Roethlisberger in motorcycle accident?

I don't think it has any bearing on the coverage or public response. If the athlete is beloved enough in the community, I believe there would be an outpouring of fan support and media coverage.

 

And it doesnt hurt that the Steelers are coming off a Super Bowl title, which tends to deify some athletes. If they were 6-10, there wouldn't be anywhere near the show of affection.

 

It's not the fact he's black or white, it's the fact he's a STEELER!

 

And the starting quarterback.

A revered one at that.

 

This guy's trip to Europe on some quasi-homeland tour led all the Pittsburgh news stations over murders and other serious news. Those are the priorities in Pittsburgh.

 

Like they said, this outpouring of grief and support and media coverage has only to do with Roethlisberger's status as a beloved, young, good-looking, talented QB who just led one of the league's premier franchises to a Super Bowl title. If Michael Vick did all that for the Steelers and crashed head-first into a car windshield, he'd be getting this treatment too.

 

Hopefully, some other athletes will have enough sense to see this story and dump their bikes. I mean, when someone makes Terry Bradshaw sound smart (he who said he shouldn't ride that thing until he retires) it's almost a sign of the Apocalypse.

I had a friend of a friend get punted off his motorcycle by a kid in an SUV who was reaching for something under the dash. The motorcycle operator was wearing a helmet, leather jacket ... took the right protective measures. It still didn't help when he got thrown under the car in front of him.

He was a vegetable for months before finally passing away. And he had a full-faced helmet, jacket and all the other safety equipment.

Get well, Ben ... and dump the bike (and no, I'm not a Steelers fan).

P.S.: Did Mike Webster get this kind of blanket coverage when he was struggling mightily his final few years?

 

Until maybe the last two or three years of his life, not a lot of folks really knew how bad Mike Webster's situation was in terms of him being homeless.

 

Of course there is. Watchin' da Stillers. And talkin bout da Stillers.

 

Exactly. If it were Hines Ward, or James Farrior, et al, it would make no difference.

 

What kind of coverage is given to linebackers who get shot in the ass at clubs?

 

http://www.post-gazette.com/popup.asp?img=http://www.post-gazette.com/images4/20060613accident_scene.gif

A good graphic and should give you a better idea of how it happened.