26Ben Roethlisberger is one of the elite QBs in the NFL. However, he is also a disgusting human being that is lucky to be walking around as a free man.. he should by no means be earning millions playing football. If the Rooney family had as much class as they claim, they would cut ties with this loser. Great or not.. he has deeply scarred two women and their families for the rest of their lives. I just deeply hope that his next victim isn’t anyone I know.
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