# Big Ben in Big Trouble? **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [March 11, 2010, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116 "2010-03-11T16:08:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jimmy_Chitwood)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/141 "2010-04-16T03:33:24Z")
Right, which is why the other evidence matters. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/142 "2010-04-16T04:00:07Z")
> [@Jimmy\_Chitwood](#): > > No? 2nd, 5th, 10th, 3rd in rushing during his first four seasons. I’ll grant you that his first couple of years, maybe the first three, there was a perception he wasn’t that good and the rushing and defense were doing most of the work. Last season the Steelers were 19th in rushing. I didn’t realize they were 3rd three years ago, though. That aside, the full report looks absolutely terrible. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/143 "2010-04-16T04:04:08Z")
> [@jtgain](#): > > But what’s up with wearing a “down to fuck” label on your clothing when going to a bar around drunk men? I know she’s only 20, but are these chicks out of their minds? Maybe they should just wear “rape me” labels instead. Ah, the old, “the victim was asking for it – look at what she was wearing!” :rolleyes: I don’t care if she was the world’s biggest slut – she had the right to say NO. And BEN is responsible for his own actions – he doesn’t have the right to rape some girl, no matter WHAT label she was wearing. If she told him no, and he goes ahead anyways, HE is %100 responsible. I can see why she doesn’t want to go ahead with the prosecution. ☹ One thing I will say – here in Pittsburgh, Ben is NOT getting any slack from Steelers fans. His jerseys are being discounted by %50. (I’m watching [PCNC news](http://www.wpxi.com/index.html) and one woman sent in a photo of her _burning_ her jerseys) So no “my Steelers, right or wrong.” Fuck Ben. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/144 "2010-04-16T04:56:04Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > I’ll grant you that his first couple of years, maybe the first three, there was a perception he wasn’t that good and the rushing and defense were doing most of the work. Last season the Steelers were 19th in rushing. I didn’t realize they were 3rd three years ago, though. > > That aside, the full report looks absolutely terrible. Exactly, and what happened when the running game dried up and Ben had to pass so much more (even behind a **gasp** suspect oline?)…translation: he couldnt win games himself. Even with the #1 ranked defense that year). I’m not trying to indict someone thats clearly at least a _good_ NFL QB so much as trying to put his contract, now with baggage, into context. He’s not worth even a 2nd rounder right now (if the Steelers were trying to trade him, which they won’t/can’t). ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 5:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/145 "2010-04-16T05:09:30Z")
It has nothing to do with her right to say no. Rape is hard to prove when its real and easy to lie about when its not. If two people walk into a bathroom and one walks out claiming they got raped and the other that they got laid this is the only result that will and should happen. I don’t understand how anyone can take sides in a situation like this, well anyone besides Dio who is acting like consensual sex with a drunk 20 year old is like raping a girl scout in a van. We don’t know if he’s a serial rapist or the girl is a lying whore, and without proof taking sides only shows your own biases. ---
**Author:** ![EllisDee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellisdee/32/4531_2.png) [@EllisDee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EllisDee)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 6:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/146 "2010-04-16T06:13:19Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Ah, the old, “the victim was asking for it – look at what she was wearing!” :rolleyes: > I don’t care if she was the world’s biggest slut – she had the right to say NO. And BEN is responsible for his own actions – he doesn’t have the right to rape some girl, no matter WHAT label she was wearing. If she told him no, and he goes ahead anyways, HE is %100 responsible. Actually, if she wears a “Down to Fuck” label she’s unable to be raped, since those words officially make her the property of any man who wants a go. I mean, seriously, what the fuck, Guin? Who are you talking to? Nobody reading this thread is even remotely retarded enough to not understand your stunning truth that women have the right not to be raped. Just because no woman should be raped, that doesn’t mean wearing a “down to fuck” label while drunken barhopping isn’t stupid. Consider the the scene in Die Hard 3 when Bruce Willis had to walk around Harlem with a sandwich board reading “I hate niggers.” If he got killed and you pointed out his sandwich sign caper was stupid, would you really need to be told that people have a right not to be murdered? Would you really need that reminder? Or would you be able to understand the context of that stupidity instead of jumping in with a painfully obvious knee-jerk reaction? ---
**Author:** ![Carmady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f04885/32.png) [@Carmady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carmady)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 6:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/147 "2010-04-16T06:21:07Z")
After reading the last couple links, I strongly suspect the woman is telling the truth. Roethlisberger’s initial denial that they even had sex now seems very unlikely, and in retrospect almost an admission of guilt. Taking that into account, my guess is he could have been convicted if the woman wanted to go through with it, but I can understand her not wanting to face the media onslaught that would have resulted and followed her forever. ---
**Author:** ![Justin\_Bailey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/justin_bailey/32/8792_2.png) [@Justin\_Bailey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Justin_Bailey)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/148 "2010-04-16T07:34:05Z")
> [@Jackknifed\_Juggernaut](#): > > This is beginning to sound even worse… > > [Accuser: Roethlisberger exposed self - ESPN](http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5094224&campaign=rss&source=ESPNHeadlines) :eek: Whoa. I take back all my “what ifs” and “we don’t know the whole story”. Big Ben is probably a big rapist. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/149 "2010-04-16T15:29:36Z")
