If Roethlisberger skates, Goodell will face a race debate
Ben Roethlisberger read a statement Monday, giving a generic apology for his behavior.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has shown little tolerance for players who don’t walk the line like good little clones. So I’m going to assume he will treat the NFL’s latest “suspected” felon the same way as he has others. Otherwise, he’s setting himself up for a mini race riot.
Ben Roethlisberger is innocent of sexual assault. Or, I should say, the district attorney in Milledgeville announced he won’t bring charges because he doesn’t believe he can prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. (Often in cases like this, the alleged victim also was drinking so it makes things difficult to prove. And sometimes, the alleged victim also gets an envelope full of cash to suddenly not cooperate with police. I’m not saying that’s what happened. I’m just saying that happens.)
Back to Goodell. He has suspended players in the past who were arrested but not convicted of crimes. Most notable on the list: Adam “Pacman” Jones and
Unfortunately, this is one of the faces of the NFL.
Chris Henry. You’ll recall that he also told Michael Vick not to report to Falcons training camp, even while Vick was denying guilt and long before he pled to dog-fighting charges.
Jones, Henry and Vick all are African American. Roethlisberger is white.
I understand the arguments on both sides of the suspension debate.
♦ For suspension: The NFL is like any other employer. The “conduct detrimental to the league” excuse works for any company that wishes to fire or suspend an employee who is prone to excessive knuckleheadedness.
♦ Against suspension: If a man isn’t convicted of a crime, the NFL has no right to punish him.
The problem here is that Goodell already has set precedent. He can’t go back now. There is enough circumstantial evidence of Roethlisberger excessively imbibing. There are now at least two cases where a woman has brought sex assault allegations against him (he faces a civil suit stemming from an alleged incident in Lake Tahoe, Nev., in 2008).
As a Super Bowl winning quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Roethlisberger is making both the NFL and one of its centerpiece franchises look bad. For Goodell, this should be am easy call.
When Goodell suspended Jones and Henry in 2007, he sent letters to the two players that read in part: “Your conduct has brought embarrassment and ridicule upon yourself, your club, and the NFL, and has damaged the reputation of players throughout the league. You have put in jeopardy an otherwise promising NFL career, and have risked both your own safety and the safety of others through your off-field actions. In each of these respects, you have engaged in conduct detrimental to the NFL and failed to live up to the standards expected of NFL players. Taken as a whole, this conduct warrants significant sanction.”
Is there any difference in this case?
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Roethlisberger meets with NFL commissioner (Midnight Update) | Internet Buzz
April 14th, 2010
12:45 am
[...] If Roethlisberger skates, Goodell will face a race debate Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) – Apr 13th – 19:39 [...]
JSS
April 14th, 2010
12:51 am
@Crabapple Doh…
Jealous? Oh being crap face drunk with a little girl is something to envy? Not even when I partied from Sundown to Sun up did I get plowed or had to get girls or grown women plowed to have a “good time!” I don’t care if it was one old “Fabulous Mile” in Midtown. “The Strip” in Pittsburgh, TMZ in LA, or the “Mellow Mushroom” on Lake Oconee Parkway; I knew better and no DA had to get my case…
doc
April 14th, 2010
1:00 am
najeh, there was tampering with evidence, also he was accompanied by friend cops who were looking out for him as his posse and they refused to let folks into the mens room to help the girl or check on her by some accounts. that is more than circumstantial as he already is being involved in another law suit of similar nature. the guy probably has too many hits to his frontal brain to have much judgement from football hits to his injuries on his bike. just the same, the point needs to be made to all us included that it is unacceptable to him going forward or anyone else. pac man never was convicted though he was a bad guy and big ben is just as nasty.
until big ben is treated like a pervert or the predator that he is, in spite of his large protective posse throwing their weight around, by the nfl, i will lose confidence in goodell. the others, that have walked the plank goodell put in fromt of them, should have recourse to sue him and the league for back pay. the guy should be down for at least 4 to 8 games and be on permanent probation for a quick exit to the canadian league for any other offenses of this nature.
Marva
April 14th, 2010
1:05 am
I agree with Jeff’s opinion. There needs to be some tangible punishment by the NFL, or there will be too many cries of racism.
Marva
April 14th, 2010
1:08 am
Suspension for 8 games sounds about right. And a strong public tongue-lashing.
