Right now Ben Roethlisberger is probably the least liked person in the NFL, and with good reason. The numerous sexual assault stories surrounding him have become more than a case of "he said/she said," where oftentimes athletes are given the benefit of the doubt by fans, sometimes because they simply don't want to believe that a player they idolize could do something so reprehensible, or because they don't want their favorite team suffer due to one player's stupidity.
In any case, Roethlisberger has exhausted whatever good will even the most die hard of fans might have held for him due to his numerous off the field incidents (even to the point where the NFL
has suspended him for 6 games despite the fact that Roethlisberger has not been charged with a crime), and a recent
New York Times article, with quotes from many including Roethlisberger high school teammate and our second favorite OSU kicker of the 2000's, Josh Huston, sheds light on the kind of attitude that can lead to some pretty unforgivable behavior by a man with a lot of money and a lot of entitlement.
Full disclosure: my hometown is about 20 minutes away from Miami of Ohio, and Roethlisberger was more or less the biggest thing to happen to that football program since Bo Schembechler. The exploits of his football career on the field with the Redhawks were omnipresent in the local newspaper, as were rumors about his attitude toward life off the field. Huston's comments in the NYT story are pretty typical of what had been going around:
Roethlisberger’s senior year of high school, when he became the starting quarterback and set state records, had its share of drama. Some of his receivers felt forced to befriend Roethlisberger out of fear that he would not throw the ball to them, said Josh Huston, a former teammate who went on to be a kicker for Ohio State.
This kind of arrogance is not uncommon in star players, and sometimes it's even accepted if said player is an otherwise good person. The article mentions that Roethlisberger has enormous respect for his family, and that he was at one point a humble and polite individual. Which, for all I know, could have been absolutely true. But, according to Huston,
Huston said he rarely spent time with Roethlisberger because he did not like his swagger, trash talk and competitiveness beyond sports.
“I think he felt like he needed more respect than what he got off the field for being a good athlete,” Huston said in a telephone interview.
This is the problem, and the larger point that I'm trying to make with this post, which I guess serves as something of a companion post to what Luke wrote about Clarett on Thursday. Being an athlete, excelling at sports, attaining fame and fortune; these are all things that can do a lot for a person, especially in their bank accounts or in their own minds. But as both Clarett and Roethlisberger have had to learn the hard way, the world does not and should not change the rules for you because you happen to play a sport very well. Clarett, at 27 years old, appears to have finally figured this out and seems to be getting his life back on track. And I hope more than anything that he can find real happiness and fulfillment in life by doing so.
At 28, Roethlisberger still seems to be learning his lesson, and hopefully he takes heart some words from the man himself, Jim Tressel (in
The Winners Manual):
Goals are important, but it’s important to understand that people are not defined by their goals and whether or not they reach them. A win or a loss does not make you or me a better or worse human being. This is where, in our society, we’ve so easily lost perspective on the truth about who we are. We have to separate who we are from what we do. With our players, it’s vital to distinguish between “purpose” and “goals,” ... Understanding the difference between purpose and goals is essential to understanding the true definition of success.
Preach on, Senator.
Comments
Did anyone see the article on Fanhouse about a former Maryland running back with bipolar disorder? Says he was on a Heisman tour with Art Schlichter and he was up 60,000 and Art said he was going to throw him off the balcony. 7/29 Fanhouse.
Off topic but ijust wanted to get this put there...I watched the game vs NC State from '03 the I had on my DVR from Ohio State week on the BTN and I must say Ed Cunningham is a huge douche. Two plays come to mind...the Brandon Mitchell interception of Rivers (would've been overturned with instant replay) and Ed was livid that such a bad call could be made and then after Holmes fumbled the punt inside our 20 in the 4th (again, would've been overturned with replay) he thought it was "the absolute right call, a definite fumble". Then when Krenzel was yelling at the ref about said fumble, Ed went on a rant about him complaining. Oh n when the fans were booing about a couple of questionable penalties, he was like "c'mon! That was the right call!". What's he expect fans to do, cheer against our team? I wonder what he thinks of Miami fans 7 years after the fact. He's a complete fool!
Sorry for the rant, having a bad morning n that just irked me the wrong way last night. Go Bucks.
http://www.cbssports.com/colle...
