Getting away with something?!
I imagine many of us have been following the Ben Roethlisberger news on TV, radio, blogs, and twitter. Count me among the many, and I await with interest at the outcome of Big Ben's meeting today with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. To be honest, I'm among those who want, and expect, Commissioner Goodell to slap Big Ben with a multi-game suspension to start the 2010 regular season. Suspension for what? Well, for excessive thinking with and misuse of his Little Ben!
Let's face it, once is an accident, twice or more is a trend, and we're hearing just a little too much news about Big Ben's Little Ben for it to be a fluke. This calls for immediate and unequivocal action by Commissioner Goodell, where once and for all, NFL players will finally realize off-field nonsense is no longer tolerated and what the NFL giveth, the NFL can taketh away, punitively.
So the district attorney down in Georgia couldn't present a strong enough case to convince a grand jury to indict, much less a jury of twelve to convict beyond reasonable doubt. But we sure heard enough during the DA's press conference yesterday to tell us Big Ben lucked out from "insufficient" or "incomplete" data. Something definitely went on in that bar bathroom with a 20-year-old girl, but not enough to technically call it rape in the state of Georgia.
One question comes to mind as I kept hearing "20-year-old girl"... what was SHE doing in that bar, and why aren't red flags going up in the DA's head when he tells us Big Ben was BUYING drinks for her, or at least not discouraging her underage drinking?! If Big Ben can't be indicted for rape, couldn't the DA at least try to indict him on getting a minor drunk? C'mon folks, Elliot Ness finally nailed Al Capone on TAX EVASION, for heaven's sake. You mean to tell me a DA couldn't put together a case on Roethlisberger for ANYTHING? I don't know about you guys, but I'd like to see that question come up when this DA runs for re-election some November.
But legalities aside, the fact remains that Ben Roethlisberger is now twice-associated with inappropriate behavior towards women in the span of less than two years, and this is something in need of intervention. If I were Roger Goodell, I'd slap him with at least a 4-game suspension. One of two games won't hit where it hurts or send enough of a message. In fact, if Commissioner Goodell hits him for 8 games, I'd personally come to his Park Avenue office and congratulate him.
As I commented yesterday regarding the Santonio Holmes trade, I imagine the Steelers had a passing thought or two about giving Big Ben a one-way ticket out of Pittsburgh if the price was right. In fact, I tweeted to several folks yesterday that if I were Dan Rooney, Big Ben would be in my office yesterday, and along with head coach Mike Tomlin, I'd inform Big Ben "we just sent one of your top WRs away for a 5th round pick. Don't think we won't do the same to you too." Want to give Big Ben something to think about hard? How does running for his life behind a Swiss-cheese offensive line in Oakland, Kansas City, St. Louis, or Cleveland sound? A 5th, 6th, or 7th-round pick in exchange for that sight would be a sobering vision and a nice carrot-and-stick threat to present to my QB, don't you think? Take it from someone who got cut by a head coach who once threatened his players "If y'all don't get back behind that sideline I'll cut you all or trade you all to Green Bay!" Coaches and owners know where purgatory is, and so do multi-millionaire players!
As I said yesterday, BAGGAGE IS NO LONGER FREE.
Another issue came up over the internet, radio, and twitter waves yesterday... the need for Roger Goodell to make a statement against a WHITE player. Please! I know Commissioner Goodell's new law and order Marshall Dillon practices seem heavy handed towards African-American players, but that's because of numbers and the current statistical data pool, NOT racial hypocrisy. I don't want Roger Goodell to slam Big Ben because a high-profile white player needs to be knocked off his perch. I want Roger Goodell to slam Big Ben upside his head and down, inside and out, through a wall and into next month BECAUSE HE'S STUPID, IMMATURE, AND AN EMBARRASSMENT TO THE NFL, MEN, WOMEN, AND AMERICAN SOCIETY!
We're talking about a 28-year-old man who has yet to figure out how to behave in public, with women, and as a professional athlete, and when you're 28 years old you're no longer a kid, and have to be accountable. As I've said before, I'm sick and tired of seeing daily reports about professional athletes getting in trouble, especially NFL players, and this needs to stop no matter a player's ethnicity, position, or contract status.
So... here's Dr. Dave's prescription for how NFL players can stay out of trouble when away from the team facility, be it nighttime or off-season:
1. If you're so much in need for "girlie action", meet a nice woman, go steady with her, fall in love, get married, and then live many years sexually addicted to each other -- and ONLY EACH OTHER -- until you can't remember what sex is.
2. If you're not up for #1, get a goldfish until you're ready.
3. If it's already 10:00 pm on a weeknight and you're still at home, STAY HOME.
4. If you're already out on a weeknight, establish a firm curfew of 1:00 am. As the saying goes, nothing good usually happens after midnight anyway.
5. If you don't know what to do with yourself home alone at night, try doing what normal people do -- read a book, eat ice cream, watch TV, do laundry, play some music, or wash dishes. If you're seeking something more challenging, try cooking, knitting, or crossword puzzles.
6. If you're looking for places to go out to at night, skip the bars and clubs. Go catch a movie or do your grocery shopping. Or go wander around IKEA until closing.
7. If you can't handle any of the above, get counseling and GROW UP.
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