View Full Version : Cowher on Big Ben..
Chadman
08-24-2010, 05:32 PM
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=a ... hlisberger (http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-cowher-roethlisberger)
Cowher: Roethlisberger finally showing maturity
By RACHEL COHEN, AP Sports Writer
31 minutes ago
NEW YORK (AP)—Former Pittsburgh Steelers coach Bill Cowher says it was hard to get through to Ben Roethlisberger(notes) after the quarterback had so much success early in his career.
Yet Cowher believes the sexual assault investigation that led to a six-game suspension for Roethlisberger was a “slap in the face” that has led to some much-needed maturity.
In an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday, Cowher described how Roethlisberger used to respond to advice about his off-field behavior. “‘But we’re winning games. We’re winning championships,”’ Cowher recounted. “‘What do you mean? Isn’t that what we’re here to do?”’
Related Video Worst to first? Worst to first?
Dallas flameout ahead?
Favre vs. Rodgers
ROY candidates
More NFL Videos AdChoices
“Yeah,” Cowher said, “but there’s more to it than that.”
“It’s the whole body of work. It’s you as a person, what kind of legacy you want to leave,” he added. “I really think he understands that now.”
Cowher coached Roethlisberger during the quarterback’s first three seasons— in Year 2, he became the youngest at the position to win a Super Bowl. Roethlisberger picked up another ring under Mike Tomlin after Cowher retired, only to put his stellar career in jeopardy.
Roethlisberger was not charged after a Georgia college student accused him of sexual assault, but commissioner Roger Goodell still suspended him for the first six games of the season, citing a “pattern of behavior” embarrassing to the NFL.
Roethlisberger has said Cowher was one of the people he turned to for advice as he tried to get his life back on track, and that the two are now closer than ever before.
“Just like with your children, sometimes when you say things to them: ‘Yeah, right.’ They have all the answers,” Cowher said. “All of a sudden, the older they get: ‘Maybe he’s right about that.’
“I think Ben has had a chance to reflect a lot. I think he’s a good person. While it’s unfortunate, I think it may be an eye-opener to him, kind of a slap in the face.”
Before the Georgia case, there were earlier incidents, too. Roethlisberger was badly injured in a motorcycle accident while riding without a helmet or a permit after his first Super Bowl victory in 2006. He also is being sued by a woman who says he raped her in 2008 at a Lake Tahoe hotel-casino. Roethlisberger denies the accusation and was not charged. He has claimed counter-damages in a lawsuit.
Some people mature later than others, Cowher said, and he believes Roethlisberger is a late bloomer.
“There’s no question as a player he’s always been a great player,” Cowher said. “But there’s a lot more to this professionally than that. It’s how you carry yourself off the field. I think he realizes that now. I really think you’re going to see a different person.”
Even without Roethlisberger to start the season, Cowher thinks his former team will be just fine because the coaches have time to prepare for the suspension, which could be reduced to four games.
“I know a lot of players on that team. They need to hear that they can’t do something,” Cowher said. “That always seems to be the impetus to say, ‘OK, we’ll show you.”’
Since Cowher retired after the 2006 season, the rest of the NFL has wondered whether he’ll show he can coach again. His name seems to come up whenever there is an opening, and Cowher isn’t going to quell that talk.
“I certainly will look into situations with open ears,” he said.
For now, he’s an analyst for CBS, which allows him to stay close to the game if he does choose to coach again—or lets him fulfill his football cravings without returning to the field. At the network’s NFL media day Tuesday, he said his new colleagues have become family, just like it was with the Steelers, and he’d only leave for an ideal situation.
“I’m not sitting there lobbying for any one team,” Cowher said. “You know what? I always thought, you’ll know. When the time comes, you’ll know. Right now the season’s starting, and my thoughts aren’t on coaching. My thoughts are on trying to give great coverage.”
The familiarity of football season offers comfort for Cowher, whose his wife, Kaye, died of skin cancer a month ago. Cowher said he never considered taking time off.
“As all our family’s doing right now, we’re all kind of moving on with our lives. It’s the way my wife would have wanted it,” he said. “I’m just very thankful for everybody in America who reached out, sent e-mails, texts, the donations they’ve made to a couple of charities. It’s been very heartfelt, very sincere. I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Snatch98
08-24-2010, 05:49 PM
He certainly had a lot of success early and it definitely went to his head. The recent suspension is HARSH but it may very well save his career and our franchise.