Seattle Falcons Fan
April 14th, 2010
1:52 am
He obviously raped these poor girls….two in a couple of months…give me a break…. Kobe was one thing… that girl had like 4 different mens sperm in her……. Ben is a sexual predeator and uses his money to get him out of a jam…. I’ve seen his type several times…. I’m white and all you making this a white vs black situation are so stupid… this has nothing to do with it….. listen to his post game super bowl winning interveiws…. he is just a big a worthless thug as Vick or all the rest…… the poor girl was drunk and now can’t prove he raped her…. he better be suspended or else I’m going to start believing the NFL will make an exception for white star players…………….. just like Barry Bonds…. why is he such an outcast while Jason G. and Andy Petite are signed and cheered for….. Bonds could have hit 50 more HRs….
Seattle Falcons Fan
April 14th, 2010
1:57 am
I agree JSS…. I have been with many woman and none have ever told the police I raped them….. Especially two in like 6 months….. he is the type of person you want to keep your baby daughters away from………… if my 15yr old daughter gets raped by some a-hole like that…..I don’t care how big he is…..the Steelers select a QB in the first round because I would kill his as#..!!!!
Seattle Falcons Fan
April 14th, 2010
2:09 am
P.S.- Any Vick supporter should give up on life right now……. He was a horrible QB that could run…. He never watch film or worked out in the off season…. He was dumb as sh#t….. If you just signed a multi million dollar contract for 10 years, why are you going to try and sneak $10 worth of weed on an airplane??????? I would have hired a weed dealer to live at my house with the best stuff and thrown that crap in the garbage….. Then he flicks off the fans and murders dogs for fun…. what an a-hole….. how can you support him… are you racist?????… do you not like that Matt Ryan’s white… have you not noticed that these guys are individuals and not some kinds of race representatives… this is a football team get over it… we alll just want the Falcons to WIN……
Najeh Davenpoop
April 14th, 2010
3:01 am
doc, Pacman pleaded guilty to lesser offenses to avoid jail time — this is why he was on probation. Believe me, I think the evidence points towards Ben having committed a crime that day, but as despicable as his behavior may be, I can’t support the dictator Goodell and his arbitrary enforcement of his conduct policy. If he suspends Ben despite his not being charged, it opens the already broken floodgates even further for him to start suspending people for doing anything he disapproves of. I can’t support anything Goodell does discipline-wise until he sets fixed punishments for crimes
and leaves his personal discretion, or lack thereof, out of the equation.
Jim007
April 14th, 2010
4:38 am
Big Ben is the true ‘ Village Idiot ”
With so many storys coming to light, this guy is simply a Mega Moron.
Suspension is in Order maybe 1/2 the season
Goodell can use with that old Miami Vice line
Your suspended and the charge is ” Stupidy “
thedream
April 14th, 2010
4:56 am
does anyone else thing that Rothlisberger looks completely …sleazy for lack of better words? I mean even without all of this negativeness surrounding him, I look at him and think “slimy” and “greasy”. I dunno…just something about him.
joetheplumber
April 14th, 2010
5:28 am
THE MEDIA GAVE Ben “Rapist” Roethlisberger ONE PASS ALREADY, SO THE FIRST WOMAN WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO USE THE BAD PRESS TO GET MORE MONEY OUT OF HIM. THATS THE OPPOSITE OF HOW “ALL THE MEDIA” DID TIGER. THE MEDIA HELPED THOSE SK@NKS GET RICH OFF OF HIM. Why did they do that?
It’s called media racism. Have you noticed you never ever ever hear anything bad about hockey players even though they beat the hell out of each other on the ice. They all go home and just eat cookies and drink milk according to the media.
Why did the guy that got a picture of Michael Phelps smoking pot have to go to Britain just to find a news organization that wanted to buy the photo? It was only after other country’s tabloid reported it that American media outlets did the story.
Bill
April 14th, 2010
6:42 am
Let’s see:
Pacman had 10 incidents, including 4 arrests, before he ever got suspended.
Tank Johnson was already in jail before he got suspended (not to mention he had enough arms in the car to supply a small coup)
Vick was “asked” not to go to camp, during a period when he was not getting paid. He was suspended after he pled guilty.
Chris Henry had already been found guilty.
I think what Big Ben did was morally gross, and if I owned the Steelers I would have been a player in the McNabb sweepstakes, but if BR gets suspended, it is reverse discrimination and only because he is white.
FalconUGAFan
April 14th, 2010
6:44 am
Wow not sure how this turned into a Ryan/Vick hatefest. I thought the topic was Roethlisberger. When a player is convicted, it is clear, the NFL needs to hand out punishment. Done. When a player is accused, it requires some investigation on the part of the NFL and punishment should be meted out accordingly regardless of race. Roth is clearly a knucklehead at the least and possibly a sex offender and should be punished. I wonder if the players have a morality clause in their contracts? I think most do.
