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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291 comments Add your comment
pucky
April 14th, 2010
12:25 pm
Second time in a year for the same thing??? Sit him down, if for no other reason then he is an idiot.
“I can’t help it, woman keep taking advantage of me when I go to bars”, Then stop going to bars bud, life is not fair……….but then again you have 100 million so it’s a good trade off.
bcatl
April 14th, 2010
12:29 pm
This is a simple case. The guy is an accident waiting to happen. In fact, multiple “accidents” have already happened.
If this man keeps going down his present path, he’ll bring more grief to himself and to the league. He needs a wakeup call.
Of course suspend him, for at least two games.
What's Important
April 14th, 2010
12:31 pm
Jeff, since you are “just saying” that it happens that victims sometimes get paid off, they also sometimes are subject to intimidation by sleazy defense lawyers who have clients with lots of money. Remember that while District Attorneys, other than the clown in North Carolina, are bound to stick to some semblance of the facts, defense attorneys are not, they are allowed to spout anything they want on TV, put forth any scenario and say anything about the victim they wish. A 20 year old college student with a small town district attorney as her lawyers up against Ed Garland and his gang of thieves, could have a tremendous amount of pressure placed upon her, and have her reputation ruined, whether warranted or not. I for one would not want my daughter to have to go through that kind of scrutiny and attack after having been traumatized by a sexual assault. So when you are “just saying” you might want to just say that also.
Hindu Elvis Pimp
April 14th, 2010
12:34 pm
Enter your comments here
Mulligan
April 14th, 2010
12:36 pm
Race has become the wedge that will break this country. I’ll bet the Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves because they chose not to address the issue when they drafted the Constitution, and look where we are. There are extremists on both ends of this topic who espouse the kind of hatred that would make Hitler proud. The conversation is uncomfortable and one of the most volatile issues across the board in the USA. There is no viable “solution”….when you see small children at play – or even disabled adults w/intellectual disabilities, you can witness race “irrelevance”. Color has no consideration for these individuals….we adults blessed with “normal” intellect should be so lucky.
GASteelahsFan
April 14th, 2010
12:39 pm
Race is going to be an “issue” for debate regardless! Goodell’s haste to action with respect players of color versus his deliberation when comes to caucasian players (Matt Jones & now Ben) just indicates that there is a double standard.
Vick was forbidden to attend any fuctions on Falcons property because of the potential distraction. If this latest “flap” doesn’t create a distraction in the mind of Goodell, he will yet again leave the door open to this type of scrutiny.
When Goodell enforces the code of conduct with equal amount of deliberation then this type of stuff should cease.
Luv 2 Hate Me
April 14th, 2010
12:42 pm
Ruthlessraper and Rapistberger…Now that’s funny (lol)
bcatl
April 14th, 2010
12:43 pm
Another think, I hope he does get suspended as I said. But the guy is well on the way to turning his career into toast anyway.
Even in the world of Superstardom, he’s exceeded the stupidity limit. What kind of guy can engrage Arnold Palmer, Terry Bradshaw, and a prosecutor from Georgia, and who knows who else, in this short period of time? Man, that has to be a record of some kind.
Give me a break. Even for the big guys it can turn into a very small world if you start stepping on the wrong toes.
Cousin Curtis
April 14th, 2010
12:44 pm
Damn, Vick Supporter. The haters don’t like you much for having an opinion. I don’t necessarily agree with your opinion, but the bigotry’s getting pretty thick in here.
As a Falcons fan, I’m glad Vick is gone. For all his amazing talent, he was inconsistent as hell in Atlanta, and his off-the-field antics were a distraction we didn’t need. Hope he does well elsewhere.
Big Ben is a dirtbag. Three unrelated rape allegations — where there’s smoke there’s fire. I wouldn’t want him on my team either, and I think heavy-handed discipline from Goodell is in order. In addition, as a man who loves his wife, daughter, mother, and sister, I wish they’d line him up with a 350-lb butt-raping cellmate to teach him what being violated feels like.
