I really hope this is another case of some ***** trying to get a payday. If not, then what a tool, how could Ben do this to us. I hope they throw the book at him.
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Agreed. If he is a douchbag, then he needs to go. But.... I would like to think that he was smarter than what the story implies. Drama.:-)
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I hope these claims aren't substantiated. He should be very careful who he hangs out with. Seems to be a pattern developing here.

:-)
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"One patron, 21-year-old college student Brandon Harris, said he saw Roethlisberger come in the night before with two or three big men, who were keeping other club goers away from the player. Harris said the group went into a curtained VIP area in the back of the club, and some women were let inside"

Who are these women and what did they think was going to happen when they went into the "curtained VIP area in the back of the club" did they think that Roethlesberger just wanted to hold hands with them? If the guy did rape someone or forced himself on someone he should reap the consequences. If these girls are just getting even because they though if they slept with him he would date them and shower them with jewelry and fame then their malice need to be punished.
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Big Ben suspended for at least 6 games.

http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/blog/shu...urn=nfl,235656

Plus...rumor is Pittsburgh is going to try and trade him for a top 10 first round pick.

:-) My opinion...... he needs to get the axe. As a die-hard fan, it's not about Roethlisberger, it's about the team. I'm really put off by what has happened, (Roethlisberger,Reed and Holmes). I don't know why they don't give Dixon a shot at QB.
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I would want Roethlisberger on my team. He won 2 Super Bowls and is still young. But, I do see the other side that you don't want a rapist on your team.
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Thats what I hear. Who do you think will get him, if Pits decides to let him go?
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I loved that big dumb sumb!tch. Regardless, I can't wait to see him go.
If you've read all the story, and followed it, he needs far more than a suspension. He needs his guts kicked in. Good.
He's fortunate he's untouchable. If he weren't, someone's father or brother would have already fixed him up real good.
Crying shame, the whole story. My heart goes out to these girls and their families.
The whole thing has literally made me ill, and I never wanted to think it true. I've never been so convinced, and I'm probably the kid's biggest fan.

I sincerely hope that no team in the NFL holds a hand out to him. The NFL is very scared about their branding as of late, especially with the economy. I can't see it doing anything but hurting any team that touches him. Don't be surprised if no one touches Ben and he sits for at least a year or two.

Lisa told me we resigned Byron. I haven't seen it in type anywhere. Anyone have a link? I'd like to see Byron back, but I'd much rather see Charlie at the helm. How cool would it be if he took our boys to the Super Bowl and walked off into the sunset?
That'd be a heck of a lead-in for the Dixon kid to blossom. :-)
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I read what Ben did to her. How disgusting.... :-)
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Dan you got a link to the story?
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You're joking right?:-)

He isn't worth a top ten pick to begin with, and add in the fact that best he has serious issues in interacting with women, and at worst he's a sexual predator, and they'll be lucky to get a third round pick for him.
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It's spread out all over. I haven't seen all the info in one place at any time.
The short is that Ben's goons led the girl to the "VIP room", she got uncomfortable and left, fleeing to the bathroom. Ben followed her into the bathroom and raped her. Said bathroom was only available to the "VIP room" and her friends were trying to get to her and were stopped by Ben's cop buddies who were "securing the area". She suffered a lump on her head from trying to get away from the bathroom.
The girl was drunk and felt somewhat responsible, hurt ,and foolish for placing herself in the situation, bringing grief to herself and the family, and dropped the charges to make it all go away.

There's a lot more details to it, but I tried to pare it down best i could.
There are tons of unrelated reports, and Ben has apparently made sport of this sort of thing over the years.
It'll take a bit of doing, but you can chase down all the eyewitness reports from all of the people involved, except his two cop buddies who aren't talking.
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Here's a good starting point:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive...isberger1.html

Supposedly the entire 500 page plus GBI report is out there on the interwebs somewhere, but I'm having trouble finding it.
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I don't understand this suspension. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? I for one wasn't at the scene and don't know what happened. He sounds guilty, but again, I wasn't there.
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The way I understand it, Andy, is that if you take out raping chicks in the bathroom, everything else he did that night is unbecoming of an NFL player. Or anyone, for that matter. You can read about his actions in everyone's statements in the link that Vic provided. Take out all the stuff that points toward the rape charge and it's still a big mess. There were plenty of people there, and they made statements to the police. So did the police who were with him, albeit vague.
Ben isn't good at drinking, and he takes it out there and likes to make a big spectacle. It's not the first time he's been in hot water about the way he parties. So instead of heeding his contracted conduct clauses, he chose to ignore them.
You can read what Goodell said about the suspension right here.
Add this latest stunt to breaking his skull on the motorcycle, and the other rape charges, and Ben is dragging in all sorts of unwanted attention.
This latest is his third major episode in the last four years.
Take any of his numerous actions, and they would likely get a guy canned even if he works at Walmart.
He doesn't need to be found guilty of rape to lose his job. He already did plenty.
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it's ****ing bullshit and I doubt i'll even watch football this year.
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Andy, I think Scott hits the nail right on the head.

I think the author of this article does a fantastic job:

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/comme...ory?id=5122538


And I think this particular quote is right on the money:

When Kobe Bryant was entangled in a 2003 rape case, he relied on the idea of familiarity with a press corps that, in truth, he had treated with distance and contempt. In his moment of need, he attempted to trade on his name to discredit his accuser with his famous "Come on guys, you know me" appeal to basketball reporters.

Bryant benefited from the power of the brand of being a ballplayer, and Woods, who has long been disdainful and contemptuous of the press, recently referred to them as "friends" during his news conference.

Perhaps it is a sign of shifting times or Bryant's star power, but some elements of the public responded to Bryant by threatening his accuser. And it is important to remember that the Bryant rape case was dismissed not because Bryant was innocent, but because his accuser had grown weary of the public humiliation of coming forward, having her sexual history revealed, and chose to end the ordeal.

Seven years later, Roethlisberger is not afforded much of the same protection. The segment of the public that sides with him exemplifies a certain sexism and hero worship, a reaction that undoubtedly would be different if the woman were a friend or family member. What matters is that anyone who took the time to read the Georgia Bureau of Investigation's 500-plus-page report, which is now available online, does not support him, and his employers have not defended him. He has no credibility.
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this is bullshit, 6 games, wtf?
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Thanks for the info, Scott and Vic.:-)

I knew that he had been in trouble with the ladies before, but not to that extent. Still, I'm not so sure about his suspension. I don't believe that he is a great guy off the field after all of this, but it is what it is. I know it's not the NFL way, but I would be more satisfied if the Steelers banned him from six games (not gonna happen) rather than the NFL. I guess that shows me as more of a States Rights kind of guy. I do see Goodell's reasoning though.
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that's an interesting analogy:-)
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