Captain America
April 14th, 2010
6:56 am
What NFL player has Goodell suspended for conduct detrimental to the league that has NEVER even been charged with a crime? NONE!
If Ben gets a suspension he should sue the hell out of he league for racial discrimination.
Oh please those HOT women
April 14th, 2010
7:24 am
Oh Please those HOT momas knew who he was and probably targeted him. What he needs to do is FIND HIM A WIFE. He does NOT need to be suspended.
GaDawgFan
April 14th, 2010
7:32 am
I am European American not white
Clay
April 14th, 2010
7:48 am
I suggest you Ben defenders read the entire statement of the DA, not just the edited version ESPN is showing. Then read the civil suit by the woman in Vegas, who, by the way, will drop her suit if Ben issues her an apology. You begin to see a pattern of a guy who thinks because he’s famous and rich, he can take what he wants. He even hired the lawyer who got Ray Lewis off his murder charge, and wouldn’t come back for a GBI interview. Sounds like an innocent guy, huh? No, he was just smart enough not to leave a “discharge,” from which a DNA sample could have been taken. It’s all there in gory detail in the DA’s statement.
Hell yes, he should be suspended.
Clay
April 14th, 2010
7:54 am
I’ve had a “good time” in a bar too, crabapplejoe. It did not involve a bodyguard blocking anyone from entering a bathroom where I had taken an underage girl with whom I had provided way too much alcohol. Ben is pretty pathetic if that’s the only way he can get girls.
UglyOldDog
April 14th, 2010
8:03 am
The guy has talent….and a $.50 brain…give 6 or 8 games to understand that his actions screw his teammates and owners. Hopefully something will dawn on Big Ben Butthead!!!!!!!
heartofdarkness
April 14th, 2010
8:10 am
“Ben Roethlisberger is innocent of sexual assault”. Interesting choice of words. More accurate, I believe, would be BR was not charged with sexual assault by the district attorney. Of course, criminal statutes tend to define the area around the lowest acceptable standards of conduct a society will accept. The statutes defining commercially acceptable behaviour seem to occupy the same ethical strata, but do not attract as extreme a punishment. So, once again, professional [and semi-professional] sport becomes the stage upon which we dramatize life’s worst compulsions and society’s willingness to tolerate the resulting activities as measured by the public’s predisposition to buy tickets. Maybe Nietzsche was right.
Rico
April 14th, 2010
8:16 am
So basically what you’re advocating, Mr. Schultz, is that big bad Ben should be suspended because of the color of his skin.
Shame on you and your bigotry.
Billy Bob
April 14th, 2010
8:18 am
Suspend the Sloth-man. Every man takes off duty officers with them to troll college bars, right? The NFL & the Steelers want a predator representing them, right?
Todd - Dacula
April 14th, 2010
8:34 am
For (alleged) sexual assault, TWICE; this guy should be suspended for a year. regardless of the other cases against minority players. 1 year really isn’t enought. You are talking about a total disregard for a human being.
If Godell fail to issue a signifiant suspension,the other athletes should sue Godell and the league for what ever is applicable. I am not going to compare dog fighting and the things Henry and ‘Pac Man’ was accused of, however, taking advantage of a human being, especially a female, even if she has been drinking is just plain criminal. Roethlisberger is a criminal that has not been charged.
I must say that I do ot expect the commissioner to issue a significant suspension, simply because I believe he has racial bias tendencies. Matt Jones shoudl have been suspended for the drup charges, but was alowed to play until he violated probabtion.
Lets see what really happens.
Eaasssyy
April 14th, 2010
8:42 am
if donovan mcnabb were brought up on allegations, twice, each of which no charges filed, should he be suspended?
doc
April 14th, 2010
8:43 am
najeh even the courts are arbitrary. pacman pleaded to lesser offenses that did not fit what his ultimate suspension was so goodell assumed worse. it is a business so anything is fair as long as the union accepts it.
ELVISINTHEHOUSE.
April 14th, 2010
8:52 am
Aaron,very dumb comment.
Brock
April 14th, 2010
8:53 am
It’s very simple people. Ben should pay…………………… pay women have sex with him!! That is one ugly mf’er.
John
April 14th, 2010
8:55 am
He SHOULD NOT be suspended because 1) He was not arrested in either case, 2) race does not matter. GO STEELERS!!!
