Somewhat OT--Steeler's QB accused of sexual assault
Steeler's QB "Big Ben" Ben Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault by a woman in a club bathroom. He denies the accusation. He has not been charged, yet.
The police say he was in a group that included the woman and she has accused him.
You remember his name because he was a Miami of Ohio player where he QBed the 'midwest coast defense' with some games where he gave Michigan a challenge in the Big House.
he wishes he would have just crashed a motorcycle instead
This isn't the first time he's been accused of this, is it? Wasn't there another rape accusation last year?
in Reno at a golf tournament.
This is completely OT. You can take the "somewhat" out of your title.
Sounds to me like another skank after easy money. I think I'll continue to see Big Ben as "innocent until proven guilty." Or at least until there is a video on youtube.
why women hesitate to come forward after they've been raped, especially by a known figure. After all, there's a good chance that someone without ANY knowledge of the situation will start telling people that she is a skank.
I think profesional athletes are easy marks and I admit I am always skeptical when a woman accuses an athlete of sexual assault. However, when a particular athlete receives multiple accusations you got to start thinking there may be something there. Did it really happen, is the guy just an aggressive ahole with women or is he just someone who puts himself in the position to have this happen more than another athlete?
It's sad that the few out there who are just looking for a cash grab make the rest of the legitimate women making claims look like skanks.
It also would surprise me for someone like Roethlisburger to do this, given he probably could get women to sleep with him without resorting to violence like this, simply because of his status.
sometimes you have some good points... but this could be the stupidest thing you have ever posted... yes there are women who make up stories in order to get a pay day but most of the times the story turns out to be true...
I was an MP in the army and did law enforcement patrol work for a year.
I would say about half of the reports of sexual assault we got where both parties knew each other ended up being diverted out of the criminal system for counseling--because the facts once statements were taken and evidence examined did not support nonconsensual sex.
Women do sometimes decide there was no consent where the man had reason to think there was, or just as common she has a boyfriend/husband and since there is no way she would ever cheat on her special guy she decides she must have been forced.
It's easy to take an accuser's side if you've never been wrongly accused.
What is wrong with skanks? We have all had a morally casual evening or two in our lives. Besides if it wasn’t for skanks we wouldn’t have internet porn.
Don’t give me the, "that is someones daughter line either."
I would've shrugged it off the first time but now that's two rape accusations in two year.
We look at it as "twice in a year can't be good." Mean while, Ben's camp is trying to spin it as "see, this kind of stuff happens all the time, no big deal. They're all fake."
Two accusations in two years is more than a coincidence.
If there's a third accusation, they won't even need a trial, just lock him right up? Being accused twice in two years doesn't shine well on him, but the accuser partying in the bathroom of a club like Tony Montana's little sister doesn't shine too well either. We'll see, maybe.
I lived in that small town for 16 months. It's weird to see it all over the news.
These things are always very serious and can not be simplified to "Oh she was making up the whole thing." These women could be thrown in jail if it is proven they are making up these stories. But of course its always innocent until proven guilty so Roethlisberger should be given the benefit of the doubt.
What would you guess is the current ratio of men in prison wrongfully convicted of rape to women in prison for making false accusations?
We had a guy here wrongfully imprisoned for seven months on a similar accusation. I know that might not seem like a long time, but it was scary stuff to be honest. It was just words that put him in that position, and the girl, who had done this before, finally recanted.
I had another case where a woman claimed she was sexually assaulted in the women's restroom of the college campus here. Never happened. She cut herself in the bathroom and made it look like an assault had taken place.
Obviously,these type of allegations need to be taken very seriously, but there are a lot of women who cry "wolf." And that is the unfortunate part for the real victims.
Women who falsely accuse men of rape don't just ruin the life of one man (and I don't say that lightly, because so often the name of the accused is all over the media) but they also do a terrible disservice to other women who are assaulted.
Basically, when a pro athlete like this is accused, I see it as a huge no-win situation: either Roethlisberger is guilty and someone was assaulted (not good), or someone made a false accusation that makes it an uphill battle for the next woman who is actually assaulted by someone famous (not good).
Is that Big Ben is guilty. This happening twice is more than a coincidence. He seems like a guy who gets what he wants from girls, and if he doesn't, he'll take it.
At this point it's more than a coinceidence
Guilt is a legal term of art. It only applies when someone (a) is convicted, (b) pleads guilty, or (c) pleads nolo. You can't have guilt before you even have charges filed.
Moreover, there's a reason juries aren't allowed to hear prior bad act evidence in most situations. There's a significant likelihood that people will either assume that the individual did it once and will therefore do it again, or they will punish the defendant for the prior act rather than the charged offense.
Due Process is like Hansel; it's so hot right now.