JASon
April 14th, 2010
12:52 pm
Henry was GUILTY of multiple gun charges.
Pacman was GUILTY in a strip club melee.
What has Roethlisberger been guilty of? I’m waiting, Jeff…
Yeah, that’s right NOTHING. Why don’t you look at the results before you start playing the race card. I’m sick of people like you.
vader
April 14th, 2010
12:56 pm
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.”
THE ABOVE STATEMENT SUMS IT ALL UP!THE NFL COMMISSIONER NEVER SAID THAT A PERSON MUST BE ARRESTED VS. ACCUSED TO DECIDE HIS FATE. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THE STANDARD MUST BE OBJECTIVE AND NOT SUBJECTIVE, AND THEREFORE, THE OBJECTIVE FACT IS THAT BIG BEN HAS ALLOWED HIMSELF NOT ONCE, BUT TWICE TO BE INVOLVED IN SITUATIONS THAT IN GOODELL’S WORDS: “Your conduct has brought embarrassment and ridicule upon yourself, your club, and the NFL, and has damaged the reputation of players throughout the league.”
ACCEPT IT OR NOT, GOODELL SET THE STANDARD A LONG TIME AGO, AND NOW HE IS FACED WITH THE DECISION TO BE CONSISTENT.
LASTLY, I AM JUST AS GUILTY, BUT THE MENTION OF RACE BY THE WRITER OF THIS ARTICLE, ACCOMPLISHED JUST WHAT WAS INTENDED, AND THAT’S THE POINT OF GARNERING DISCUSSION, AND MEDIA TIME ON THEIR SITE!
Michael
April 14th, 2010
12:57 pm
The AJC continues to be a piece of crap. Too bad it’s the only fishwrapper in town.
As for you JS, congrats to stir up all the racist haters once again. You suck.
JEWELL
April 14th, 2010
12:58 pm
aaron….kobe never paid anything to anyone….except the ring for his wife….
Michael
April 14th, 2010
1:02 pm
Jewell, how the hell do you know???
jay
April 14th, 2010
1:04 pm
Big Ben needs to be suspended for showing up at his press conference dressed like a sex offender….He looks like a degenerate in the first photo with his hair slicked back and the 5 o’clock shadow on his face.
vader
April 14th, 2010
1:04 pm
Talking about being manipulated by the media!
soulfinger
April 14th, 2010
1:06 pm
What was I thinking??? I thought this would be a serious level headed discussion…I got to the 5th comment and there were the ignorant racial slurs.
Good Grief
April 14th, 2010
1:08 pm
I agree, Ben should be suspended. Don’t think it will be the whole season, but at least a few games. The two rapes (who knows its possibly more than that), and then there was that motorbike accident which isn’t a crime and im not sure how much its his fault, but it seems like every season we hear some crazy story about this guy. He’s had two cases of alleged sexual assault so sit him. Its as simple as that.
bcatl
April 14th, 2010
1:09 pm
Right on Jay. I mean, how could the guy be more clueless?
Tye
April 14th, 2010
1:12 pm
I do not understand why the AJC continues to pay Jeff Schultz… Vick & Pac are both criminals and have been found GUILTY in court. Yeah, Roth puts himself in bad situations but the kid makes MILLIONS and is enjoying it. You know that girl was drunk and wanted just as much at Ben. I don’t see him beating his wife, running people over in his car, going to strip clubs fighting/drinking/shooting, asking a friend to stab someone (Ray), or financing an illegal underground dog fighting ring. All you race card SOB’s get a life and I hope the AJC fires you Jeff because your articles are ridiculous! So the point here is that no suspension is necessary…
The Dogfighter Returns
April 14th, 2010
1:21 pm
jay
April 14th, 2010
1:04 pm
Big Ben needs to be suspended for showing up at his press conference dressed like a sex offender….He looks like a degenerate in the first photo with his hair slicked back and the 5 o’clock shadow on his face.