Good article, the comments below make me sick with how ignorant the haters are though. So off base that I would rather hit the back button than spend my time arguing to such foolery.
Good article. I'm guessing this comes from the same interview from which Dodd posted his article where Pryor knocked USC and Reggie Bush. Dodd will still turn on you in a heartbeat, but it is good to see some positive press on the Buckeyes for the first time in a long time.
I didn't know this about Big Ben and Ohio State:
Instead, he was attracting the attention of recruiters from Division I football programs. Iriti said Roethlisberger once told him that if a quarterback named Rick McFadden went to Ohio State, he would not play for the Buckeyes.
After McFadden announced his intention to attend Ohio State, Roethlisberger chose between Duke and Miami, neither one a football power.
Watched it too. It was bad. They were mispronouncing names all over the place, misidentifying players. It was unprofessional and they were unprepared. The bias was sickening, the ignorance was unforgivable. It's why I like to put 1460 on at the same time...or did before they made it pay-per-listen.
I watched this game recently when they ran it on BTN. I also noticed the bias of Cunningham. He still does CFB for ESPN, I don't remember him being like this recently, so maybe he's dialed it back some. Regardless, the NCST broadcast doesn't hold a candle to Dan Fouts in the 02 title game......just, wow.
I had a T.A. at Ohio State who had gone to Miami for undergrad and was actually a Steelers fan but had nothing but contempt for Big Ben having run in some of the same circles in school. "I hope we win in spite of him," etc.
I saw it on the BTN a few weeks ago. I thought the very same thing about the commentary. I had forgotten that the game had 3OT's! Those guys were just gassed and it was hot as hell that day too.
Tressel stronger than TP in some lifts? Really, would Tressel be willing to prove it. I might be willing to build a new wing on Children's Hospital to see that!
That gets me thinking, who on Mighigan's team could Dick Rod or "the strength coach who sits to pee" could out lift? With Tate Forcier not being able to pull out his own tampon without getting Toxic Shock Syndrome, I just don't know. Any thoughts?
I also watched that and thought the same thing, especially after that phantom pass interference call near the goal line when Rivers was clearly throwing the ball away to avoid a sack.
His backtracking on that play was incredible. At first he agreed with the line judge about it being uncatchable but after watching the replay he changed his mind and went with the back judge's opinion of pass interference. This prompted him to try and show an illustration of what "route the receiver was trying to run" even though the receiver simply decided to try and run after the ball to hopefully get that call because according to Cunningham, a pass that is going out of bounds 10 yards away from the closest receiver is still catchable right? On the other side, "Even if Michael Jenkins was Shaquille O'Neal he couldn't have caught that ball!" HA!
when my wife was in school, she was a student trainer there. her roommate was the head cheerleader. needless to say, she had a lot of dealings with him. she HATES him.
I have heard from multiple sources, and experience for myself, that John Huston is a major douche-nozel.
American filmmaker John Huston. Blasphemy.
ha, yeah him too.
meant to type joSh. FML.
Are you suggesting that he may not want to throw stones?
that is very much what i am suggesting. he's cut from the same cloth as ben.
in that case they better hope that cloth is semen resistent so forensic evidence is well hidden...
I met Josh once at a friends house. Seemed like an ok guy. Rob Reynolds was with him they were pretty chill. Rob got bent out of shape when I asked about the two new freshmen lb's (AJ ,Bobby C) Made some comment about them having a needle in their ass all the time.
Your lucky he didn't choke you after that.
-1 Johnny.
No one, and I do mean NO ONE deserves a "UUUUUUUUU" attached to to they're name. Except...NUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGE.
any news on Depriest today???!!!
i'm talking about the way he interacts with women.
Check back at 5:05.
Except for all those games Johnny and myself attended where the fans were all like "HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU".
Dang it, it's 5:10!!!! This internet thing is supposed to be fast.
Bama:(
You sure?
Is this a fact or speculation?
Buckeyegrove live blogged/twittered whatever you call it
Legit. Going to Bama.
Bahhh Thought there was a chance since Miller was beside him. Hope Miller stays far away from Saban. I am not even going to utter that fear.
Yeah, Cunningham has definitely dialed it back. As far as ESPN is concerned, he now seems to be one of the most complimentary when it comes to OSU. At least he was last year.