A Lesson in Decisions

http://espn.go.com/blog/afcnorth/post/_/id/12508/roethlisbergers-statement-on-suspension

So…it has been quite awhile since my last entry and I must say that I have missed it! Jumping right in, of course, I will start with an issue from the NFL. Big Ben. The Pittsburgh Steelers’ million dollar franchise quarterback cannot seem to keep his name out of the headlines during the offseason. For the second time, he was accused of a sexual assault. The first occurred in 2009 from a woman in Nevada. Recently, a 20-year old college student from Georgia is accusing Roethlisberger again. In 2006, he received a lot of criticism by not wearing a helmet while riding his motorcycle and consequently received several injuries when he crashed. Why Ben? What is going on with you? To me, it is not a matter of whether you did it or not. Since I am not law enforcement, it is not up to me to determine guilt or innocence. As a sports fan, however, he is guilty of putting himself in bad situations that are hurting his reputation in and out of the locker room. No need to send the jury out on that one. Frankly, I am not sure if it is possible to continue to cheer for him after all of these situations. Things just keep adding up.

I was in a fiery debate with a friend about this situation. He basically questioned why Roethlisberger was getting so much flack when he was not charged with any crime, and while he understands why Roger Goodell suspended the quarterback for six games, this friend does not agree with the backlash that Roethlisberger is getting from the media, fans, and teammates. My response to him was and still is it does not matter. He is held to a higher standard. That is what happens when you make the kind of money that he makes. You are in the spotlight and are judged when you are a Super Bowl winning quarterback (particularly a two-time winning one). My friend went on to say that he is a young, single man doing what most young, single men would do.

Well, there lies the problem. It is not acceptable at all and it is definitely unacceptable from a quarterback who (corny or not) is (or at least was) a role model. There is no doubt that he is being targeted because of who he is and what he has done, but if this is the type of behavior he wants to engage in then he must be prepared for the consequences. That would be my suggestion to any young, single man. The difference is that most young, single man does not have as high of consequences to deal with as Ben.