Dude
April 14th, 2010
9:05 am
I am about tired of this race BS. Rosenbagger wasn’t convicted of any crime or even CHARGED!!! But I am sure that if he isn’t at least slapped on the wrist, the ACLU and NAACP will have a field day. Don’t get me wrong, he isn’t the best when it comes to decisions in his personal life. But, if they suspended a guy for every hickup or use of poor judgement, there wouldn’t be professional sports in America.
Dude
April 14th, 2010
9:07 am
Amen Brock, That is one ugly dude!!
NFC FAN
April 14th, 2010
9:25 am
i think he should be suspended until the conclusion of the civil suit , then if he is found guilty he should be banned. and if you think that is harsh remember he assaulted a person (if found guilty)
jerry
April 14th, 2010
9:26 am
You can bet your a$$ that if there had been enough dna to determine the donor, Ben would have been charged. The girl did not have that to back her up and that is the only reason the DA did not charge his sorry a$$. Ben is one lucky piece of crap.
Dr. Phil
April 14th, 2010
9:32 am
Ben wasn’t arrested because the investigating cop was part of Ben’s “entourage.”
D.W.
April 14th, 2010
9:38 am
This guy is a genius and everyone wants to be associated with a genius. He bought a motor vehicle and rode around on it without a license or helment and since has had two (2) questionable encounters with females. He the quarterback for what I once perceived as the most classiest organaziation in professional football. I quess they like geniuses too and I know Roger Goddell loves geniuses. Uuuummm?
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 14th, 2010
9:51 am
Seattle Falcons Fan
April 14th, 2010
2:09 am
P.S.- Any Vick supporter should give up on life right now……. He was a horrible QB that could run…. He never watch film or worked out in the off season…. He was dumb as sh#t….. If you just signed a multi million dollar contract for 10 years, why are you going to try and sneak $10 worth of weed on an airplane???????
——————————————————
You are beyond “STUPID”!
Your post is full of more contradictions than I can possibly cover.
First, you compare the crimes of “Dogs” vs “Women”. What Vick “supposedly” did does not even come close to the torture, rape, abuse and mental sabotage that “ACTUAL” Humans have endured behind this piece of crap Golden Boy.
Comparing the two, if I was a profiler, I would be knocking on your door with a search warrant checking for human remains.
Second – damn right Vick flipped off “Racist” fans. I would flip them off with both hands. If you call me racist names, I would do more than flip you off, so if you are one of them, here is a DOUBLE flip off for you.
Finally, you contradicted yourself the most, by saying the same of tired arguments that white people who are fearful of the quarterback position being revolutionalized and in danger of athletic multi dimensional players changing the dynamics and requirements of the position, just like the demographic in the NBA.
You say in one breath that he was not a good quarterback and in a second breath, you said he didn’t watch film. Now, you have quarterbacks like Matt “CHOKE” Ryan, Jay Cutler, Aaron Rodgers, Seneca Wallace, Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson and the list goes on and of “Great Bust Hopes” who study film, yet have not even won a single playoff game and making multiple pro bowls – only on Madden would they even be mentioned by the pro bowl selection.
That argument about him not being a good quarterback, I just direct you to the Falccons archives and look up the quarterbacks in Falcons history list of victories and tell me who is listed number 2 on that list – I think we know where I am going
In 2002, Vick in his sophomore year, lets see what he did:
- Voted to his 1st of 3 pro bowls.
- Finished 2nd in the MVP voting.
- 1ST QB in NFL “HISTORY” to beat Green Bay at home in playoffs.
What did Matt “CHOKE” Ryan do in his sophomore season:
- Had 2 or more picks in 4 straight games.
- Had a pick in 6 straight games.
- Had 14 picks in just 13 games played in 2009.
- Did not play or win a playoff game to compare to Vick’s 2nd year.
Now, you have a guy like the CHOKE who studies film, supposedly reads defenses, had a Hall of Fame tight end to add to a roster with a pro bowl receiver and pro bowl back and still fails to make the playoffs, yet you have a guy that you admitted doesn’t study film and doesn’t read defenses, yet he has playoff wins and a championship game on his resume.
You my friend are – STUPID, DUMB and DELUSIONAL.
HA HA HA
Marie
April 14th, 2010
10:19 am
So let me get this straight from all the guys on here who believe the commissioner should not take any action against Ben since he was not charged. If your 20 year old college daughter became intoxicated at a party, it is okay for a young man at the party to take advantage of her in this state? And if the college finds out about what he did — they should not pursue any course of action against the young man since he was NEVER charged with a crime?