Speaking of Ben a while ago a thread was started that highlighted a bunch of Big Ben statistics like 4th quarter comebacks, yards per pass etc. It was a laundry list. I tried going through my old posts and used the search feature and couldn't find it. Does anyone have that information handy? It was posted a while ago. I believe Dutch was still posting on the regular at that point.
feltdizz
08-24-2010, 05:57 PM
Awwwe hell naw... LOL Cowher startin trouble.
"But we are winning games... Fugh dem hoez coach"
The last thing we need is another thread about Ben's past.
SteelCrazy
08-24-2010, 06:10 PM
good read...Hopefully this is a new beginning in Ben's life and a sign of great things to come, on and off the field.
:Boobs
Chadman
08-24-2010, 06:21 PM
Awwwe hell naw... LOL Cowher startin trouble.
"But we are winning games... Fugh dem hoez coach"
The last thing we need is another thread about Ben's past.
Felt....Chadman didn't get that feeling from reading it at all...more that Cowher is glad that Ben is maturing- thought for the first time that it showed a lot of mutual respect between the two of them after what Chadman always thought had been a somewhat strained relationship.
That Ben would get in contact with Cowher to discuss his 'path' shows to Chadman that Cowher was & is seen as a mentor/father figure to a lot of the Steelers players- not just an ex-coach.
Any article that Cowher is involved in is generally decent reading, too.
feltdizz
08-24-2010, 06:59 PM
Awwwe hell naw... LOL Cowher startin trouble.
"But we are winning games... Fugh dem hoez coach"
The last thing we need is another thread about Ben's past.
Felt....Chadman didn't get that feeling from reading it at all...more that Cowher is glad that Ben is maturing- thought for the first time that it showed a lot of mutual respect between the two of them after what Chadman always thought had been a somewhat strained relationship.
That Ben would get in contact with Cowher to discuss his 'path' shows to Chadman that Cowher was & is seen as a mentor/father figure to a lot of the Steelers players- not just an ex-coach.
Any article that Cowher is involved in is generally decent reading, too.
I agree... I was just joking because anytime a person who knows Ben says something about him in regards to this people tend to get up in arms.
SanAntonioSteelerFan
08-24-2010, 10:10 PM
I think if Cowher is saying he believes Ben has learned and matured, that is a VERY good thing.
Crash
08-24-2010, 10:18 PM
Being suspended without charges is wrong. Period. And I think people need to start realizing this.
I would ask Coach Cowher if he would be willing to sit 6 weeks from CBS with no pay if he was falsely accused of a crime?
SanAntonioSteelerFan
08-24-2010, 10:40 PM
Being suspended without charges is wrong. Period. And I think people need to start realizing this.
I would ask Coach Cowher if he would be willing to sit 6 weeks from CBS with no pay if he was falsely accused of a crime?
I think this misses the point. This happens all the time - where big bucks are concerned, appearances are everything. Any major executive at any large corporation would be let go, charges or no, if they brought bad publicity on the organization.
It's part of the responsibility of being the face of a large corporation - keep your nose clean. Charges have nothing to do with it.
I think what Coach Cowher was saying is that Ben is growing up, and beginning to realize that it's more than just about him.
RuthlessBurgher
08-24-2010, 11:52 PM
Being suspended without charges is wrong. Period. And I think people need to start realizing this.
I would ask Coach Cowher if he would be willing to sit 6 weeks from CBS with no pay if he was falsely accused of a crime?
In a court of law, if one is falsely accused of a crime, that person should fight tooth and nail to prove their innocence. Luckily for Ben, it never got to that point for him.
In the workplace, an individual employee's guilt or innocence is not as important to the higher-up as is the potential for negative publicity against the corporation.
Ben would be foolish to challenge a suspension from his superiors because he is not guilty of crime. In their minds he is guilty of putting their organization in a poor light as a result of his actions, even if those actions were not criminal.
As SASF stated, Ben's best move going forward is simply to keep his nose clean. Continuing to harp on whether or not such a suspension is fair does him absolutely no good whatsoever. Ben seems to be smart enough at this point to simply accept it for what it is and move on. I guess we'll have to wait and see if you ever reach that point yourself.
