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| Authored by Andrew Perna - 13th June, 2006 - 6:20 pm
 When I awoke early Monday morning and heard the news of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger having been in a serious motorcycle accident, many emotions ran through my head. First, as a human being I was scared for Ben?s life. Early news reports where quite vague, and the photos of the crash scene looked very serious. As a guy in his twenties, it?s always a wake up call when a young person?s morality is tested, because all too often we feel immortal.
A rush of other emotions popped into my head. Embarrasment, felt for Roethlisberger himself, who probably knows now that he shouldn?t be risking his life by choosing not to wear a helmet when riding his precious motorcycle. He is a role model to kids all around the country after having become the youngest quarterback ever to win the Super Bowl. The parents of his young fans now have to explain to their children why Ben chose not to take precaution when riding his bike, something Mom?s around the world lovingly force kids to do whenever they hop on theirs.
Then a rush of anger came over me. How could a young man so lucky test fate like that? Simply strapping on a helmet saves Ben from the hours of surgery he endured Monday afternoon, and probably changes the images of him being irresponsible into ones of gratefulness that he was smart enough to protect himself with a helmet.
Millions of men around the world would do anything to be in the position Ben has been in over the last year or so. He may be only twenty-four years of age, but Ben is the leader of the Super Bowl Champion Pittsburgh Steelers. After the events that took place over the last twenty-four hours, men around the country aren?t as willing to trade places with Ben anymore.
Then another thought came into my head while I was laying down late Monday night.
Ben Roethlisberger is just as human as any other guy in the world.
Sure he?s an NFL quarterback, and is worth millions of dollars. It?s true that he?s a role model for kids around the nation, and millions of fans around the world sport his #7 Steelers jersey in pride. But if he weren?t one of the NFL?s brightest young stars this accident wouldn?t have made national news?
If John Smith from Daytona Beach crashes his motorcycle while not wearing a helmet and suffers similar injures to Roethlisberger?s, it?s not national news. Heck, it might not even make the local news! If Joe Jackson from San Diego crashes his motorcycle and suffers a much worse fate then Ben and dies, it?s not national news.
Does that make Ben?s decision not to wear a helmet worse? Is he more irresponsible because he?s a Super Bowl-winning quarterback that everyone in the country knows?
Let?s go back to my fictional friends John and Joe. Imagine John and Joe have a family, a wife and kids. People closer to them than a legion of Terrible Towel-waving fans? What if they were supporting their family enough so that their wives could stay home and raise their children?
What happens now? God forbid, but if either John or Joe had died those kids have no father and their wives are now widows.
Is Ben?s accident more tragic because he?s a sports hero? Again, was his decision to ride without a helmet stupider than if an average guy makes the same choice?
Everyone is human. Just because Ben Roethlisberger is an NFL quartback and a public image, that doesn?t mean he doesn?t make the same mistakes the average American male does. Yes, what Ben did wasn?t smart, it was actually rather brainless, but he?s human. He?s built from the same material that you and I are made of. He has pride and everyonce and a while he feels immortal.
He may not feel that way anymore, but this should be a lesson to his millions of fan around the country. Don?t press your luck, because no one is indestructable.
Not even Super Bowl-winning, twenty-four year old quarterbacks...
Andrew Perna can be reached at Andrew.Perna@RealGM.com |
