Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?

[724Skinsfan]

Ben plays football. Ben also lives his life the way he wants to. If he really wanted to play professional football and maintain and long healthy career he would take all the necessary precautions. He's just living to whatever suits his fancy. I don't see anything wrong with that. I'm sorry he got injured, just like I'm sorry anybody gets injured. He's just a man that happens to be a professional sports athlete. The Pittsburgh Steelers have often been a championship level team long before Big Ben and they probably will continue to be one after. Maybe not in the immediate future but as they say: the game goes on.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

Originally Posted by 724Skinsfan

Ben plays football. Ben also lives his life the way he wants to. If he really wanted to play professional football and maintain and long healthy career he would take all the necessary precautions. He's just living to whatever suits his fancy. I don't see anything wrong with that. I'm sorry he got injured, just like I'm sorry anybody gets injured. He's just a man that happens to be a professional sports athlete. The Pittsburgh Steelers have often been a championship level team long before Big Ben and they probably will continue to be one after. Maybe not in the immediate future but as they say: the game goes on.

So you don't see anything wrong with doing something detrimental to your career in your free time? I'm not saying stop riding the bike, but at least wear a helmet.

[724Skinsfan]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

So you don't see anything wrong with doing something detrimental to your career in your free time? I'm not saying stop riding the bike, but at least wear a helmet.

Not at all. It's a choice that he made and without a doubt he was aware of the potential consequences. If Ben was all about football and playing for the Steelers he wouldn't have been on the motorcycle. His career is not as important to him as having a good time and enjoying himself. That's not the same as saying his career is not important. As far as his financial future, he will always have money, unless he's into heavy gambling or major substance abuse. If he's the free spirit that I think he is, nothing holds him back from doing the activiites that he wants to do. Ten years from now he may regret riding that motorcycle but right now he did what he felt like doing. Good for him.

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by 724Skinsfan

If he's the free spirit that I think he is, nothing holds him back from doing the activiites that he wants to do. Ten years from now he may regret riding that motorcycle but right now he did what he felt like doing. Good for him.

Can't you say the same thing for Ricky Williams and a ton of other atheletes who have thrown away their careers for drugs/alcohol/gambling/whatever? In the history of professional sports there are probably hundreds, if not more, of potentially great atheletes who have thrown away all their potential because they didn't want to be held back from doing the things they wanted to do.

[BigSKINBauer]

He let his team down. He is not only hurting himself. he is hurting an organization and as far as I am concerned they could tell him where and when to sleep if he signs a contract that says that. It should be a basic thing in contracts to have no cycles. This is a high caliber team and he puts people's careers in actions. They train hard and they expect everyone to do the same.

[BigSKINBauer]

Does Ben get paid all that much? If he never played again I am sure he would seriously need money soon.

[724Skinsfan]

Originally Posted by BigSKINBauer

Does Ben get paid all that much? If he never played again I am sure he would seriously need money soon.

He's a Super Bowl QB that gets endorsement checks. Autograph sessions, jersey sales, not to mention Big Ben Beef Jerky (http://www.plbsports.com/ProductPgs/...hlisberger.htm), Ben will be alright for a few years. Then he'll open up a car dealership and be the new King of Cars.

[TheMalcolmConnection]

I think we're all losing sight of the question at hand. Is it too much to ask for people like Ricky Williams to not smoke weed? No. Is it too much to ask for Ben to wear a helmet? No.

I think we're getting into this whole free will thing, and while I think that people should be able to exercise free will, I also think it's NOT too much to ask or too demanding to say that a player should exercise some responsibility or suffer the consequences.

[dmek25]

if these pampered, dumb ass, me first athletes prefer to ride motorcycles or take other chances to endanger their professional careers, then if the time comes thru injury or whatever that they cannot perform anymore, no one needs to feel sorry for them. to a man they will say they dreamed of being a pro sports star, and if they cant give up a few of lifes pleasures(at least while they are still playing) how bad do they want to be a professional athlete?

[redskinsfanatic]

this is the one time i'm with the owners.they pay these guys boatloads of money to play for them,and i think they are completely just in laying down the cans and can't dos for all the players,not just the superstars.i can't see why anybody making the money these guys are making would want to go out and do extremely dumb things.play it safe,if you want to do that sort of thing,retire or do it after your career is over.if i were a steelerfan today,i'd really be pissed!!!

[Monkeydad]

Are we asking too much for players to have common sense?

No.

From the owners' standpoints, are they asking too much for players to protect themselves and stay in the playing condition that they signed the contract under?

No.

When it comes to Ben Roethlisberger, Im more upset about his possible liability on every taxpayer and insurance customer than his possible breach of contract with the Steelers if he can't play or has affected his playing abilities through his stupidity. Sure, Governor Rendell repealed the helmet law in PA a few years ago, but the legality of something doesn't make it smart or even healthy. Cigarettes are legal, but if you smoke and get cancer you have no one to blame but yourself. Bungee jumping is legal, but if you get whiplash....your problem as well. It's not illegal to sleep around or be gay, but when you get STDs...you must learn to reap what you've sown.

