Today i'm going to do something that I REALLY don't like doing: I will defend a person that I don't like. As a Bengals fan, I can't stand Big Ben and in particular, the Steelers organization as a whole.
If you're not familiar with the Ben Roethlisberger situation, allow me to make a long story short: a woman accused him of sexual assault, and there was not enough evidence to make an arrest or file charges. This was the second time in 8 months that such accusation has been made against Roethlisberger. In July '09, a woman made the same claim against the Steelers quarterback, only to have a co-worker swear an affidavit saying the accuser was not only bragging about sex with Big Ben, but was hoping that she'd be pregnant by the 2 time SuperBowl winner.
No charges filed. No arrests made. And a two game suspension likely coming. This is where I take issue.
Obviously we are supposed to have a "innocent until proven guilty" mentality. And sure, he puts himself in this situation by drinking, partying, and sleeping around. But unless there is a clause in Roethlisberger's contract that says "I promise to be a good guy", then suspending him is wrong.
The Georgia District Attorney who declined to file charges against Big Ben said it best: "We do not prosecute morals, we prosecute crimes". Roethlisberger might be a sleazeball, and as a public figure and role model to young kids, he should be ashamed of himself. But the NFL and Steelers organization should not start this new precedent of punishing players for crimes they have not committed, or actions that aren't even crimes to begin with.
Read the whole report. He's guilty as guilty can be. This whole "blame the victim" mentality is getting pretty ridiculous. She didn't want a whole big slanderous look into her background, so she backed off. Who can balme her for that? The media is all "boys will be boys" and "she shouldn't have been so drunk". Whatever. Did he even TALK to the cops? Even Kobe had to do that.
ReplyDeleteNeil, this guy is a joke and you know it. He is a professional athlete who has went against authority during his whole tenure in the NFL. Personally, I don't care what they do to him. I just know his conduct is detrimental to the league and he needs to made an example of before more incidents pop up like this from other players. I'm sure other players do what he does, but they "keep it in reason"
ReplyDeleteTo "Anonymous" - Sometimes it's hard not to blame the victim, especially after they're making allegations against the person they previously bragged about. This lady bragged to her friends about having sex with him, and even said she hoped she'd be pregnant by him. Now he raped her?
ReplyDeleteI'm not saying I like him, and i'm not saying he's a good guy. There's absolutely no doubt in my mind that he is a scumbag. But the DA deemed there was not enough evidence to file a charge against him. Thus in the eyes of the law he is not guilty and any claim against him is speculation at this point. Ray Lewis was accused of murder and how many games did he miss?
But until there is a conviction, then there's absolutely no way Ben Roethlisberger should be punished. Especially as long as guys like Mike Vick and Dante Stallworth are allowed to play.
Was it the first or second accuser who bragged? Not sure about that. ANYWAY, after the first lady came out with allegations, I was skeptical. When the second girl came forward...I'll admit...I believed her. Of course, I am also the first to say that I should never be on a jury--I believe everyone is guilty.
ReplyDeleteThat document was pretty lengthy. I find it hard to believe there wasn't enough evidence. I think it is another example of fame blinding others. OJ, anyone?