I wonder if the Steelers knew all of these details before yesterday, or if they are finding them out at the same time we are? ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/150 "2010-04-16T15:47:35Z")
The saddest thing to me is that the bodyguards were off duty cops. ---
**Author:** ![Carl\_Corey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Carl\_Corey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carl_Corey)\ **Post date:** [April 16, 2010, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/151 "2010-04-16T17:59:57Z")
> [@HongKongFooey](#): > > [Smoking Gun’s contribution to Ben’s downfall](http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2010/0415101roethlisberger1.html) > > If this is true, Roethlisberger AND his bodyguard are rotten thugs and I hope he gets turfed from the league. I want my team to win but not with animals like that. I’ll be OK with it if they release him outright if any of this is true and take their shots at rebuilding. IF it’s true. The Steelers have their own investigators, I don’t think they would be playing down the rumours about trade talks if they really believed there were more cases waiting to come out. > > We’ll see. In the meantime, anyone want to buy a Roethlisberger jersey? :mad: Jeez, Roethlisberger looks like John Kruk’s stupid cousin in that photo. ---
**Author:** ![ColonelDax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/71e660/32.png) [@ColonelDax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ColonelDax)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/152 "2010-04-21T14:55:06Z")
ESPN is reporting that the NFL will suspend Roethlisberger for four to six games because he violated the league’s personal-conduct policy. An official announcement will be made today, according to ESPN. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 3:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/153 "2010-04-21T15:05:57Z")
That’s pretty stiff if all the League thinks he’s guilty of is carousing in a nightclub. Clearly, they think he did more than that. The Steelers can still impose their own in-house punishment as well. They could add even more games to the suspension if they want to. He’s probably done enough damage to his public image that the Rooney might seriously consider trading him. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him traded for a draft pick this weekend. Of course, the suspension hurts his trade value. No one’s going to give up a #1 for a guy who won’t even be able to play for at least a quarter of the season. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/154 "2010-04-21T15:58:35Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > That’s pretty stiff if all the League thinks he’s guilty of is carousing in a nightclub. Clearly, they think he did more than that. It looks like he did more than that, but the league’s concern is its image. > [@](#): > > The Steelers can still impose their own in-house punishment as well. They could add even more games to the suspension if they want to. I believe they have already said they’re not going to do that. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/155 "2010-04-21T16:01:03Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > That’s pretty stiff if all the League thinks he’s guilty of is carousing in a nightclub. Clearly, they think he did more than that. > > The Steelers can still impose their own in-house punishment as well. They could add even more games to the suspension if they want to. > > He’s probably done enough damage to his public image that the Rooney might seriously consider trading him. I wouldn’t be shocked to see him traded for a draft pick this weekend. Of course, the suspension hurts his trade value. No one’s going to give up a #1 for a guy who won’t even be able to play for at least a quarter of the season. There’s quite a bit of chatter going around that the Steelers are looking to part with him for a top 10 pick. ---
**Author:** ![SenorBeef](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senorbeef/32/2220_2.png) [@SenorBeef](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SenorBeef)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/156 "2010-04-21T16:04:51Z")
I hope the Raiders pull the trigger on that. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/157 "2010-04-21T16:07:44Z")
The Raiders were the team that came to my mind as well. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/158 "2010-04-21T16:10:29Z")
The Raiders would be quite an improved team with Ben as their QB, as much as it makes me barf in my mouth to admit that because I dislike him so much. At least they’d rise from the level of complete doormats to competitive football. ---
**Author:** ![Oakminster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/77aa72/32.png) [@Oakminster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oakminster)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/159 "2010-04-21T16:54:12Z")
Big Ben to the Raiders would really shake things up in the draft, and into the season. He’s light years beyond what they can expect from JaMarcus Russell. Probably good enough to get them another 2-3 wins just by actually having a quarterback for a change. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [April 21, 2010, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116/160 "2010-04-21T17:42:59Z")
Some tweets about Ben: **Adam\_Schefter** Pittsburgh has begun contacting teams to trade Ben Roethlisberger for a top 10 pick. At least one team considering it. Story far from done. \*\*richeisen \*\*Our @jasonlacanfora reports that Steelers called Rams over weekend and offered up Big Ben and Rams were not interested. \*\*gregaiello \*\*Commish notified Ben he must undergo comprehensive behavorial evaluation and is suspended for six games. 4 minutes ago via web **gregaiello** Commish w/review Ben’s progress prior to season & consider reducing suspension to 4 games. Failure to cooperate could lead to longer suspension. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116.md?page=7) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/big-ben-in-big-trouble/532116.md?page=9)