Super torture for Big Ben
If you still think Ben Roethlisberger got off easy, if you still think he hasn't suffered enough for the incident last March in which a 20-year-old college student accused him of rape in the bathroom of a seedy Georgia bar, know that he's not having an easy time of it today.
That's because the veteran Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has to endure the annual circus known as Super Bowl Media Day, during which he'll be grilled unmercifully about the entire tawdry episode.
I've covered seven Super Bowls, and Media Day is always the absolute worst day of the week for sportswriters, who are forced to jostle elbow-to-elbow with hundreds of pseudo-journalists, costumed freaks and spotlight-seeking ex-jocks with microphones asking stupid questions.
For athletes embroiled in scandal -- see Ray Lewis during Super Bowl XXXV in Tampa -- the glare of the spotlight can be withering -- and over-whelming.
You can bet the Steelers PR staff has already coached up Big Ben as to what to expect today. And you can pretty much bet Roethlisberger will stick to the most scripted, banal answers he can muster when the media starts its probing.
Over and over, when he's asked about the events of that March night, he'll say the only thing he's thinking of is Sunday's big game against the Green Bay Packers.
And when he's asked how that incident and the subsequent four-game suspension handed down by the NFL affected him and his teammates -- and whether he's changed as a result -- he'll say over and over that this is no time for reflection, it's time to get ready for the Packers.
No matter what he says, it'll be a grueling day for the big guy -- the emotional equivalent of that Haloti Ngata forearm blow that broke his nose.
Only this pain might be even worse.
Getty photo
Comments
My sympathy is oh-so-LIMITED ....
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/ann_killion/01/28/ben.roethlisberger/index.html
may clay matthews be upon him.
Posted by: T-Sir98, svelte | February 1, 2011 10:43 AM
Wow--poor Ben is going to have to answer some tough questions. Really? He'll get tons of money and more endorsements from his trip to the Super Bowl. Only in America can an accused rapist go on to play in the big game. Somehow I don't feel bad for him at all.
Posted by: Glen Arm Mom | February 1, 2011 10:50 AM
I couldn't stand him even before we knew he preyed on woman
Posted by: geno | February 1, 2011 11:32 AM
Whether it happens as Kevin wrote here or not, I find it quite amusing that this article appears in BSun. Some suggestions: Start loving the good game, whichever team plays it. Leave the pseudo morals aside. Stop worshipping heroes, stop being jealous of them. Of course, for me us winning the 7th SB ring is extra great. In any case neither Ben nor Ray Lewis is my role model. Look fwd to a good game. Go Steelers! :)
Posted by: SteelersBeatRavensTwice | February 1, 2011 12:24 PM
GOOOOOOOODDDDD. So what. An arrogant pervert millionaire QB gets grilled and not jailed? Big deal.... Ask that college girl's dad how he feels about it.
Posted by: Roofkid | February 1, 2011 1:05 PM
Somehow, I can't work up any sympathy for the guy. If the Rooney family had any integrity, they would've released Worthlessberger last summer. Of course they don't have the nerve because of his play on the field. That's all that matters, despite all the posturing that the NFL goes through to look virtuous. If you play great, you can do anything and get a slap on the wrist.
Posted by: Neal | February 1, 2011 1:42 PM
yeah you're right, facing questions excuses him raping that girl...
the author of this should be fired.
Posted by: this is a joke | February 1, 2011 2:39 PM
i can't work up any pity for a multimillion dollar athlete who did something wrong in a bathroom with a teenage girl. Especially since, as you say, he won't be held accountable for it, or even have to answer questions. I do, however, feel sorry for the girl.
Posted by: DLR | February 1, 2011 4:00 PM
Does Ben have the qualities usually associated with the Steelers? Let's review . . .
R espected,
A thletic,
P rofessional,
I ntimidating,
S trong,
T ough.
Yeah, that about covers it.
Go PACKERS!
Posted by: Scott | February 1, 2011 10:11 PM
Torture is what the young woman endured.
Posted by: Eli | February 2, 2011 4:06 PM
Heard radio ads for Super Bowl ("Big Game") party at the Gameday Warehouse by the stadium. I wanted to check the place out during the season but never got a chance.
Curious if anyone has been there and if so, would it be a good place to watch the Super Bowl? How many tv's do they have and are they set up where you can see them easily? Couldn't find a website for the place, so hope some of you could fill me in. Thanks!!
Posted by: Fells Pt Dad | February 3, 2011 3:51 PM
Yeah that sounds pretty awful... I mean who would dare complain about BEING RAPED when other people have to "suffer" through press conferences. This is the most misogynistic, offensive piece of writing I've ever seen. Just read what you wrote, and realize what you're saying. How could anything that this man has to say at a press conference even come close to being as traumatizing as being raped??? That's like saying it was worse to have to testify at the Nuremburg trials than to be a Jew in Nazi Germany. In other words, ridiculous.
Posted by: Natalie | February 6, 2011 2:52 PM
You know one of the biggest reasons I'm glad the Packers won the Super Bowl last night? So pseudojournalists like you won't be writing articles about how Rapistberger achieved redemption by winning SB XLV, which is so much sophistry and phony moralism. What a crock. The slug owes that girl a major league apology and an in-person plea for forgiveness.
Posted by: trebort49 | February 7, 2011 7:24 AM
OK, I am not by far a football fan, I watch superbowl with my husband that's it. But my question to all the people who are absolutely disgusted by this man, and the NFL for not firing him is this. There were accusations made, an investigation followed. The police did not charge him. He was never convicted by a jury of his peers. Some may say this is just because he is a "super star" and got preferential treatment, but some people need to realize it is just as likely that this girl wanted her 15 minutes of fame, or a pay off . Unfortunately in our sad society it can and does happen. IMHO what happens in his personal life should not have any effect on his professional life and I think that a work suspension for a personal matter is ridiculous, and more so I think focussing on something from a year ago instead of focussing on how far this TEAM has come this year is what is disgusting.
Posted by: Nik | February 7, 2011 10:21 AM
Ms. Nik: It also is obvious that you know absolutely nothing about what happened last year in Milledgeville, Georgia. If you read the GBI and local police reports, it is clear that Roethlisberger forced himself upon and sexually assaulted that girl. If you read the Georgia Penal Code, you would see that proving rape under Georgia is very difficult. Unlike other jurisdictions, the State of Georgia must meet two criteria and it is obvious from reading the police reports that evidence to support the second legal criterion was thin at best. The prosecutor didn't charge Roethlisberger because he couldn't prove both prongs necessary under the law. But that doesn't mean the slug didn't sexually assault that young woman. And if you don't think that what happens in people's personal lives should have an impact on their professional careers, then you and your husband better buy an island somewhere and relocate.
Posted by: trebort49 | February 7, 2011 11:37 AM