Treatment of Ben: fair, unfair or about right?

[Eich]

Sounds like we are saying the same thing..

but sometimes it reads like people are justifying bad behavior by Ben in GA.

She wasn’t necessarily right but she still has rights.

For me, once you are accused you can’t put yourself in a position like Ben did in GA.

If he never went in that closet I doubt he gets accused. That was HIS fault, not hers.

Yes. Agreed.

It would not be near the story if he had only the one accusation. But two really raises the questions.

But imagine how many encounters the average rich male athlete has with women. Often, there's going to be alcohol (or worse) involved. Le'Veon Bell has had many stories about all the women he sleeps around with. All it takes is for any one of those women to make some kind of accusation that he did something inappropriate and then a reputation is ruined.

Although I think he was falsely accuse of assault twice, Ben brought it on himself. The second one was a major wakeup call in his life. He can probably be both remorseful and thankful for it. He was on a bad path at the time.

[Bittspurgh]

Where his actions classy? No not at all... Doesn't mean he is guilty of anything but bad judgement. Like many of you have already stated how many men fit the category of not making the best decisions in our early 20's?

Ben has been paying the price to the tune of $MILLIONS$ since. He is by far the largest profile NFL start to not have any endorsements and commercials. On Sundays you can not go 3 commercials with out seeing Brady. Gronk, ARod, Baker Mayfield of all people I really don't get that, Kyler Murray, the kid from the Eagles rookie Devonte Smith has even gotten a commercial. look at the retired players and how they still rule commercials Bradshaw, Bettis, Mean Joe, Troy, Ed Reed, Deon Sanders, Peyton Manning, Joe Montana.....

We never see Ben. not that he is hurting or money, but he has been convicted in the court of Joe public. We will not see him calling games, or on NFL Today, etc.. Probably not even coach at a high level. I am not suggesting he wants these things, but being the competitive type I am sure he wishes he was commercially successful.

I became a Kobe fan, late in his career, he was charged with a heinous crime but was somehow forgiven. I am and always have been a big Mike Tyson fan and he actually served 3 years for rape.... convicted, truth is, he was probably not actually guilty of the offense and he seems to have been forgiven. He has turned into a mellow, likeable, articulate man.. Still scary as he!! but still mellow.

Unfortunately for Ben the only way this goes away is if he has a tragedy like Kobe. Sorry that happened to Kobe and the others involved and I don't wish that on anyone, but for Ben to be accepted by the masses and remembered only for his on-field play a horrific event would seem to need to happen. Even Skip and Shannon yesterday when the news broke said great player on the field BUT.....

[T.Ferguson]

At best Ben used very poor judgment and acted like a jackass. It's pretty clear Ben was an immature *blank* early in his career in other ways as well but I like to believe that he did change as he matured. People can do that.

[NorthCoast]

As Tomlin would say; "We don't run from our past. We embrace it. We smile in the face of adversity."

[feltdizz]

What was Ben's bad behavior? He was partying, they were partying.

Sounds like you believe her claims and Ben got away with rape.

His bad behavior was going in the utility closet with a drunk college girl.

Party all you want but once you have an accusation on your resume you will not receive the benefit of doubt outside of Pittsburgh.

I’ve already stated I have no idea what happened.

But the responsibility is on Ben to protect his image and legacy.

Its not about believing the claim, its about putting himself in position to have to defend a second claim. Once that happened it was over for Ben as far as second chances with the media and public opinion.

[feltdizz]

Yes. Agreed.

It would not be near the story if he had only the one accusation. But two really raises the questions.

But imagine how many encounters the average rich male athlete has with women. Often, there's going to be alcohol (or worse) involved. Le'Veon Bell has had many stories about all the women he sleeps around with. All it takes is for any one of those women to make some kind of accusation that he did something inappropriate and then a reputation is ruined.

Although I think he was falsely accuse of assault twice, Ben brought it on himself. The second one was a major wakeup call in his life. He can probably be both remorseful and thankful for it. He was on a bad path at the time.

There are a lot of NFL players and rich athletes and the majority of them aren’t accused of 1 assault let alone 2.

Maybe its luck but more than likely it comes down to how you treat women and how you choose women.

An easy lay with a stranger is a terrible idea for an athlete or wealthy celebrity. Its literally the worst possible thing one can do.

["BuzzNuter"]

Here's the real problem. If Ben wanted to get back into the good graces of the Elites all he needed to do was.
1. Stop buying law enforcement dogs for all those small police departments.
2. He should have gone out in front of the team and kneeled at the National Anthem
3. Make a donation to BLM and talk about it.

