The Curious Case of Ben Roethlisberger

I'm a die hard Pittsburgh Steelers fan. Always have been, always will be. I love the team unequivocally, I love what the franchise stands for, and I love the history of the franchise. Typically when you have the type of love that I have a for sports team, that means you also love all of their players, 100%, no questions asked. Unfortunately, for me, that's not the case. Ben Roethlisberger is the quarterback for the Steelers, and there is no questioning his supreme talent on the field. The problem with Ben is, he's an A-1 idiot (riding his motorcycle without a helmet), notorious asshole (SI ran an article last year from multiple sources in Pittsburgh about being a bad teammate and person) and more than anything a douchebag (repeated accusations from women of at best being horribly disrespected, at worst, sexually assaulted). All in all, it's not like this is some giant moral dilemma, I have the ability to separate the on field from the off field, and although I root for Ben to perform well on Sundays and lead the Steelers to victory, I don't wear his jersey, and you will never hear me tell my son and daughter how great he is. That type of praise is reserved for Troy Polamalu, who is a tremendous player AND person.

But then, something like last night happened. For those who didn't see the game against Cleveland last night, Rothelisberger suffered a gruesome leg injury in the first half. His lower leg was bent an angle that the human leg is never supposed to achieve, and on the broadcast there was speculation it could be a broken leg. He left the game, on a golf cart, and was shown limping very, very badly into the locker room. It was extremely safe to assume that he was done for the night, and worse yet, maybe multiple games. When the second half started though, there was Roethlisberger warming up, and gutting it out. He played the second half, in what was obvious pain, played admirably and led the team to a win. I don't harbor any illusions that playing in extreme pain all of a sudden makes Ben an angel, but I have to admit, on a personal level last night was the first time I was rooting not only for the Steelers, but I was rooting for Ben. I wanted to see him succeed, I wanted to see him be glorious, I wanted to LIKE him. I just don't understand how a guy who when not in uniform has demonstrated such tremendous acts of selfishness, continues to act so selflessly on the field. Plenty of athletes across all sports play through pain and adversity, Roethlisberger does it 90% of the time.* His on field play and demeanor is in direct opposition to his off field persona. None of this means that I ordered a number 7 jersey today, but I have to admit his on field performances are starting to influence my feelings towards him, something I vowed I would never let happen. I will never condone his past actions and behaviors, they are deplorable and despicable, but I do hope that now off the field he starts to transform his personal character and reach the same heights that he has on the field.

*Quick Note on players playing hurt. All you commentators, writers, bloggers, pundits, whatever, stop referring to athletes, any athlete as 'warrior' or 'soldier', or even really 'hero' These adjectives should be reserved for the men and women of this country who serve in our military branches. Those people only. No matter how impressive it is for someone to play on a severely injured leg, it pales in comparison to the man or woman who leaves their family, friends and homes behind to sacrifice for this country, and risk their lives doing it. Athletes should be applauded and celebrated for their efforts and achievements, but please keep them in perspective.