When it comes to people who choose to ride motorcycles without helmets, you're taking a risk that will likely cost you your life or at least your health. They should again have to take responsibility for their actions, but in reality, they won't have to. Their motorcycle insurance and health insurance will pay for their amplified injuries from not wearing a helmet. It won't come out of their own pocket, but it will come out of the pocket of everyone who pays taxes to keep the hospitals open and from everyone who will help pay the higher insurance rates from their stupidity. I think that if you want to ride without a helmet, you should have the freedom to do so since it's your life. However, with freedom ALWAYS comes responsibility and you should pay for your own injuries that result from your decision. People like Ben should have to pay for their own surgeries that were easily preventable with a helmet. The same should be true with seatbelts; if you are ejected from your car because you didn't wear your seatbelt, that's your decision to choose that outcome but you should also pay for your mistake instead of expecting everyone else to pay for your risk-taking. Just as a I don't like paying for people's herpes treatments from being irresponsible, I don't like the idea of paying my share of someone else's medical costs because they were stubborn or just like having wind and bugs in their hair.

Personal responsibility makes life better for everyone. The responsible stay safe and healthy and the irresponsible learn lessons. Society has grown to expect the government and everyone else to pay for their laziness, their risk-taking or their ignorance. Women now have babies without having a husband just for a larger check from the government every month. People quit working because they can get paid for staying home. Others have sex with anything that moves because they think that's a right, but then think it's a right to kill their baby when they have an "unexpected" pregnancy. If someone loses all of their money gambling, they don't deserve any government help (welfare).

Personally, I'm getting a little sick of taking care of these people.

I hope this bonehead move by Ben prompts owners to put some clauses into all contracts to protect their investments. Kellen Winslow Jr. should've taught Ben a lesson, but it obviously didn't.

I won't be upset if he's not the player he used to be. He brought it on himself. I just heard a report that he didn't have a PA Motorcycle license. If that's true, he really deserves any consequences from his actions.

I hate seeing anyone hurt and I pray he'll be ok as a person for his family's sake, but if he ended his football career or even limited it with this situation, I won't have any sympathy.

In the end, he's no better than anyone else and I'd feel the same way if he was a "common" person.

He needs to get his priorities straight and start taking some responsibility in his life. Despite what the media might say, he's not Superman and when it comes to his health and life, he has the same responsibilities as any of us.

I hope this does spur a reversal of Rendell's repeal of the helmet law. He did it for purely political purposes in the first place and most residents here in PA opposed it and forsaw this exact outcome of it. Fatalities from non-helmet wearers in PA have tripled and for what reason? The "right" to endanger your life and put your death on the conscience of a possibly innocent car driver? The lady that Ben ran into was a 62 year-old lady who by all accounts so far, wasn't at fault. Now she's on public record as the lady who hurt the star QB because HE WASN'T WEARING A HELMET. I hope people are sensible and leave her alone but there's always idiots who will harass her. Also, I'll be paying a share of his medical and insured costs that would've been treatment for some bruises and roadrash that is now a surgery, hospitalization and rehab.

You have the freedom to be stupid, but if you are...pay for it yourself.

[Schneed10]

No way is it asking too much for these guys to be responsible. Many people in this thread have talked about the money involved, teams have a financial interest, front office guys have their jobs tied to the success of the team, etc.

But what's getting lost here is that many football players say that they play the game to win a championship, they don't play it for the money. Of course they want the money, and it's a big motivator. But any football player worth his weight is motivated by winning first and foremost.

Everytime you smoke weed or ride a motorbike you're compromising your ability to help your team win games. It says either that you're too dumb to recognize the risks, or you don't care so much about winning.

I can't fault fans for being upset. They want their team to win, and to see a player do anything that compromises the team's ability to win is incredibly disheartening. Being responsible is part of being a good teammate. You can't win games if you're paralyzed.

[724Skinsfan]

Originally Posted by Schneed10

No way is it asking too much for these guys to be responsible. Many people in this thread have talked about the money involved, teams have a financial interest, front office guys have their jobs tied to the success of the team, etc.

But what's getting lost here is that many football players say that they play the game to win a championship, they don't play it for the money. Of course they want the money, and it's a big motivator. But any football player worth his weight is motivated by winning first and foremost.

Everytime you smoke weed or ride a motorbike you're compromising your ability to help your team win games. It says either that you're too dumb to recognize the risks, or you don't care so much about winning.

I can't fault fans for being upset. They want their team to win, and to see a player do anything that compromises the team's ability to win is incredibly disheartening. Being responsible is part of being a good teammate. You can't win games if you're paralyzed.

Well said!

[TheMalcolmConnection]

So we are all in concensus that it's NOT too much to ask?

[ArtMonkDrillz]

Originally Posted by TheMalcolmConnection

So we are all in concensus that it's NOT too much to ask?

taking care of your responsibilities, MAN LAW!