Ben Roethlisberger Accused of Sexual Assault in Georgia

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

Why the uhmmm? Not every guilty person gets sent to trial, and his behavior and judgement has been questionable in the past. He has laid down a pattern of conduct that makes it very plausible he may have done this.

Your juxtaposition of "no doubt" and "probably" made me go "uhmmm" as well.

Do you feel his "probably" guilty which means you have some doubts or do you have no doubt he is guilty? 

[bsmooth]

Your juxtaposition of "no doubt" and "probably" made me go "uhmmm" as well.

Do you feel his "probably" guilty which means you have some doubts or do you have no doubt he is guilty? 

Well without all the evidence at hand one cannot conclude equivocally that someone is guilty of a crime, but based on what has been released/leaked and his past behavior and accusations a pattern has developed that leads me to believe that he probably did commit a crime.

[CF DolFan]

Apparently he is guilty of something. Goodell is suspending him according to ESPN.

[fyo]

Apparently he is guilty of something. Goodell is suspending him according to ESPN.

Any conduct that's "morally objectionable" is grounds for suspension. There's absolutely no need for players to have committed an unlawful act.

[StL FinFan]

Any conduct that's "morally objectionable" is grounds for suspension. There's absolutely no need for players to have committed an unlawful act.

I think walking around with your dick hanging out qualifies.

[bsfins]

^^^ That was one Time, I was really,really drunk...I've not had a drink in Ten years..Geez let it go please.....

I wonder how much counseling, AA meetings and such will be in the punshment,and how much time wil get knocked off for timed served (IE Vick's being reduced to 2 games.)

[fyo]

So... Big Ben got 6 games. Word is, it can be knocked down to 4 if he keeps his nose clean etc.

Way too much, IMHO. Not sure I like the whole punishment-without-conviction thing Goodell has going on, but at least EVERY single previous instance has had an arrest and/or charges being filed. Not so this time.

[CF DolFan]

This came up in the gym this morning. I was told this was reverse racism and they needed a white guy to take a fall. Though I don't see it that way I'm guessing more than a few people probably feel this way.

[MyGodWearsAHoodie]

but at least EVERY single previous instance has had an arrest and/or charges being filed. Not so this time.

I don't see this as relevent.

Either you have a policy of only punishing after a conviction or you don't.  Arrest or charges being filed is irrelevent.  An arrest or charges filed is a meaningless standard. 

[Phishfan]

Way too much, IMHO. Not sure I like the whole punishment-without-conviction thing Goodell has going on, but at least EVERY single previous instance has had an arrest and/or charges being filed. Not so this time.

He wasn't suspended for "breaking the law" he was suspended for breakig the personal conduct policy. Personally, I'm beginning to think he did something wrong and have no problems with a suspension. Even if he didn't assault the girl he has still admitted to having public sex under the influence of alcohol. Definitely reason enough for the NFL to pull out the personal conduct policy.

[fyo]

He wasn't suspended for "breaking the law" he was suspended for breakig the personal conduct policy. Personally, I'm beginning to think he did something wrong and have no problems with a suspension. Even if he didn't assault the girl he has still admitted to having public sex under the influence of alcohol. Definitely reason enough for the NFL to pull out the personal conduct policy.

He (apparently) had sex in a bathroom at a bar. While not brilliant, it's not exactly the "public sex" you make it out to be.

And I genuinely dislike Goodell's application of the personal conduct policy. Not only is it extremely uneven (unless you define "even" by how much press an issue gets), it also forces a set of morals upon players that have no basis in law.

This neatly gets me back to:

I don't see this as relevent.

Either you have a policy of only punishing after a conviction or you don't.  Arrest or charges being filed is irrelevent.  An arrest or charges filed is a meaningless standard. 

It's not a perfect standard, no, but I disagree that it's meaningless. In order for an arrest to be made, or charges filed, a certain level of evidence has to be present. It doesn't mean the person wouldn't be acquitted or outright cleared, but it's better than Goodell's "instinct", which (as I said) appears dominated by public perception and media coverage.

[Phishfan]

^^Goddell didn't use instinct. He ruled based on the evidnece presented. Ben had admitted to consentual sex in an inappropriate place while under the influence of alcohol. Having charges filed for the sexual assault isn't relevant to the facts of what Ben has admitted. Charges were not necessary to prove misconduct.

[Sunstroke]

^^^ Just makes me wonder what Goodell would do if a player came to him to confess some really freaky shit...like having an orgy with a group of nuns, or operating a black market "selling stray cats to Korean restaurants" operation...something pretty out there. Let's say that no one caught him...there's been no press coverage or anything along those lines. No one on his team knows anything at all either... What do you think Goodell would do? The moment he suspends that player, the story comes out and the NFL gets another embarrassment.

Does Goodell follow the same personal conduct policy anyway and let the press have at it?
Does Goodell direct the player to seek counseling, but to keep it on the down-low?
Does Goodell simply ask for more details about the nuns' undergarments?

[David Fulcher]

It seems like a lot of people here are willing to believe the victim in this case.  This article is pretty damning.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5094224

I haven't said anything in regards to this topic until now, though I've certainly had my thoughts, but after reading this article, IF this is truly how it went down....well, then Roethlisberger is a--no, I won't even give the guy the justice of the term I usually use for guys I dislike (basically, one of the many synonyms for "penis")--he's a douchebag.  Again, we can't know for sure what happened that night, but if what the article states is true or fairly close to it, Ben is a scumbag, whether he truly *forced* himself on her or not.  From the sounds of it, he might as well have.

*edited to make it clear that I know that douchebag isn't a synonym for penis, I was going to say something else.    *

[MaineDolFan]

This is a pattern.  Reading articles and the medical findings from the girl immediately after this happened, some form of (in the least) rough sex occured. 

One thing that I don't hear people discussing is that Ben had a body guard outside of the bathroom.  No one was allowed within five feet of it after Ben went in.

This is a pattern for the guy.  There are few things worse than sexually overpowering a weaker person for your own pleasure.  It's disgusting, troubling and - with Ben - a pattern. 

The guy should be in jail.  That said, I don't blame this girl's dad for backing his daughter's decision to not move forward.  Her life, already turned upside down, would be shredded.