He did none of these things. He is still just a good ole boy from Podunck Ohio just like all the good ole boys from western PA. He was just a stupid young man who couldn't hold his liquor, who got hustled by a couple of women and could'nt tell the difference. He has matured into an excellent man and father who we should celebrate.

[whatever]

With out a doubt, unfair.
Ray Lewis helped kill some dudes and the nfl made him to be the poster boy for their product.

[Northern_Blitz]

With out a doubt, unfair.
Ray Lewis helped kill some dudes and the nfl made him to be the poster boy for their product.

I guess it depends on where we put the line of "fair".

I'd say that Lewis' treatment in the press has been unfair (to his benefit).

[hackjam]

There are a lot of NFL players and rich athletes and the majority of them aren’t accused of 1 assault let alone 2.

Maybe its luck but more than likely it comes down to how you treat women and how you choose women.

An easy lay with a stranger is a terrible idea for an athlete or wealthy celebrity. Its literally the worst possible thing one can do.

Exactly. Jeter probably sent two gift baskets for every hit he had.

Outside of the Roethlisberger situation, a lot of the attitudes in this thread are exactly why a lot of women refuse to go to the police or refuse to press charges when they actually are assaulted though. The attitude of some seems to be "she was drunk and wearing a DTF shirt so she deserved what was coming to her (which may or may not include rape or sexual assault)". Like, really?

All things considered, I think he's treated pretty fairly. The announcers for the last several games were going out of their way to talk about "mistakes he made when he was younger" and how he's basically a reformed man now. A fair amount of the press is positive. Fans of opposing teams have been giving him the same **** for years. The NFL and the Steelers are glorifying his achievements, not dwelling on the accusations.

Does he do good things in the community? Yeah. Does he seem to be a man who is committed to his family and his god at this point in his life? Yeah. Does that mean the things in his past go away? No.

[feltdizz]

Here's the real problem. If Ben wanted to get back into the good graces of the Elites all he needed to do was.
1. Stop buying law enforcement dogs for all those small police departments.
2. He should have gone out in front of the team and kneeled at the National Anthem
3. Make a donation to BLM and talk about it.

He did none of these things. He is still just a good ole boy from Podunck Ohio just like all the good ole boys from western PA. He was just a stupid young man who couldn't hold his liquor, who got hustled by a couple of women and could'nt tell the difference. He has matured into an excellent man and father who we should celebrate.

lmao.. oh wait, you are serious.

[feltdizz]

Exactly. Jeter probably sent two gift baskets for every hit he had.

Outside of the Roethlisberger situation, a lot of the attitudes in this thread are exactly why a lot of women refuse to go to the police or refuse to press charges when they actually are assaulted though. The attitude of some seems to be "she was drunk and wearing a DTF shirt so she deserved what was coming to her (which may or may not include rape or sexual assault)". Like, really?

All things considered, I think he's treated pretty fairly. The announcers for the last several games were going out of their way to talk about "mistakes he made when he was younger" and how he's basically a reformed man now. A fair amount of the press is positive. Fans of opposing teams have been giving him the same **** for years. The NFL and the Steelers are glorifying his achievements, not dwelling on the accusations.

Does he do good things in the community? Yeah. Does he seem to be a man who is committed to his family and his god at this point in his life? Yeah. Does that mean the things in his past go away? No.

yeah, its sick to see dudes still using a sticker and intoxication as evidence.

The coverage of Ben has been overwhelmingly positive but its definitely fair to sprinkle in his off field problems.

["BuzzNuter"]

lmao.. oh wait, you are serious.

Brother,you are coming across as an Elitist. If he would have done those 3 things he would be on the NFL network morning show. He would be a media darling.
I know you can't admit it but think about it, you know it's true.
The brother mentioned Ray Lewis. Was he not redeemed. Come on there are guys that have multiple kids by multiple women, none of whom they are married to. That's not sexist towards women and they are on all the shows.
What about all these perverts in with that Epstein devil. They say and do the right things. They are cool with the Elites.
That's the world we live in homey. Perhaps you are blessed to live in your own world but don't be dismissive of the real world around you.

[NorthCoast]

Roethlisberger never kowtowed to the media. And the media often gave no deference to him.

Take this example by some pinhead back in the day;

Ben Roethlisberger Is Back: Will the Media Finally Release Him From the Witness Protection Program?
I can't wait to see Roethlisberger run through that tunnel and hear the fan reaction. I can't wait to see how he plays. But more importantly I can't wait to see how the media will handle Roethlisberger.
Dexter Rogers
By
Dexter Rogers, Contributor
Sports Journalist/Documentary Filmmaker/Director
10/07/2010 03:30pm EDT | Updated May 25, 2011

Most of us don't really know what has been going on with embattled Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger because he's been in the mainstream media's witness protection program for the past seven months.