Link Report this comment
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you wish you were as cool as big ben. that dude is a throwback to a different time.
nothing like getting sorority chics drunk.
modrod
April 14th, 2010
1:24 pm
Hey Jason. I guess O.J. didn’t do anything either. Right? Since he was not found guilty.
Ghost
April 14th, 2010
1:25 pm
I’m a 30+ year Steelers fan. I think Ben should be suspended at least 2 games if Goodell doesn’t want a debate on race regarding this case. I not only want it because of the race debate, but because Ben has shown that he needs a real wake up call on the merits of the cases against him alone.
And don’t get me wrong, I don’t think Ben should just sit at home on his off days. I think he just needs to show better judgement about where and who he associates with. He has every right to enjoy his wealth and status, just do it more smartly.
Tye
April 14th, 2010
1:26 pm
Modrod… He was found guilty in Civil court. Pull your skirt back up!
jack
April 14th, 2010
1:27 pm
To posters… note that almost 100 percent want Roth suspended for his behavior…
Note to Schultz… I’m glad you write sports, not serious journalism… your sarcastic statement: “who don’t walk the line like good little clones” shows your intelligence level.
The Commissioner FINALLY requires the players to stop acting like thugs and criminals and this upsets you?
Al Sharptong
April 14th, 2010
1:30 pm
“How many players that were African American were suspended for being accused of less.”
You mean rape, killing dogs and illegal firearms?
Al Sharptong
April 14th, 2010
1:31 pm
“Jones, Henry and Vick all are African American. Roethlisberger is white.”
DANG!!!!! This is what I call “spot on journalism!”
Al Sharptong
April 14th, 2010
1:32 pm
““Jones, Henry and Vick all are African American. Roethlisberger is white.””
Actually, none of them are African. They were all born here.
To fix your typo: “Jones, Henry and Vick are all black. Roethlisberger is white.”
Al Sharptong
April 14th, 2010
1:33 pm
“Is there any difference in this case?”
Yeah, Ben was not charged with anything. The other guys were.
modrod
April 14th, 2010
1:35 pm
Tye, my point being, just because someone is not found guilty does not mean they did not do anything. If no civil charges are brought against Ben it is pretty obvious she got the envelope of cash Jeff was referring to. Guess it pays to act a slut.
DC Dirty Bird
April 14th, 2010
1:39 pm
@ Dan, Davenpoop, and Crabapple: I have noticed that in all of your arguments against Ben being suspended, you have used precedence and technicalities as the primary thrust of your argument. In my humble opinion, precedence should never be the primary decision making argument. What I would like to hear is your opinion on the merits of a suspension. Crabapple seems to come the closest to stating such by implying that Ben doesn’t deserve to be suspended due to the possibility of impropriety on the part of these women. Before going down that road, think about how often this type of thing happens compared to the number of star professional athletes that grace our televisions. Is it really so commonplace that we can only assume that this is the case for Ben R. The question that should be asked is, did Rothleisberger violate the letter or spirit of the personal conduct policy. If the answer is yes to either, he should be suspended.
Al Sharptong
April 14th, 2010
1:39 pm
“Guess it pays to act a slut.”
It worked wonders for Bill Clinton.
meh
April 14th, 2010
1:44 pm
Roethlisberger should be suspended just for being a complete freakin idiot.
Dumbo
April 14th, 2010
1:51 pm
Is there anything about this paper that IS NOT racial?
Al Sharptong
April 14th, 2010
1:53 pm
“Is there anything about this paper that IS NOT racial?”
That’s racist.
NubianOne
April 14th, 2010
1:59 pm
Big Ben will get a gynormous fine and a strong admonition to “clean up your act or else”. Why? The official explanation will be something along the lines of “he’s a key component of the Steelers organization and losing him for any part of the season could be detrimental to the organization and inhibit their ability to play competitively…yada, yada, yada. Some may say it’s “because he’s white” but, although it was pre-Goddell era, Ray Lewis, took a plea deal in a murder trial in exchange for his testimony and was only fined by the NFL. So, when Big Ben gets his fine – remember you heard it here first – it’s because he’s a “too valuable a player in the Steelers organization”.
