Pittsburgh Steelers Fans Welcome Back Ben Roethlisberger With Cheers, Not Jeers

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Posted on 1st August 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Pittsburgh Steelers fans are either very forgiving, have short memories or approve of taking advantage of young drunk women in the bathrooms of bars.

In any event, the fans welcomed shamed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger –  some even seeking his autograph – back to team practice with cheers and open arms Saturday, according to The New York Times.  

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/01/sports/football/01steelers.html?ref=sports

An apparently grateful, or relieved, Roethlisberger didn’t give fans the shirt off his back, but he did give them the shoes off his feet. Literally. That anecdote is in the first paragraph of  The Times’ story, which is headlined “For Roethlisberger, Feelings of Anxiety Fade With The Sound of Cheers.”

Roethlisberger’s practice at camp Saturday was essentially his first public appearance since the quarterback was suspended for six games. He got that suspension after being accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a Georgia bar in March.  He was not criminally charged in that incident, but he faces a lawsuit from a woman who alleges he raped her in Lake Tahoe, Nev.

I believe, and have blogged here on this topic, that Roethlisberger’s behavior changed for the worse as a result of his past brain injuries, which included brain trauma he sustained in a motorcycle accident where he wasn’t wearing a helmet, to the several concussions he sustained while playing for the NFL. 

The Times esimated that 10,000 fans showed up at St. Vincent College, where the Steelers train, and they roared when Roethlisberger came out onto the field.

Instead of jeers, one many yelled out to Roethlisbeger, “You’re the man,” The Times reported.

After the practice Roethlisberger told The Times, “It was good to be out here. I walked out, and they cheered pretty loud. It was neat to hear everybody cheering and seeing my jersey (on fans).”   

Some of the fans wearing Roethlisberger’s jersey were women, old and young alike.

The quarterback, in addition to his supension, also had to undergo a behavorial evaluaton. His team mates say that he’s acting more “personable.” The question is whether this is an act, or a real change in Roethlisberger.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will visit the Steelers practice as part of his training-camp  tour, , and The Times says the scuttlebutt is that Goodell may cut the quartereback’s suspension to only four games instead of six. 

Pittsburgh Steeler Roethlisberger Won’t Face Criminal Assault Charges

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Posted on 12th April 2010 by Gordon Johnson in Brain Injury

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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who has suffered numerous concussions on the field and from a serious motorcycle accident, won’t face criminal charges after being accused of sexually assaulting a college student in the bathroom of a bar where he was having his birthday party. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/13/sports/football/13roethlisberger.html?ref=sports

During a press conference Monday Fred Bright, the district attorney in Ocmulgee County in Georgia, said that he had received a letter from Roethlisberger’s accuser, and that she did not want to continue to press charges against the football player.

“The sexual allegation against Mr. Roethlisberger cannot be proven beyond a reasonable doubt,” Bright said. “Therefore, there will be no arrest made, nor criminal prosecution of Mr. Roethlisberger for his actions here March 5, 2010.” http://www.cnn.com/2010/CRIME/04/12/roethlisberger.charges/?hpt=T2

But the district attorney outlined the details of what happened the night of the alleged incident in a bar in Milledgeville, Ga., and The New York Time suggests that the tawdry tale could prompt NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell to discipline Roethlisberger, who has lead the Steelers to two Super Bowl Championships.

Goodell is slated to meet with Roethlisberger this week, and he could suspend the quarterback for violating the NFL’s personal-conduct policy, according to The Times.

Steelers President Art Rooney II issued his own statement after Bright’s announcement. http://www.steelers.com/news/article-1/Statement-by-Steelers-President-Art-Rooney-II/32a16d96-fc6c-42e5-a289-d8a3b289866d

“The investigation process in Georgia has been deliberate and the District Attorney’s decision regarding Ben Roethlisberger speaks for itself,” Rooney said.

“During the past few weeks I have met with Ben on a number of occasions, not only to discuss this incident, but also to discuss his commitment to making sure something like this never happens again,” he wrote. “The Pittsburgh Steelers take the conduct of players and staff very seriously. Ben will now have to work hard to earn back the respect and trust of Steelers fans, and to live up to the leadership responsibilities we all expect of him.”

In conclusion, Rooney said, “In the coming days Ben will meet with Commissioner Goodell to discuss his resolve to abide by the league’s personal conduct standards. After consultation with the Commissioner, our organization will determine the next steps in this process.”

As we wrote in a blog in March, Roethlisberger’s recent problems are perhaps being caused by the accumulation of brain damage from the four concussions he has suffered while playing, and the head injuries he sustained in a near-fatal June 2006 motorcycle accident. Brain injury can result in neuro-behavioral problems, changing one’s usual actions.

In the case where Roethlisberger has escaped prosecution, he and his accuser had met at a bar the night of the alleged incident; were drinking heavily; and were engaging in conversations that were of a sexual nature, Bright said at the press conference.

After the alleged incident, the accuser was taken to a hospital, but it could not be definitively determined if she had been sexually assaulted.

“Here, the overall circumstances do not lead to a viable prosecution,” Bright said. “We are not condoning Mr. Roethlisberger’s actions that night. We do not prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes.”

It would be a good move for Goodell to lay down the law to Roethlisberger, who has exhibited some of the control problems that those afflicted with traumatic brain injury have.

After all, the incident in Georgia is not the only sexual-assault charge that has been levied against the player. A woman has filed suit against Roethlisberger, alleging that he raped her in a Lake Tahoe hotel room in 2008.

Roethlisberger, who shunned wearing a helmet while riding his motorcycle, was almost killed in a 2006 accident when he was thrown in an accident with a car and hit his head.

Goodell should consider requiring Roethlisberger to have a full brain injury assessment as part of any compliance he requires.  He is certainly innocent until proven guilty and it is not either our or Goodell’s role to determine that.  But the issue of abnormal neurobehavior should be ruled out before Roethlisberger exposes himself to any more concussions.