/lawnerd attack
"Guilt" as a word used within the legal system has a specific legal definition, but like many legal words (e.g. "negligence"), it has a more universal definition as well, outside the legal vernacular.
Guilt is a factual question, and Roethlisberger could be "guilty" as a matter of fact*. If he committed the act, it is within the definition of the word to state that he is guilty of rape, even if he was never determined by a legal tribunal to be "found guilty".
For example...."O.J. Simpson was never found guilty of the murder of Nicole Brown Simpson. But O.J. Simpson was guilty of said murder."
(*please note this is purely a grammatical hypothetical, I have no opinion as to whether he actually did it or not).
/grammarnerd counterattack
You guys both make good points. Maybe I should've re-phrased my statement to:
My personal opinion is that Big Ben is responsible for assaulting this woman and I think that he is a scumbag.
Innocent until proven guilty is only in a court of law - I'm entitled to my opinion based on what I've heard, seen and the re-occuring themes that keep on coming out about this guy.
He's a scumbag and I hope he pays for his actions if he is guilty.
What have you heard and seen that the rest of us haven't? I'd be curious to know. Did you read the details of the allegations he faced last summer and see how phony they were?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09220/989640-66.stm#ixzz0Nq1oEgKL
Is that where there's smoke. there's fire.especially when the smoke happens more than once.
If I'm wrong, then I'm wrong. I'm not a sportswriter publicizing my opinion, nor does it have any consequence on Big Ben in any way.
I think the dude sexually assaulted a girl.
If I'm wrong then we'll find out.
I was not attacking your opinion. I was simply asking whether you seen or heard something that would lead you to such a strong opinion.
FWIW, I know some people from PA that have seen Ben in clubs and stuff and they all tell me he's a huge scumbag. A friend of mine said she was trying to go up to the VIP to see him but they wouldn't let her in because they screen the girls and basically only let them in if they are willing to hook up with Ben. I'm not saying he's guilty or anything, just something to consider
I'd like to file sexual assault charges against Michael Irvin. He's been accused before. While we're at it, we might as well name Roethlisberger in the suit. And Tiger Woods. And Steve Phillips.
I hope some of these posters never get selected to be on a jury.
My mom and brother moved to Findlay where Ben is from. My brother said he when they were in school that he was the most egotistical, big headed guy you could ever meet. He said that he got whatever he wanted whenever he wanted it. The town of Findlay wanted to have a parade for him after he won his 1st Super Bowl, and he wouldn't even give them the time of day....
who claimed that he used to be on the training staff of the Steelers. He told me that almost all of BB's teammates despised BB, because he is an arrogant prick. The guy could have been lying, but he seemed to be believable.
I played at Findlay, though it was a couple of years before Ben came along. Anybody ever wondering why Ben went to Miami with the physical tools and game he has should know that Ben played wr for the varsity at Findlay while the coach's kid played qb. By the time young Mr. Hite graduated and Ben took the reins, he was way under the radar for qb's (which is another great reason to wait to see a kid wear a college uniform before complaining about how every other major program isn't swinging from his junk). So Miami took a flier on him, and he turned out to be a good quarterback.
So we're to assume he's guilty because this isn't the first time he's been accused (keyword accused) while completely dispelling the idea that somebody might be using his past accusation (keyword accusation) against him? Nice logic.
And no, I am not assuming that he is innocent. But he is innocent until he is proven otherwise. I still believe in that idea.
Somewhere, Demar Dorsey weeps.
(Or at least he would if he weren't such an incredible hard-ass)
Someone needs the Sexual Consent Contract that Dave Chapelle up with.
hey it's that chick from the office that Jim shoulda married.
Rashida Jones is her name and her dad is Quincy Jones, FWIW.
...I've ever seen for trying to argue that something isn't OT.
You remember his name because he was a Miami of Ohio player where he QBed the 'midwest coast defense' with some games where he gave Michigan a challenge in the Big House.Uh, I think we remember Roethlisberger because he's been kind of a big deal since he entered the NFL including winning two super bowls (one as a rookie (at Ford Field, no less)), was in a major motorcycle accident during one offseason where he almost died, and currently faces a civil lawsuit from a woman whose sexual assualt accusation led to criminal charges that were later dropped. Yeah, we also remember him from his playing days at Miami including his appearance "in the Big House." Not Semi-OT, not Somewhat-OT. Just OT.
This is an absolutely accurate and well-argued point, and I couldn't agree with you more, but I can't imagine a single person on Earth who cares about the OP's selected "degree of OT" even a little.
...Chuck, in principle. It's just that the way some OPs are approaching the OT thing is getting tiresome. Trying to be cute about it like our OP above is just silly. Just follow the easy guidelines we've been provided and get on with it.
I feel bad for Roflsberger. Is he really that fugly that he can't get superstar ass without some sort of entanglement with the law?