Crash
08-25-2010, 12:15 AM
Ben seems to be smart enough at this point to simply accept it for what it is and move on. I guess we'll have to wait and see if you ever reach that point yourself.
I don't think Ben "accepted" anything.
I think he was TOLD to accept it by the Rooney's.
You hear it in recent interviews when people ask him about his suspension, and players who have been charged, some guilty, and not suspended.
He's giving a no comment, but you can tell by the tone of his voice that he wants to RIP Goodell in the press for what he did to him.
And at some point down the road I think he will.
Goodell made a bad situation much worse.
Captain Lemming
08-25-2010, 01:33 AM
Ben seems to be smart enough at this point to simply accept it for what it is and move on. I guess we'll have to wait and see if you ever reach that point yourself.
I don't think Ben "accepted" anything.
I think he was TOLD to accept it by the Rooney's.
You hear it in recent interviews when people ask him about his suspension, and players who have been charged, some guilty, and not suspended.
He's giving a no comment, but you can tell by the tone of his voice that he wants to RIP Goodell in the press for what he did to him.
And at some point down the road I think he will.
Goodell made a bad situation much worse.
Great article.
While you seem to "know" what Ben is thinking and that he is bitter, Cowher has spoken to the man and seems to confirm the notion that Ben "is maturing" as a result and has benefited from the firm way his case has been handled.
I think many of you "defenders" are projecting your thought of how "you" would feel.
Ben seems to be handling things well, it is refreshing to see. I really respect him for it.
It is great that Ben has people like Cowher who will give him great fatherly advice and having been humbled, he "wants" such advice now.
It seems to me that people in the know see how Ben who actually HAVE SPOKEN TO BEN know better than our friends here who THINK they know what is going on in his head.
I am so excited that Ben is growing up. Lean and mean, not acting like a 20 year old frat boy distracted.
I think he will go from very good to SCARY good.
Crash
08-25-2010, 01:52 AM
Bouchette has spoken to Ben also. Numerous times in fact, and he stated recently that he feels that Ben feels Goodell is picking on him a little bit.
I can see why Ben would feel that way after other players are let off the hook.
Ben could have gone though the NFL evaluations, been told to clean up his life, without being suspended.
And I think he would have done it just the same.
Suspending him helps not one bit. It scars him for life in the court of public opinion.
Ben wasn't humbled. He was humiliated and then convicted in Goodell's Kangaroo Court.
Scarletfire1970
08-25-2010, 05:06 AM
Bouchette has spoken to Ben also. Numerous times in fact, and he stated recently that he feels that Ben feels Goodell is picking on him a little bit.
I can see why Ben would feel that way after other players are let off the hook.
Ben could have gone though the NFL evaluations, been told to clean up his life, without being suspended.
And I think he would have done it just the same.
Suspending him helps not one bit. It scars him for life in the court of public opinion.
Ben wasn't humbled. He was humiliated and then convicted in Goodell's Kangaroo Court.
This is true.
BURGH86STEEL
08-25-2010, 07:06 AM
Bouchette has spoken to Ben also. Numerous times in fact, and he stated recently that he feels that Ben feels Goodell is picking on him a little bit.
I can see why Ben would feel that way after other players are let off the hook.
Ben could have gone though the NFL evaluations, been told to clean up his life, without being suspended.
And I think he would have done it just the same.
Suspending him helps not one bit. It scars him for life in the court of public opinion.
Ben wasn't humbled. He was humiliated and then convicted in Goodell's Kangaroo Court.
As I stated before, I believe this was a decision that was made mostly by the organization. The organization felt Ben was a hard head that did not listen to good advice. I believe Ben was told to clean up his life or change his ways by the organization on several occasions. Appears to me he did not listen.
Forget Goodell, his lack of punishment towards other players speaks that this was what the organization wanted. Goodell may not had suspended Ben at all if it was only up to Goodell.
Based on Ben's history, he would not had change without meaningful punishment. He would had probably gone on with his life as usual. Who knows where that would had taken Ben. Might be jail or somewhere else if he did not change his ways.