Roethlisberger was cleared to participate fully in team activities yesterday, so he's officially back. Roethlisberger talked only about football during his press conference.

Why?

He wasn't pressured by the media to answer questions about his recent whereabouts, and what exactly has he done to move forward from his most recent sexual assault allegation on March 5.

How come we don't know how "exactly" where and how he rehabbed his behavior like we know of Tiger Woods?

Reportedly Roethlisberger has been working out at a high school. Why hasn't the media showed Roethlisberger working out at the high school like they did Michael Vick when he came back last season?

Was Roethlisberger there honing his skills or checking more underage prospects?

Recently LeBron James suggested the media has treated him unfairly since his "Decision." The Q-Score poll suggests King James is the sixth-most hated athlete in America. Once he suggested that race factored into why he is being treated differently, the media requested James explain his feelings.

How come that same media didn't ask Roethlisberger to explain what exactly he's learned from his recent brushes with the law?

Michael Vick is playing well now. Even though his jersey is selling like hotcakes there is still a segment of the sports world that will not let him move on from his dog-fighting days. Even though Vick has played well he is still being scrutinized. The Philadelphia Inquirer recently ran the headline "TOP DOG."

Will Roethlisberger face such derogatory headlines?

Unlike Roethlisberger, at least we know what Vick is truly moving away from. We know very little about Big Ben because too much has been covered up starting with the investigation in Milledgeville, GA, and the media has done little to inquire about it.

The NFL, the Steelers and the mainstream media is ensuring Roethlisberger will get that all-important privacy. The media is allowing Roethlisberger to cleverly ease his way back into the good graces without paying the piper.

Tiger Woods was essentially forced to call a press conference that mirrored a Presidential address. He was urged to make a private matter public. He gave an 11-minute speech regarding his infidelity to the world.

Vick spent 18 months in prison. He has been very vocal about the sense of entitlement he felt as an Atlanta Falcon. He's paid his dues, is playing winning football, and moving on with life.

Why has Roethlisberger received such hands-off treatment?

I've stated this consistently and I'll state it again: Roethlisberger is getting a pass because he's a white marquee athlete with two Super Bowl rings. A combination of his complexion, stature in the NFL, and his Super Bowls has allowed him to avert justice. Unlike Tiger, Vick, and King James Roethlisberger is protected from the media like the secret service protects President Barack Obama.

Why isn't the media asking Roethlisberger what exactly he has done to improve on his reckless behavior?

Where exactly is he getting this counseling from?

What exactly did commissioner Roger Goodell and Roethlisberger talk about to have his suspension reduced from six games to four?

Tiger's situation was made very public even though he didn't commit a crime. We all are very familiar with Vick's story because the media will never let it go. Even though Vick has played well he is still being scrutinized. The Philadelphia Inquirer recently ran the headline "TOP DOG."

Will Roethlisberger face such derogatory headlines?

One thing is fairly certain -- he won't be asked the questions pertaining to his suspension. He'll unfairly slide his way back into the fold without much pressure from the media.

There seems to be separate rules for the coverage African-Americans are subject to as opposed to white athletes. Roethlisberger continues to benefit from his complexion and celebrity status. We've heard virtually nothing from him or about him in the news. Here's a guy who was facing serious allegations yet the mainstream media kept Big Ben quiet, and asked very little of him.

Vick can be named as the most disliked athlete in America, Tiger was vilified for what was going on in his personal life, and now King James is being scrutinized.

What about Roethlisberger?

I can't wait to see Roethlisberger run through that tunnel and hear the fan reaction. I can't wait to see how he plays. But more importantly I can't wait to see how the media will handle Roethlisberger.

Will they muster up enough guts to release him from the witness protection program and ask him the tough questions we want answered?

I think you know where I stand.

[feltdizz]

Brother,you are coming across as an Elitist. If he would have done those 3 things he would be on the NFL network morning show. He would be a media darling.
I know you can't admit it but think about it, you know it's true.
The brother mentioned Ray Lewis. Was he not redeemed. Come on there are guys that have multiple kids by multiple women, none of whom they are married to. That's not sexist towards women and they are on all the shows.
What about all these perverts in with that Epstein devil. They say and do the right things. They are cool with the Elites.
That's the world we live in homey. Perhaps you are blessed to live in your own world but don't be dismissive of the real world around you.

You sound nutz.

I’m an elitist? lmao. Not even sure what that means but whatever.

Ray and Vick had their time in the spotlight. They bounced back but ask 10
football fans opinions on each and I guarantee more than half will bring up their off field issues when discussing them.

Also.. Vick and Ray retired years ago. Ben retired YESTERDAY!!!

Ben is already on his Jesus Walks so he may be well on his way just like Ray and Vick.