Google this, Roger Goodell and Art Rooney II.
I believe in football and that football fits in a bigger picture. Yes, I used to be one of those people who self-righteously declared sports "stupid", a waste of time for vapid minds, and an absurdity of modern culture. But, after living in Pittsburgh for the past 20 years, I now see that sports are an important part of what makes a city. Sports helps define cities. Professional sports teams builds camaraderie among people of diverse backgrounds. The Steelers are who we are in Pittsburgh, like it or not. Draft news and injury reports start conversations among people who would not ordinarily interact. We love our Steelers and this brings us together to make us Pittsburgh.
But, Ben Roethlisberger's woes has made me see professional sports in a different light. And, his problem is our problem and violence against women is the underlying message.
OK. The man is guilty of something. For those of you who don't know the story, in the past three years, Ben Roethlisberger (quarterback par excellence and two-time Superbowl winner), has been in a nearly fatal motorcycle accident and been accused of rape twice. I think Ben is a classic type T personality. He gets off on the risk. He stands to be the top quarterback for 4th quarter comebacks in the NFL.
But, his personality is not my concern.
In this latest incident, the Georgia District Attorney's statement shamed Ben. No charges would be filed likely because Ben wore a condom and the girl was too drunk to remember exactly what happened. But, Ben did buy rounds of shots for under-aged kids. His bodyguard escorted the young woman who was fall-down drunk into a private lounge in the bar. Ben went into the area where she was. Afterwards, she went to the hospital and pressed charges. She had vaginal bleeding and bruising. The rest is open to speculation. From the article with the D.A.'s remarks,
Georgia authorities declined to file sexual assault charges against the Steelers quarterback. But that didn't stop the district attorney from excoriating the two-time Super Bowl champ. During a press conference, District Attorney Fred Bright blasted Roethlisberger, telling the quarterback to "grow up". Also from his statement, “We do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes.’’ and "If he were my son, the best way I could answer it is, Ben, grow up. Come on, you're supposed to stand for something."
HOWEVER ... this is not the point. I started thinking more seriously about professional football when I looked at other recent brush-ups involving current Steelers. Take a gander (selected from the last two years):
Cedrick Wilson lost his job with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, just hours after allegedly punching his ex-girlfriend in the face.
Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was arrested Saturday for allegedly hitting his 29-year-old girlfriend, Beth Tibbott, and was arraigned on charges of simple assault and criminal mischief. [Not fired.]
Running back Najeh Davenport goes on trial next month in Ohio for charges stemming from a fight with the mother of his son. [Gone.]
... in an affidavit, Holmes was "choking [her], throwing her to the ground ... and slamming her into a door," leading to his arrest on charges of domestic violence and assault. [The Superbowl MVP, Holmes was recently traded to the Jets for a 5th round draft pick.]
What was obvious to me, and what these selected comments emphasize, is that over half of the incidents involving my beloved Steelers relate to violence against women. Is it just the Steelers? I seriously doubt it. Either way, this is very depressing. In my comments above, I said that the Steelers and professional sports teams in general are a large part of the collective conscience of a city. So, what kind of conscience do we have? I am so glad that the Rooney's take these things seriously, more than other NFL owners. Perhaps that is a larger part of what Pittsburgh is. And, I know that such incidents are nothing new. I am aware of the many arrests of professional athletes for many crimes. But, seeing a list like this brings it home anew.
Roger Goodell, the Commissioner of the National Football League, also has a reputation for being very hardline on such incidents. And, it is he, in conjunction with the Rooney family who will decide on Ben Roethlisberger's punishment. I hope he takes what happened in Georgia and the underlying message about professional athlete and women's issues very seriously. It goes far beyond what the law can prove.
Tiger Woods said it all,
I knew my actions were wrong. But I convinced myself that normal rules didn't apply. I never thought about who I was hurting. Instead, I thought only about myself. I thought I could get away with whatever I wanted to. I felt that I had worked hard my entire life and deserved to enjoy all the temptations around me. I felt I was entitled. Thanks to money and fame, I didn't have far -- didn't have to go far to find them.
Tiger is one thing. The city of PittsburgH is another. We are hurt. We are disgusted. As I talk to all my "steelers" friends, my neighbors, doctors and lawyers I know, my colleagues at the university where I work, students, the black janitors and the many staff members I talk to on a daily basis ... I see that there is not a lot of concern about winning and losing this year. Ben has lost our support and lost the ability to lead our team. If he left the team today, it would probably be the best thing for the entire city. Most would come together and support our city and our team. As for me, I am done with the Steelers until Ben is gone. I hope he is suspended for at least a month and does not play for the rest of the season.
And, although I don't have the grandiose view that my diary will be seen by Roger Goodell, I hope he does, because I am speaking for a whole lot of Steelers fans.