Sports Illustrated Exposes The Real Ben Roethlisberger
By chris
What do you collect?
I admit to being a tad obsessive compulsive. My comic book collection is meticulously organized as are my dvds, pornos, and books about war. If that’s not enough, I also collect issues of Sports Illustrated which feature Pittsburgh Steelers on the cover. My collection is by no means complete (I’m not exactly rich enough to afford back issues from 1975) but it does go all the way back to Kordell Stewart on the cover of SI For Kids.
So imagine my surprise when I saw this week’s issue of SI in my mailbox. It certainly presents me with an interesting dilemma. On the one hand, a Steeler is on the cover. On the other, it’s the demented image of Ben Roethlisberger. Not exactly a prize addition to my collection.
Now, I know I said I was done with the Big Ben bashing. But this is my site and I can do whatever I want. Plus, I read the SI article and it was a scathing evisceration exposing what a complete tool the man really is. I strongly suggest you seek it out because they clearly spent a lot of time researching the story, especially if you don’t live in Pittsburgh and aren’t aware of some of the things us locals have been hearing for years. Or click here and read the story online although that takes away the fun of reading on the can.
I’m not going to go point by point through this excellent piece of journalism because I’ve already given my take time and again. I will point out two things in the story which are important to note.
"A few months after the [motorcycle] accident, a reporter and a cameraman for KDKA-TV, the CBS affiliate that broadcasts Steelers games, were driving on I-376 in Pittsburgh when they saw two men on motorcycles and recognized one as Roethlisberger, who was not wearing a helmet. They began shooting footage, which showed Roethlisberger giving them the finger as he sped away, but the video never aired."
KDKA denies this tape exists. However, a number of media people in Pittsburgh, longtime KDKA sports reporter John Steigerwald among them, say the footage did exist but it was squashed by higher ups at the network. I have no doubt this is true. Anybody that has lived in Pittsburgh for a period of time knows the Steelers rule this town. They are untouchable by the local media, constantly fawned over and impervious to criticism. So there should be absolutely no doubt they wouldn’t hesitate to protect our imbecile QB by refusing to air damning footage.
"A neighbor who lives near Roethlisberger in a tony section of Gibsonia, Pa., but did not want to be named has also seen the quarterback on his motorcycle. “I’ve never seen him with a helmet,” the neighbor said."
And this is another key statement. Throughout this entire ordeal, we’ve heard time and time again how Big Shady is “committed to change.” Yet he also promised to never ride his motorcycle again without a helmet after getting his face smashed back in 2006. A near death experience and facial reconstruction surgery that would make the Six Million Dollar Man jealous clearly wasn’t enough to teach him a lesson. So why are we assuming that a bunch of hillbilly cops down in Georgia letting him skate on raping a college coed is going to scare him straight?
Earlier today, news broke that New York Giants great Lawrence Taylor was arrested in connection with frequenting a 16-year-old prostitute. L.T. was one of the greatest linebackers who ever lived but he is also one of the biggest screw-ups. He was repeatedly suspended for failed drug tests while playing, went to jail three times for cocaine possession after he retired, and has run afoul of the law on many other occasions. After several of these incidents, he’d proclaim he received a wake-up call and was going to change his ways.
But he never has and he never will. You know why? Because some people are just rotten human beings. They can’t change and they don’t want to change. Maybe it has something to do with their upbringing. Maybe it’s related to why they became great athletes. None of that matters. What matters is that some people are no good. And while I hope Ben Roethlisberger isn’t one of them, it would seem the evidence suggests otherwise.