I think the suspension helped him to realize some things about himself. Sometimes humiliation is a good time to do a self evaluation. It seems that many that know him better agree with that line of thinking. Some seem to be so focused on what they perceive to be negative(suspension) that they fail to consider the long term positive outcome. That is my focus. Can't change what's been done.
I would ask Coach Cowher if he would be willing to sit 6 weeks from CBS with no pay if he was falsely accused of a crime?
While I don't agree with Ben's suspension as it primarily punishes the fans... If Cowher were to be accused of sexual assualt this year and then next year, decides to party with college girls and takes a really drunk one into a bathroom to fool around and is accused again, he won't just be suspended from CBS, he'll be FIRED- falsely accused or not.
stlrz d
08-25-2010, 09:05 AM
I would ask Coach Cowher if he would be willing to sit 6 weeks from CBS with no pay if he was falsely accused of a crime?
While I don't agree with Ben's suspension as it primarily punishes the fans... If Cowher were to be accused of sexual assualt this year and then next year, decides to party with college girls and takes a really drunk one into a bathroom to fool around and is accused again, he won't just be suspended from CBS, he'll be FIRED- falsely accused or not.
Taking the girl into is part of the accusation.
Stop assuming that what a couple of drunken SoHos say is truth and maybe you'll see the point some of us have been making all along. The whole episode is hearsay...including the bathroom part.
RuthlessBurgher
08-25-2010, 10:17 AM
He was humiliated and then convicted in Goodell's Kangaroo Court.
Hey! No need to bring the Chadman Justice System into this. :wink:
http://camerafraud.files.wordpress.com/2010/01/kangaroo-judges_2.jpg
I love the picture of Al Everest...err, Captain Kangaroo...in the background. Nice touch. :lol:
Captain Lemming
08-25-2010, 10:26 AM
I would ask Coach Cowher if he would be willing to sit 6 weeks from CBS with no pay if he was falsely accused of a crime?
While I don't agree with Ben's suspension as it primarily punishes the fans... If Cowher were to be accused of sexual assualt this year and then next year, decides to party with college girls and takes a really drunk one into a bathroom to fool around and is accused again, he won't just be suspended from CBS, he'll be FIRED- falsely accused or not.
Taking the girl into is part of the accusation.
Stop assuming that what a couple of drunken SoHos say is truth and maybe you'll see the point some of us have been making all along. The whole episode is hearsay...including the bathroom part.
"Some" of us?
You are the only one who takes that crazy stand.
As I have said MANY TIMES if Ben was not in the bathroom he has ZERO reason to not tell the police this FACT.
The contention that there is some "legal" reason he cant talk is silly.
If Ben had no "opportunity" to commit a crime he just says it. He has plenty of witnesses to back him up if that is the case. A room FULL OF WITNESSES TO BACK HIM UP. Yet nobody did that.
He had stinkin BODYGUARDS.
Do you know job one of a bodyguard is?
TO KNOW WHERE BEN IS!!!!
If Ben is not in the bathroom he has witnesses to this fact.
Ben not in the bathroom, no case, no suspension. The fact that he doesnt deny being in the bathroom HELPS the Vegas accuser.
If Ben and his friends simply say he wasnt in the bathroom, none of this chaos happens.
cruzer8
08-25-2010, 11:20 AM
[quote=Crash]I would ask Coach Cowher if he would be willing to sit 6 weeks from CBS with no pay if he was falsely accused of a crime?
While I don't agree with Ben's suspension as it primarily punishes the fans... If Cowher were to be accused of sexual assualt this year and then next year, decides to party with college girls and takes a really drunk one into a bathroom to fool around and is accused again, he won't just be suspended from CBS, he'll be FIRED- falsely accused or not.
Taking the girl into is part of the accusation.
Stop assuming that what a couple of drunken SoHos say is truth and maybe you'll see the point some of us have been making all along. The whole episode is hearsay...including the bathroom part.
"Some" of us?
You are the only one who takes that crazy stand.
As I have said MANY TIMES if Ben was not in the bathroom he has ZERO reason to not tell the police this FACT.
The contention that there is some "legal" reason he cant talk is silly.
If Ben had no "opportunity" to commit a crime he just says it. He has plenty of witnesses to back him up if that is the case. A room FULL OF WITNESSES TO BACK HIM UP. Yet nobody did that.
He had stinkin BODYGUARDS.
Do you know job one of a bodyguard is?
