It’s certainly been talked about quite a bit, but the Roethlisberger injury brings up a debate interesting enough to continue its discussion. Big Ben appears to be over any life-threatening harm, so we’ll look at this accident from a purely sports fan’s point of view. Whether a Steelers die-hard fan or simply a fantasy player, everyone seems to have a rather strong opinion one way or another regarding this situation. The facts are simple; Roethlisberger was in a motorcycle accident that saw him suffer the following injuries: broken upper and lower jaw; mild concussion; fractured nose; multiple head cuts and bumps and bruises, including a 9-inch laceration to his skull; two lost teeth; several other chipped teeth and minor knee damage.
POINT
Ben Roethlisberger is an adult and no one can, nor should, tell him how to live his life. Nowhere in his contract was it written that riding a motorcycle was forbidden. Life is dangerous. The guy could get run over by a car when simply crossing the street. Freak accidents happen everyday of the week. It sucks, but Roethlisberger did nothing wrong in the process; he’s a 24-year-old doing what people that age are supposed to do. If he didn’t have a push-the-limits attitude, no way would he be a successful football player. This behavior is why he can stand in the pocket with 300-pound monsters trying to knock his block off. Athletes are risk-takers in general, and it’s completely unfair to ask them to behave this way while only on the gridiron. If society hasn’t accepted the fact that athletes often view themselves as indestructible yet, what are they waiting for? Competitors don’t play croquet in their spare time because it’s not in their nature. They are trying to find the line and how close they can get to crossing it. Did Big Ben cross it? No way, it’s not like he was drinking and putting himself unnecessarily at risk. He’s not asking you to feel sympathetic, but it’s his right of freedom to ride on a bike, even without a helmet, which was not against the law by the way. If he was walking down the street smoking a cigarette I’d have a bigger problem than what he did, at least then he’d be harming others in the process.
COUNTERPOINT
If Roethlisberger were a tennis player or a golfer, I would have no problem with it. Unfortunately, Big Ben plays a team sport, making all the difference in the world. Listen, this guy has people counting on him both emotionally and financially. His team, it could be argued, is 100 percent dependant upon him. Charlie Batch is beyond awful. Roethlisberger relies solely on his body, so he needs to treat it as such. After all, this is the same guy who, while visiting the site of the World Trade Center, recalled how he “didn’t even lift that day” after learning of the September 11 attacks. Einstein he is not. Which partially explains the completely irresponsible behavior of putting himself in a hazardous situation, and make no mistake, riding a Suzuki Hayabusa sans a helmet qualifies as hazardous. No matter how dimwitted, it’s not like he didn’t know the possible consequences. Coach Bill Cower warned him in a stern lecture following Kellen Winslow Jr.’s career-threatening bike crash. Jason Williams may never play in the NBA again because he couldn’t stay off his motorcycle. Dennis Rodman wrecked his bike twice, the second time in front of a strip club for added effect. The list goes on and on. Big Ben should have known better. He wasn’t just putting himself at risk, he was putting his friends, family and an entire organization at risk as well. Selfish, unbelievably selfish. A blitzing free safety is risky, a fast-approaching Lincoln Town Car is deadly. Teammate Joey Porter was onto something when he was asked last year about Roethlisberger riding motorcycles. “What I say about motorcycles is that concrete is undefeated,” Porter said.
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