When you are a popular sports figure and you are out with your boys, the hot blonde comes up to you. Is it you she is looking at or is it dollar signs? It's something that pro athletes have had to deal with forever. I am pretty sure that even Acanthus of Sparta was trying to relax after a race when some Hellenic hottie zeroed in on him with the intent of figuring out his Grecian formula. Then again, Acanthus was the first athlete to run naked in the Olympics so maybe she thought he was a pole vaulter.
In modern sport, names like Kobe Bryant, Anthony Mason and Mark Chumura are just as well known for their off the field activities as those on the field. This of course, brings us to the latest and, now, two-time member of this group, Ben Roethlisberger.
On March 5, police in Milledgeville, Georgia announced that Big Ben was under investigation for an accusation of sexual assault. A 20 year old local college student told police that the Steelers QB followed her in the bathroom and assaulted her while members of Roethlisberger's entourage stood outside the door making sure they were not disturbed. On April 12, 2010, it was announced that Roethlisberger would not be charged. The local D.A said that there was not enough DNA evidence to warrant charges being filed. The accuser also wrote to the D.A. saying that she no longer wanted to pursue criminal charges because the level of media attention
would make a criminal trial too "intrusive" of a personal experience but that she was not taking back her accusation.
This was not the first time. Seems that Big Ben is collecting police matters along with Super Bowl rings.
You may remember that in June of 2008, Ben was in Lake Tahoe where Andrea McNulty accused Roethlisberger of assaulting her in his hotel room while he was in town for his celebrity golf tournament. No criminal charges were filed in that case either although a civil suit in July of 2009 was brought against Roethlisberger and the casino where he was staying. Then one month later, a co-worker of McNulty gave an affidavit testifying that McNulty was bragging about the incident, claimed it was consentual and even talked about "hoping for a little Roethlisberger".
Two incidents...all too similar. Once can be an anomaly, twice is a pattern and if he is not careful, three times and he will be out.
It also begs the question...who is to blame? The groupie, who sees a young, rich, handsome ATM or the athlete who knows better but either thinks it can't or won't happen to him. As Master Obi-Wan once said...."Who's the more foolish: The fool, or the fool who follows him?"
A lot of people tend to blame the accuser, especially those who proudly wear the team colors of he who stands accused. This is knee-jerk reaction to thing that have happened in the past and make no mistake about it, those things happen. More than once has someone famous, athlete or otherwise, have been approached by someone who claims to be legit but in reality, has ulterior motives. It has happened on more than one occasion and probably will as long as there are movie stars and pro athletes. It has become so big of a problem, that most of your major pro sports leagues, including the NBA and NFL, have included "groupie-avoidance" in their rookie seminars. While I am not so naive as to think that there are not people out there with bad intentions set on getting a quick payday, I tend to lay most of my blame on the athletes themselves.
I know, I know, Where is it written that just because someone is famous, he can't have fun like normal people? Isn't that also one of the big complaints from Mr. and Mrs. America? "They are people just like us and should be treated as such!" Well, yes they should and when it comes to abiding by the law, absolutely. However, athletes, especially the higher profile ones, unfortunately just can't walk into Wal-Mart or get their McFlurry on. Why not? If you look for the enemy, you will find that it is, indeed, us. We love our famous people. We live vicariously through them, want to be like them, and want to enjoy the spoils that they enjoy. We want every detail of their lives and don't want them to have a problem with it.
There in lies the rub. They know this. They get training, and seminars and advice from veterans from day 1 and yet some players still tempt fate. They know that there are guys out there who will try to bait them into a fight or girls out there who will try to bait them into bed. They fall for it and the next thing they know, they are on the phone with the law firm of Getmyass, Outtathis, and Now. You have players who can afford limos and chauffeurs, but get tagged for DUI.
However, I don't completely blame the stars in question. From a very early age, they are fawned over, waited on, and covered for. In high school a grade is changed, in college a class is fudged or in some cases, legal indiscretions are ignored and a pattern is born. Does this excuse behavior? No but it explains why these people seem to disconnect their brain before they act. They have it ingrained into their thought process that talented people don't get in trouble.
Ben Roethlisberger is lucky. The Pittsburgh Steelers have prided themselves on being the gold (or in this case black and gold) standard in class and deportment. The Rooney family takes character very seriously and rumor has it that they are furious over this. Big Ben's teammate and Super Bowl XLIII MVP Santonio Holmes was just shipped to the Jets for just a 5th round draft pick. Holmes was suspended for the first four games of the 2010 season for violation of the NFL's drug policy and has had other run-ins with the law for such activities as assault, drug possession and disorderly conduct. Personally, I think if Ben wasn't a quarterback and Pittsburgh didn't have a buttload of money invested in him, he might have already been gone. However with these two incidents, along with his infamous motorcycle accident in the Summer of 2006 (wear a helmet, dumbass!) his margin of error in the Steel City is pretty much gone. If he screws up again, don't be surprised to see the Steelers send him packing.
You're 28 years old. You have the honor and privilege to play at the highest level of the sport you love. You have more money than you will ever need. Use your head. Realize what you can do safely and what will invite trouble. You can pick apart defenses on the run and fire the ball 50 yards downfield for a score. You can carry a team and city on your shoulders and lead them to the promised land. Surely you can understand that hanging out in a bar getting college girls drunk will not end well.
It's third down, Ben...if you are forced to punt, you might not get back on the Heinz Field turf.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment