By Jim McMillen
The question so many fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers have on the tips of their tounges, as they call their ticket broker and get ready for the draft, is simply, should Ben Roethlisberger be suspended for his actions in Georgia a month ago? There are some very good arguments for both sides and the line in the sand has been drawn as we speculate the outcome and await the announcement that is sure to come soon.
I won’t get into the details of the case as it has been talked to death all over the internet and by every media outlet possible. Some say he is a creepy little womanizer, some say she is a money grabbing whore. The only real facts we have is that no matter how many truths, rumors or half truths the media machine puts out there, Big Ben won’t be charged with a crime. The D.A can grab all the headlines he wants by calling Ben names but in the end the evidence was not worthy of bringing forth charges.
Is the fact that there won’t be a crimanal trial be enough to save Roethlisberger from the rath of NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell? That remains to be seen. Did Ben actually violate the so called code of conduct set forth by the NFL? That is speculative and depends on what side of the fence you are on. Does the league have the right to suspend Ben? Not by the current rules they have in place. So any suspension will be a brand new day in the NFL and will open a whole new can of worms of it’s own.
Many compair Mike Vick, Ricky Williams, Donte Stallworth and others situations and go by the fact they were suspended, then so should Ben. The problem though, is the fact all of the formentioned either pleaded guilty or were found guilty of crimanal acts. Ben has not been nor will be charged with any crime. So how should the league handle his case?
Personally I don’t think the league has the right to decide what one mans morals are better than anothers but my opinion does not count. I could go on all day defending or blasting Ben as there are great cases for both sides, but I won’t. What I will do though is speak my peace as a fan of the NFL and of justice and of the freedom our forefathers gave us by signing their John Handcocks to that once famous document.
That freedom included several things but the ones that matter most in this case are freedom of religious beliefs or the lack there of, the freedom of being innocent until proven guilty and the freedom to make bad choices and not be crucified by our peirs, unless they are apart of the judicial system.
What the hell does that all mean? It means it is not our place to forge our morality onto Ben. It is not our place to judge him nor is it our place to cruify him. Nor is it the NFL’s. He was found innocent of any crime just by the fact there were no charges pressed. Case closed. Move on, next.
I would also like to remind everyone that the league is not a pack of angels themselves. The fact Goodell helped cover up the NFL’s biggest scandal, “Spygate” proves that. Call it what you won’t, defend them all you want but the truth is Bill Belicheat was caught red handed stealing Super Bowl wins by cheating and basically got a slap on the wrist. His crime was way worse then any of the mentioned players in this post and the league swept it under the table to save face. So is Goodell really the one we won’t deciding Bens fate?
I am 100% behind the Rooney’s if the team suspends Ben, they have that right, he is their employee. It the Pittsburgh Steelers want to sit Ben for a few games or fine him then so be it. If the NFL does, they are crossing a line that will come back to haunt them. They are opening a can of worms that can never be closed. Basically they would be saying that any witch hunt they deem credible is legit.
There is one huge problem though. The league is in for the fight of their lives with the players union during negotions for a new collective bargening agreement and this one situation could be a major set back in those talks. Do we really think the players will site back and accept the league playing god and forcing their closed minded morality on them? Hell no. I would not blamn them either.
The fact the NFL has no compitition will help them pull it off though. In the end they are too powerful and will win. I just hope the players stand up for thier rightful freedoms and do whatever it takes to keep Sunday sermans out of league decissions. The day we have Billy Graham running the show is the day the NFL will die.
I know many of you are reading this right now and are calling me crazy, thats fine, I understand that opinion is flawed and the leading cause of all the worlds problems. I just hope that opinion does not ruin the NFL and facts, truths and the players rights as Americans are not abused with this ruling and the ones that will follow down the road.
Dan, Art, if you suspend Ben I back you 100%. Roger if you do, you are nothing more then a hypocrite and need to be fired for crossing that slippery slope of no return. So I warn the league to be sure of what they are doing and ask them to be ready to lay in the bed they will make with any future problems this ruling is sure to cause.
About the Author Jim McMillen
The Editor & Chief, the brains so to say, behind Pittsburgh Blitz. Jim is a rabid sports fan who just loves his Stillers, Pens and Buccos. Feel free to contact us at steelerguy26[@]yahoo.com if you have any questions or comments or would like to join our staff and write for Pittsburgh Blitz.
Web | Twitter | Facebook | More Posts (675)
Comments are closed.