It was just his face that was injured anyway. It isn’t necessary to play football. Sucks to be him though. Hey at least he was having fun when he bit it. Better than suffering a heart attack behind one’s desk (depending on what one was doing behind said desk).
BTW, there are at least 20 states that have no specific helmet laws like PA. But damn he was riding a sissy crtch rocket–man, how sad.
is this guy an idiot, or is this guy an idiot? riding a motorcycle or otherwise doing any high risk activity as a professional athlete in his prime is totally uncalled for.
Professionals can’t ride motocycles? What about doctors, lawyers, or other professionals? They are all idiots for riding motorcycles?[/quote]
I feel you ProfX, but I’ll be real with you…as a working “professional” and a rider myself (CBR600) sometimes I do feel like an idiot going out on my bike. I mean the risk is just insane on these things, for just the reason you mention in a later post: the streets are simply filled with idiotic drivers. You can be the safest biker in the world, do everything right, and a car will literally just run into you as if you didn’t exist. I’ve seen it happen.
As a biker I go out with the mindset that I WILL get in an accident at some point, and sometimes that makes me think: “well why am I doing this?” I’ve yet to meet a biker that’s been riding for over 10 years and hasn’t hit the ground at least once.
[quote]UtahLama wrote:
Big Ben is entitled to do whatever he wants. However, he has 60 players 20 coaches and an entire organization that depends on him to lead them. Jobs depend on him, livelihoods of 100’s of people.
[/quote]
Wow, don’t ya think that maybe you are being a little over dramatic? You really think that without him on the team the livelihoods of 100s of people would be in jeopardy? The Steelers organization was around long before Big Ben and they will be around long after him. Yes, he’s a good QB, yes he does lead the team. But to suggest that he is the sole livelihood of 100s of people is just insane.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
JokerFMJ wrote:
Professor X wrote:
Should I erase any activity that might be a risk in my life just because I might be a professional?
If you sign a legally binding contract and you’re a man of your word, then yes, you absolutely should.
He signed a contract to not ride a motorcycle?
[/quote]
A lot of pro contracts do have this stipulation but it was reported that Ben’s didn’t have this in it.
As far as the helmet law goes, the government should have no right to make me wear a helmet, or wear a seat belt. I will do it but if I choose to fly through the windshield in an accident then that’s my right. And being young with such a bright future, Ben should have made a better decision.
As a biker I go out with the mindset that I WILL get in an accident at some point, and sometimes that makes me think: “well why am I doing this?” I’ve yet to meet a biker that’s been riding for over 10 years and hasn’t hit the ground at least once.[/quote]
I always ride with the mentality that I could go down. It keeps me looking for ways out of it if it does happen. To tell the truth, if there was no risk, I wouldn’t enjoy doing it to the degree that I do. It is like flying a jet.
I just hate so many non-riders calling this man an idiot simply because he was riding. I am all for saying he should have worn a helmet. I am not for claiming he should never be on a bike.
[quote]dre wrote:
But for cripes sake, let the guy have a life outside of football. Let him do what he enjoys.[/quote]
You figure he enjoys slamming his face through a car windshield and spending seven hours in surgery to repair the damage? Damn, those Steelers are hardcore.
[quote]spartanpower wrote:
The lady that ran into him should take one for the team and throw herself off Mt. Washington. I love how this becomes Ben’s fault when he got fucking run over by some old blue-haired broad that can probably barely see over the goddamn steering wheel of the huge boat she was driving. Now everyone in Pittsburgh wants to play devil’s advocate and tell everyone they know how stupid they think he is for not riding without a helmet. Meanwhile they completely ignore the stupid cunt that caused the fucking accident in the first place.[/quote]
If she caused the accident, why wasn’t she cited? All reports say she was dismissed from the scene without being charged. You think the Pittsburgh cops just forgot to write her a ticket for ramming their Super Bowl winning quarterback?
[quote]Unless he was wearing a helmet with a full visor and chin guard, he’d still have suffered the same injuries, maybe minus the gash in his head (he faceplanted into the windshield).
[/quote]
Go to every superbike race track in the country and you’ll see that a helmet with a visor and chin guard is standard equipment, worn by everyone. I wouldn’t expect a casual cyclist to climb into racing leathers every time he leaves the house, but no rider who knows his ass from his elbow gets on a GSX1300R without a full helmet.
On the other hand, I’m a Bengals fan, so I completely respect both Roethlisberger’s and Kellen Winslow II’s rights to fall off their motorcycles wearing whatever they like. Power to the people!
Whhat about his contract; there’s got to be some clause of some sorts about riding bikes etc.
Anyone know anything about it?[/quote]
All NFL contracts have some sort of ‘out’ clause for ownership that allows them to penalize the player if he is injured while engaged in risky, non-football related activities that cause him to miss time. Kellen Winslow II’s contract didn’t explicitly prohibit him from riding a motorcycle, but the Browns decided that popping wheelies in a parking lot was a breech of contract and penalized him his 2005 salary and a portion of hissigning bonus as a result.
