2020 NFL Off-season

Not after Namath's guarantee, and then backing it up.

 

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger admits past addictions to alcohol, pornography | TribLIVE.com

 

How the hell do you have a porn addiction? The real thing is always much hotter than some woman going through the motions for the camera.

My fantasies are memories, no internet connection needed.

 

You'd think that an NFL QB would be able to find real women.

 

I don't think his statement was very clear. The actual discussion was with former Steeler Tunch Ilkin, who has been part of the Steelers' local broadcast team since 1998, so I'm sure he wasn't pressed with any tough questions. Don't get me wrong. Ilkin isn't bad as a local analyst, but he's not the guy I would go to for hard-hitting journalism.

To me, addicted to alcohol means being an alcoholic. My understanding of that is it isn't something you refer to in the past tense. If an alcoholic hasn't had a drink in 10 years, they are just an alcoholic who is currently sober and working on keeping it that way.

The porn thing is weird. That sounds like an excuse, as if he is trying to blame his poor behavior on watching too much porn. There were stories that circulated about Roethlisberger being clueless with women around the time of the two rape accusations, much of it coming from his hometown of Findley, OH. I went back and read the story from SI in 2017 that gets into all that, including Roethlisberger changing his hometown in the Steelers' media guides to Cory Rawson, Ohio, which does not exist. Cory and Rawson. Mount Cory and Rawson are both small towns in Ohio and Roethlisberger attended the Cory-Rawson school, but apparently Cory Rawson isn't a place. He also doesn't really talk much about the supposed change in his life. At best, he was an arrogant ass with no clue how to treat people, including women. Whatever you want to believe about the rape allegation in Georgia, he has never disputed that he and his buddies got a 20-year-old girl drunk and he had them bring her to him in a locked bathroom. An NFL star with a couple of Super Bowl rings and a very large contract shouldn't have that much trouble meeting women.

There really wasn't much time at all between the rape accusations, the second of which came in 2010, and his marriage in 2011. I remember thinking it was very odd that he was suddenly marrying a very religious local woman, but he is still married and they have three kids now. If it's all an act, the guy is a pretty good actor.

 

I’ll never understand the great lengths people will go to justify the stereotype “he’s good looking/strong/attractive how could he have a problem getting women?”

You realize that’s the root of rape and sexual abuse right? The men know they can get away with it because people will stereotype them and figure it would never happen. Because rapes and abuse are only ugly dudes attacking beautiful women right?

Quit putting guys on a pedestal simply because they can throw/catch a ball or because they’ve been blessed with some fascinating talent. Appreciate the talent but that doesn’t mean they don’t have insecurities or social hang ups like the kid next door.

 

I wasn't doing that. My "NFL QB" was a function of money and the availability of groupies. I know nothing about the status of the guy's marriage and probably should have kept my mouth shut.

 

I'm not sure if that was directed at Neutral or at me. I acknowledged that he probably had opportunities with women that others might not have, but that was part of a post about Roethlisberger not having a clue how to treat people, including women. There were also plenty of stories about him acting like an entitled asshole. Regardless of what actually happened in that bathroom in Georgia, Roethlisberger's behavior and that of the guys with him to get to that point was disturbing. That he chose to act that way in spite of the opportunities he should have had in his life actually fits with your point that rape and abuse are not just ugly dudes attacking beautiful women.

I'm not sure anybody here put Roethlisberger on a pedestal. I was going out of my way to point out that this was a guy with issues that may or may not have gotten better over the last 10 years.

 

Hall of Fame Game canceled - ProFootballTalk

 

If his change in behavior is based on some religious conversion or a change in faith, I believe he is more likely to consider his 'addictions' to be past him.

 

Speaking of the Patriots, the NFL does a Sunday night news dump.
The pick is a 2021 third-rounder. I'm sure that'll teach 'em.

NFL fines Patriots $1.1M, take pick over TV crew