TO KNOW WHERE BEN IS!!!!
If Ben is not in the bathroom he has witnesses to this fact.
Ben not in the bathroom, no case, no suspension. The fact that he doesnt deny being in the bathroom HELPS the Vegas accuser.
If Ben and his friends simply say he wasnt in the bathroom, none of this chaos happens.[/quote:301zmybx]
He's not the only one to take that "crazy" stand. There are plenty of people here who are able to look past the headlines. I'm not in the legal profession and I assume you aren't either so if I were you I wouldn't be so presumptious to suppose there is no reason for him to go into any details.
MCHammer
08-25-2010, 12:57 PM
To the extent there is a legal reason, at this point it would be relating to whatever settlement he likely reached with the woman. I'm assuming Ben is paying her a lot to go away and not sue him civilly. I'd imagine the terms of any such agreement prevents either side from discussing what did or did not happen.
Apart from legal stuff, the last thing the league or Ben needs is any of this stuff to be part of a public discussion. So don't expect Ben to be bringing it up anytime soon - particularly with a potential 6 game suspension hanging over his head.
By the way, the allegations were not proven false. That is simply an opinion by people who choose to give Ben the benefit of the doubt. He was accused of a crime, but the authorities elected not to bring charges because the evidence was deemed insufficient to lead to a successful prosecution. That's the far cry from being "innocent" or "falsely accused."
None of us were there and only Ben, the girl and a few other people know what really went down.
grotonsteel
08-25-2010, 12:59 PM
[quote=Crash]I would ask Coach Cowher if he would be willing to sit 6 weeks from CBS with no pay if he was falsely accused of a crime?
While I don't agree with Ben's suspension as it primarily punishes the fans... If Cowher were to be accused of sexual assualt this year and then next year, decides to party with college girls and takes a really drunk one into a bathroom to fool around and is accused again, he won't just be suspended from CBS, he'll be FIRED- falsely accused or not.
Taking the girl into is part of the accusation.
Stop assuming that what a couple of drunken SoHos say is truth and maybe you'll see the point some of us have been making all along. The whole episode is hearsay...including the bathroom part.
"Some" of us?
You are the only one who takes that crazy stand.
As I have said MANY TIMES if Ben was not in the bathroom he has ZERO reason to not tell the police this FACT.
The contention that there is some "legal" reason he cant talk is silly.
If Ben had no "opportunity" to commit a crime he just says it. He has plenty of witnesses to back him up if that is the case. A room FULL OF WITNESSES TO BACK HIM UP. Yet nobody did that.
He had stinkin BODYGUARDS.
Do you know job one of a bodyguard is?
TO KNOW WHERE BEN IS!!!!
If Ben is not in the bathroom he has witnesses to this fact.
Ben not in the bathroom, no case, no suspension. The fact that he doesnt deny being in the bathroom HELPS the Vegas accuser.
If Ben and his friends simply say he wasnt in the bathroom, none of this chaos happens.[/quote:1bvsi6ky]
Dude what the hell are you talking...Don't form your opinions based on National Enquirer...
GrotonSteel version of Eminem 8 mile rap battle for Maui:
Didn’t you read the last round Maui?
Pay attention your saying the same stuff that previous Ben Haters said.
Matter a fact dawg, here's a part of the transcript.
Go home, read transcripts, make it suspenseful
and don’t come back until somethin dope hits you.
"Q: Could you talk about the report that one of his bodyguards possibly blocked the place off from her sorority sisters?
A: The Capital City Club has a main dance floor. They have a curtain you can move over and screen it off. They let him and his entourage use what they call the V.I.P. area. So he’s got him and his eight, nine, 10 friends. They did say, ‘Let only girls back here. Let only girls back here.’ Capital City did have one bouncer stationed in front of the black curtain. There were two bodyguards back there. There was just a lot of drinking and talking and socializing back there. The best from a prosecution point of view that we get is one of the – none of the bodyguards or anyone in the entourage talked about Ben being back there by himself with the victim, about any sex, about knowing of any sex, nothing like that – the best from our angle that we get is one of the bodyguards said the victim asked to use the restroom, that she has to use the restroom, and so she was escorted back there and sat on a stool. That’s all he saw. He didn’t see Ben go back there. None of the bodyguards or any of the entourage saw anything improper going on back there between Ben and the victim.