I just read on ESPN that Roethlisberger doesn’t even have a motorcycle license. He’s rapidly becoming the new poster boy for irresponsible cycling…
I wonder if he’s in breach of contract. Most pro athletes have clauses in their contracts that prohibit it. I know MJ did when he was on the Bulls. Jeff Kent did also when he was with the Giants. Thats why he made up the “I hurt my wrist washing my car” excuse.
[quote]PGA200X wrote:
I wonder if he’s in breach of contract. Most pro athletes have clauses in their contracts that prohibit it. I know MJ did when he was on the Bulls. Jeff Kent did also when he was with the Giants. Thats why he made up the “I hurt my wrist washing my car” excuse.[/quote]
All NFL player contracts say in them that they player is prohibited from “participating in activities that involve excessive risk of injury outside of the game of football”.
That is pretty broad statement, and can be applied to many situations, including the current one with Roethlisberger.
From what I’ve heard, if Ben misses any regular season games due to this incident, he’s likely to be docked his signing bonus for the year.
[quote]Bauer97 wrote:
PGA200X wrote:
I wonder if he’s in breach of contract. Most pro athletes have clauses in their contracts that prohibit it. I know MJ did when he was on the Bulls. Jeff Kent did also when he was with the Giants. Thats why he made up the “I hurt my wrist washing my car” excuse.
All NFL player contracts say in them that they player is prohibited from “participating in activities that involve excessive risk of injury outside of the game of football”.
That is pretty broad statement, and can be applied to many situations, including the current one with Roethlisberger.
From what I’ve heard, if Ben misses any regular season games due to this incident, he’s likely to be docked his signing bonus for the year.[/quote]
“NFL contracts often contain language that gives the team the right to go after a signing bonus if a player is hurt taking part in a risky venture. Things like motorcycle riding, bungee jumping, scuba diving, hang gliding and skiing are all listed on one team’s contracts. If a player on that team is seriously hurt doing those things, the team could go after the signing-bonus money – which is what happened with Winslow.”
“According to a league source who has scanned Roethlisberger’s contract, it has nothing about motorcycle riding in it. That means even if he is seriously hurt, the Steelers have no recourse to try to recover any signing-bonus money.”
[quote]vermilion wrote:
dre wrote:
But for cripes sake, let the guy have a life outside of football. Let him do what he enjoys.
You figure he enjoys slamming his face through a car windshield and spending seven hours in surgery to repair the damage? Damn, those Steelers are hardcore.[/quote]
Yeah, because that’s exactly what he set out to do.
[quote]Professor X wrote:
Professionals can’t ride motocycles? What about doctors, lawyers, or other professionals? They are all idiots for riding motorcycles?[/quote]
People, including professionals, can do whatever they want. It is, I believe, still a free country.
Yet the risk/reward just isn’t there in my book.
As a doctor, you likely intend on practicing for a good 20, 30, or more years. If you get hurt, you can recover and come back.
As a professional athlete, where your job depends largely on physical performance, you may not get that opportunity, that 2nd chance. There is enough risk within the game, and careers are already short. But the money is ludicrous … it is now or never for most of these guys.
So, in the words of the great philosopher Snoop Dogg, “Make money money make money money make money money!”
Then, when you retire at the ripe old age of 35, you can ride a motorcylce without a helmet.
Another example of 2 many Bikes ,not enough [real] Bikers.Unlike other sports Motorcycling is a sport that will get you hurt or killed in a hurry if you dont give it the proper respect.
For the record, Professor X didn’t say anything about riding without a helmet; I gather from his posts that he generally does.
There are different degrees of risk with anything. Riding a motorcycle is inherently risky. Riding one recklessly, or without a license/instruction, or without a helmet moves riding from risky to stupid. If you’re going to gamble with your life, at least shift the odds in your favor.
[quote]dre wrote:
UtahLama wrote:
Big Ben is entitled to do whatever he wants. However, he has 60 players 20 coaches and an entire organization that depends on him to lead them. Jobs depend on him, livelihoods of 100’s of people.
Wow, don’t ya think that maybe you are being a little over dramatic? You really think that without him on the team the livelihoods of 100s of people would be in jeopardy? The Steelers organization was around long before Big Ben and they will be around long after him. Yes, he’s a good QB, yes he does lead the team. But to suggest that he is the sole livelihood of 100s of people is just insane.[/quote]
I agree it is a stretch. But look at the basic concept, Ben is the face of that team. The quarterback for good or bad is held to a higher standard than anybody else.
The quarterback for good or bad is the most important person on that team; he needs to realize that even though it is his right to ride, people depend on him.
When teams lose coaches get fired, assistants get fired, GM’s get fired, and players get released. It is a slippery hillside.