ACE
April 14th, 2010
2:08 pm
I wonder how many of these people calling for Ben’s head are the same people who still love Mike Vick and wear his jersey
GEORGIA
April 14th, 2010
2:11 pm
Lake Tahoe, July 2008. Ben has one nighter. Girl emails coworkers and
friends..is very happy. Months later her online romance with fake
soldier sends her over the edge. She goes in hospital. Comes
out and decides to sue BR.
March, 2010. Ben being investigated for sexual misconduct..not rape.
No DNA. Girl can’t recollect what happened…no charges.
I’m willing to bet a lot of you reading this have had one nighters. I’m sure you have also put reself in some bad situations where alcohol was a big factor. Roethlisberger should know better and realize
that bad contact will cause major problems. He should miss
two games. get fined and attend some sort of alcohol rehab.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 14th, 2010
2:16 pm
junebaby,
You know how it is. You can tell a douche by the way he wears his out dated “Bow Ties”
The guilty party knows who they are.
Reminds me of that Uncle Tom theory, where they turn their backs on where they came from, in hopes of fitting in with the “in” crowd.
One thing I can never accuse Jeff of is being bias in posting requirements, unlike his colleagues.
There is an old saying “the truth shall set you free”
WreckinBall
April 14th, 2010
2:17 pm
My advice to Ben Rotheswhatever is to sell his holding in Ga. and don’t come back. Georgia is a prison state, and doesn’t mind putting anyone in the gray-bar hotel(aka as the jailhouse).
John
April 14th, 2010
2:35 pm
Ben has NEVER had charges filed against him.
The other suspended players HAVE.
dawg1967
April 14th, 2010
2:39 pm
10 games suspended is good, if guilty later the whole season suspended with his years salary going to various abused womens shelters.
What's Important
April 14th, 2010
2:40 pm
I see that Schultz has taken a page from Bradley’s book, blog em and leave em.
Junior Samples
April 14th, 2010
2:43 pm
when i saw Roethlisberger wearing his cap backward I knew he was a thug.
Realist
April 14th, 2010
2:47 pm
The black man will never be happy. Always complaining about something with his hand out.
Matt "Choke" Ryan
April 14th, 2010
2:55 pm
Calm down guys – it was just a couple of white women.
It’s not like they were dogs……………
sheepy
April 14th, 2010
3:15 pm
I was wondering how long it would take for someone to bring up the racial issue! I think Goodell is smart enough to make the right decision.
ugaaccountant
April 14th, 2010
3:16 pm
An admission to a felony or conviction of a felony should get a significant suspension and void contract. This would be Vick.
Hanging out in clubs, drinking and womanizing are not felonies or even misdemeanors. If that is all Jones or Henry did, their suspensions were out of line. I don’t know the details.
Case in between, such as a misdemeanor crime or a felony awaiting trial are tougher to answer. However, in this case no crime was committed. This is America and innocent until proven guilty is the standard.
omg!
April 14th, 2010
3:23 pm
YALL R CRAZY, FUNNY AND I CAN TELL THAT WE ARE ALL TIRED OF BLAH BLAH BLAH …A NFL PLAYER MESSED UP BLAH BLAH BLAH..WHO R THE KIDS GOING TO LOOK UP 2 BLAH BLAH BLAH….HES SUPPOSE TO BE BLACK BUT HE CAME OUT WHITE BLAH BLAH BLAH…….I HAVE OTHER THINGS ON MY MIND…LIKE WHAT R THE CHANCES OF US GETTING SNOW THIS WEEKEND!
Al Sharptong
April 14th, 2010
3:24 pm
“This is America and innocent until proven guilty is the standard.”
No it’s not.