Sugar
08-25-2010, 01:10 PM
[quote=Crash]I would ask Coach Cowher if he would be willing to sit 6 weeks from CBS with no pay if he was falsely accused of a crime?
While I don't agree with Ben's suspension as it primarily punishes the fans... If Cowher were to be accused of sexual assualt this year and then next year, decides to party with college girls and takes a really drunk one into a bathroom to fool around and is accused again, he won't just be suspended from CBS, he'll be FIRED- falsely accused or not.
Taking the girl into is part of the accusation.
Stop assuming that what a couple of drunken SoHos say is truth and maybe you'll see the point some of us have been making all along. The whole episode is hearsay...including the bathroom part.
"Some" of us?
You are the only one who takes that crazy stand.
As I have said MANY TIMES if Ben was not in the bathroom he has ZERO reason to not tell the police this FACT.
The contention that there is some "legal" reason he cant talk is silly.
If Ben had no "opportunity" to commit a crime he just says it. He has plenty of witnesses to back him up if that is the case. A room FULL OF WITNESSES TO BACK HIM UP. Yet nobody did that.
He had stinkin BODYGUARDS.
Do you know job one of a bodyguard is?
TO KNOW WHERE BEN IS!!!!
If Ben is not in the bathroom he has witnesses to this fact.
Ben not in the bathroom, no case, no suspension. The fact that he doesnt deny being in the bathroom HELPS the Vegas accuser.
If Ben and his friends simply say he wasnt in the bathroom, none of this chaos happens.
He's not the only one to take that "crazy" stand. There are plenty of people here who are able to look past the headlines. I'm not in the legal profession and I assume you aren't either so if I were you I wouldn't be so presumptious to suppose there is no reason for him to go into any details.[/quote:22u1d6dn]
I've been saying this all along as well. It's not like there's just one person on this board taking this view.
ikestops85
08-25-2010, 01:39 PM
[quote=Eich]Taking the girl into is part of the accusation.
Stop assuming that what a couple of drunken SoHos say is truth and maybe you'll see the point some of us have been making all along. The whole episode is hearsay...including the bathroom part.
"Some" of us?
You are the only one who takes that crazy stand.
As I have said MANY TIMES if Ben was not in the bathroom he has ZERO reason to not tell the police this FACT.
The contention that there is some "legal" reason he cant talk is silly.
If Ben had no "opportunity" to commit a crime he just says it. He has plenty of witnesses to back him up if that is the case. A room FULL OF WITNESSES TO BACK HIM UP. Yet nobody did that.
He had stinkin BODYGUARDS.
Do you know job one of a bodyguard is?
TO KNOW WHERE BEN IS!!!!
If Ben is not in the bathroom he has witnesses to this fact.
Ben not in the bathroom, no case, no suspension. The fact that he doesnt deny being in the bathroom HELPS the Vegas accuser.
If Ben and his friends simply say he wasnt in the bathroom, none of this chaos happens.
He's not the only one to take that "crazy" stand. There are plenty of people here who are able to look past the headlines. I'm not in the legal profession and I assume you aren't either so if I were you I wouldn't be so presumptious to suppose there is no reason for him to go into any details.
I've been saying this all along as well. It's not like there's just one person on this board taking this view.[/quote:12fnif3d]
I'm another who takes that "crazy" stand. I just don't feel it is uhm, crazy. :moon
steeler_fan_in_t.o.
08-25-2010, 02:37 PM
[quote]To the extent there is a legal reason, at this point it would be relating to whatever settlement he likely reached with the woman. I'm assuming Ben is paying her a lot to go away and not sue him civilly. I'd imagine the terms of any such agreement prevents either side from discussing what did or did not happen.
Actually, I doubt very much that Ben is paying her off. Here are my reasons:
1) He was offered a settlement from the Vegas accuser and rejected it. Even if his reason is that it became public, I'm sure he could have gone back privately with an offer for her to go away....but as we all know she has not.
2) A settlement between Ben and the girl would not prevent the authorities from charging him if there was any basis to do so. The authorities never charged him and never asked for his DNA sample. The DA had an obvious hard on for Ben yet had nothing to go after him with.