Sorry guys but if a young man attending college had committed the EXACT SAME thing Big Ben did during a night of partying with a group of guys and gals; and had sex with a girl clearly too intoxicated to consent to sex — he would face expulsion from college. And it doesn’t matter if he was charged by the local DA with a crime or not. The school reserves the right to take any course of action they deem appropriate to prevent this type of boorish behaviour from becoming acceptable.
And like I said if Big Ben wants to act like a college frat boy then the commissioner should treat him like one; kicked out the league — NO; but a good kick in his wallet and few games suspension should get the point across.
BTW — When Michael Vick was facing dog fighting charges all these liberal groups like PETA and HSA was all over him. Where are the liberal women groups like NARAL and NOW?
Ben Roethlisberger dumped as beef jerky spokesperson (Morning Update) | Internet Buzz
April 14th, 2010
10:27 am
[...] If Roethlisberger skates, Goodell will face a race debate Atlanta Journal Constitution (blog) – Apr 13th – 19:39 [...]
The Dude
April 14th, 2010
10:52 am
This Rothliswhatsits treats objects like women, man. This aggression … this aggression will not stand, uh, man.
Pierre
April 14th, 2010
11:33 am
Totally disagree that there is precedent for suspension. Pacman and Vick both had pending criminal cases in front of them whereas Ben has no criminal liability in any of these incidents.
Hollywould
April 14th, 2010
11:41 am
Stat boy, you are correct on Vick’s soph. season. Now about every other season…….. Remember, Vick Supporter says “stats don’t matter.”
AJC Truth Detector
April 14th, 2010
12:13 pm
LORDY….LORDY…..LORDY….JEFF…..YOU STOLE MY WORDs…..GOOD LITTLE liberal CLONES is exactly what we have in the Obama-Atlanta Urnal staff.
Louis
April 14th, 2010
12:16 pm
Uh, yeah, there’s a difference. PacMan Jones had 10 run-ins with the law, including 5 ARRESTS which included drug and battery charges ACTUALLY being brought against him BEFORE Goodell suspended him. The late Chris Henry was ARRESTED 4 times in 14 months for drugs, weapons, DUI and providing alcohol to minors, AND spent time in jail BEFORE Goodell stepped in.
The Lake Tahoe case is a joke, and in Georgia you have a woman who first said that Ben didn’t rape her, then said she didn’t even know if the 2 had sex, and then in the morning after she’s sober somehow vividly remembered saying no and being raped?!? Please.
GIMMEABREAK
April 14th, 2010
12:17 pm
Sexually assulting a WOMAN is way worst than fighting a DOG! While I don’t condone dog fighting lets just stick to the truth – he probably did sexually assult the woman – offered her a payout to drop the charges-she let it go- HE got off and SHE got paid. But HE still should be suspended for his actions because he was wrong and fed alcohol to an underage young lady. HE embarrassed the NFL just like the rest of them did!
The Dogfighter Returns
April 14th, 2010
12:18 pm
come on no one was hurt. it was just a he said she said. deep down she really wanted to be with ben and had a change of heart afterwards.
no harm no foul. let big ben run wild on heinz field. why stop the show.
hell the nfl is a relief from the low life politicos.
Ben is a great guy he wouldn’t harm a fly.
Sitller
April 14th, 2010
12:19 pm
Leave it to an Altanta columnist to make this racial.
The Dogfighter Returns
April 14th, 2010
12:21 pm
Choke you are 4 months ahead of schedule dude. simmer down bro.
London Clock
April 14th, 2010
12:21 pm
I would give him a two game suspension for that freakin’ hair-do!
junebaby
April 14th, 2010
12:21 pm
Choke…, i feel your pain! i noticed i didn’t see any comment from you for a long time. i gather you were banned for speaking the truth. i suspect the same thing is going to happen with me. my posts are awaiting moderation, while the worst names and phrases will be allowed to continue. oh well, that’s life in america for you. notice the only people i’ve said bad things about are the three stooges, who continually stir the racism pot with their race-baiting columns.
AUG247
April 14th, 2010
12:24 pm
I’m sick and tired of everyone trying to make this a “race” issue. It isn’t. The facts are Ben is a QB and Holmes is a WR. It is about being “the Franchise”. There are no comparisons to Vick. Vick was arrested for gambling. Ben hasn’t been arrested for anything. PacMan Jones was arrested 5 times before he was suspended. Ben did use “bad” judgement. He may or may not have done it, but there wasn’t enough evidence. Schullz, you wrote this article because you knew it would stir the pot. IT IS NOT A RACE ISSUE! I’m sure Ben will get a “steep” penalty due to the public “political correctness” of this country.