Apart from legal stuff, the last thing the league or Ben needs is any of this stuff to be part of a public discussion. So don't expect Ben to be bringing it up anytime soon - particularly with a potential 6 game suspension hanging over his head.
Ben has not made much of a statement on either of these accusations other than to claim innocence. He has taken that stand from the beginning of the Reno accusation........and it has been a public discussion anyway.
By the way, the allegations were not proven false. That is simply an opinion by people who choose to give Ben the benefit of the doubt. He was accused of a crime, but the authorities elected not to bring charges because the evidence was deemed insufficient to lead to a successful prosecution. That's the far cry from being "innocent" or "falsely accused."
You are correct that he has not been "proven" innocent, but there are way too many conflicting reports from eyewitnesses to make the accusations credible. For example, if I accuse you of beating me up by punching me in the face with your left hand then we have an accusation. If my friend then says that he saw you beat me up, that you kicked me with your right foot then we still have an accusation, and you have not been proven innocent.......but I would have very little credibility.
[/quote:dbmml335]
MCHammer
08-25-2010, 03:55 PM
Actually, I doubt very much that Ben is paying her off. Here are my reasons:
1) He was offered a settlement from the Vegas accuser and rejected it. Even if his reason is that it became public, I'm sure he could have gone back privately with an offer for her to go away....but as we all know she has not.
2) A settlement between Ben and the girl would not prevent the authorities from charging him if there was any basis to do so. The authorities never charged him and never asked for his DNA sample. The DA had an obvious hard on for Ben yet had nothing to go after him with.
Well I don't think Ben's decision-making for the Vegas incident is all that relevant. The McNulty lady seemed a bit crazy and Ben did not deny the sex, it was about whether or not it was consensual. In my opinion, that lawsuit was completely bogus. I recall reading the complaint online and it was unnecessarily detailed and a bit grotesque. The entire thing had gold-digger written on it and I think Ben was trying to defend his name and was genuinely outraged by some of the allegations.
Regarding Milledgeville - you are correct that a settlement would not prevent the authorities from charging him, but it would still probably prevent either Ben or the girl from talking publicly about the incident. The standard for going after somebody in civil court is a lot lower than the beyond a reasonable doubt criminal standard. All she'd need to do is convince a majority of a jury that Ben sexually assaulted her. That's like asking people to decide whether he more likely than not did it.
Regardless. with the NFL upset about this, the season approaching and future endorsements all as considerations - it would be easier to imagine Ben settling with this girl than it is in the Vegas incident.
I would honestly be shocked if Ben wasn't settling this. That girl would have plaintiff attorneys practically knocking down her door with Edgar Snyder-style promises of no fee unless we get money for you, and here we are talking about potentially millions of dollars. If she is telling the truth, she would sue. If she is a liar, well, she'd be the type of person who would sue.
You are correct that he has not been "proven" innocent, but there are way too many conflicting reports from eyewitnesses to make the accusations credible. For example, if I accuse you of beating me up by punching me in the face with your left hand then we have an accusation. If my friend then says that he saw you beat me up, that you kicked me with your right foot then we still have an accusation, and you have not been proven innocent.......but I would have very little credibility.
Maybe. Maybe not. What is credible to you and what is credible to a bare majority of a jury (most likely in rural Georgia) are likely two different things. There is no way of knowing what evidence they would get to hear either. A lot of those statements would be challenged as potentially inadmissible due to hearsay and in the end you might have only limited testimony from the accuser, Ben and some number of witnesses. You might also have info about Ben's past sexual history coming into evidence - including McNulty allegations. The point is in such a trial anything could happen - it is impossible for us to know how it would play out.
MCHammer
08-25-2010, 03:58 PM
Actually, the McNulty stuff was in Tahoe not Vegas.
cruzer8
08-25-2010, 06:13 PM
It has been reported by many sources that the young "lady" in question comes from a wealthy family who did not want all of this aired out in public. So that, coupled with the lack of evidence, would be enough reason for this to have gone away without a settlement.
Could that be true? Yes. Could there have been a settlement? Yes.
Ben has been very adamant in his assertion that he did nothing wrong. I don't think he'd be able to say that if there was a settlement.
Powered by vBulletin® Version 4.2.5 Copyright © 2024 vBulletin Solutions Inc. All rights reserved.