Sports Q&A: Big Ben’s a Fathead

Arthur from Milwaukee, WI writes, "In the wake of Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident, should teams reserve the right to contractually obligate athletes to refrain from activities that could endanger the athletes' health?"

Do you mean activities like driving the fastest street-legal crotch rocket on the market without a helmet and with no license, like Roethlisberger? Or playing "chicken" on city streets against a full-sized sedan, like Roethlisberger? Teams will probably find it difficult to prevent athletes from engaging in dangerous activities, but they should be able to contractually state that if injury results from such activity, they will withhold payment. Legally stated, "if you want to get paid, don't do stupid things." Before his wreck, the official Steeler stance on the issue was "it's okay to ride a motorcycle, just not into a car."

Roethlisberger is lucky. He could have damaged his Super Bowl ring in his accident. But, he wasn't wearing it, probably because he didn't want to damage it should he have an accident. Apparently, he doesn't show the same concern for his body, which earned him that Super Bowl ring. He suffered extensive injuries, mainly to his head and face, but none that appear will keep him off the football field. Let's just hope he doesn't take a motorcycle to get there.

Anyway, chicks dig scars, and they dig a good motorcycle crash story, particularly when told by a Super Bowl-winning quarterback. So, assuming all the facial surgery and reconstruction goes well, Big Ben should be even more of a ladies' man than he already was.

Big Ben is lucky to be alive. A little more speed and a lot less luck and paramedics would have been peeling him off of the vehicle into which he crashed his bike . That would not have been a pretty sight, but it would have made a fantastic Fathead commercial. They advertise them as life-size, right? The wreck had concerned Steelers' fans asking, "Is Ben going to be okay?" while true, diehard Pittsburgh fans asked, "Will he be ready for the season opener against Miami?" In both cases, the answer is yes. Roethlisberger will be all right, and he'll be ready for the Dolphins on September 7th. And I guarantee he won't forget his helmet.

Roethlisberger's contract signed in 2004 does not include any stipulations prohibiting him from riding motorcycles. Last year, after Kellen Winslow's motorcycle accident, Steeler coach Bill Cowher warned Roethlisberger about the dangers of riding a motorcycle. Roethlisberger assured Cowher that he was a safe driver. However, he failed to mention that he had no operator's license, and that motorcycle daredevil Evel Knievel was his hero.

Rest assured that Cowher will issue Roethlisberger a stern lecture accentuated with lots of spittle on bike safety and common sense. And rest assured that, when the Steelers and Browns meet in Cleveland on November 19th, some joker will present Winslow and Roethlisberger with helmets and sets of training wheels.

What was Roethlisberger doing on a Japanese motorcycle anyway? As a 240-pound, 6'5" white man, shouldn't he be on a Harley Davidson? You know, the motorcycle that you don't ride head first. If Big Ben would have been on a Soft Tail, he would have been cruising and not flying through the street like a maniac. And if he happened to hit a car on a Harley, his worst injury would have probably been a bruise or two, not a smashed face.

Roethlisberger's accident will likely open the door for teams to include very specific language as to the types of activities that players will be forbidden from participating, and the financial consequences should a player be injured in such an activity. Specific language like, "You cannot ride a motorcycle."

Players fond of motorcycles can thank Roethlisberger for ruining their fun. But players can always ride at their own risk. Now, they'll just have to face a double jeopardy situation. If you ride your motorcycle and get caught, you'll be fined. If you ride, wreck, and hurt yourself, you won't get paid. Fair enough, in my eyes, especially for athletes that make millions. Giving up a motorcycle, or whatever dangerous activity excites you, is a small price to pay for the right to earn millions.

Phil from Rocky Mount, NC writes, "Former Duke basketball player JJ Redick was arrested Tuesday for driving while impaired in Durham. Redick is projected as a early-to-middle first round pick in the NBA's draft later this month. Will this charge affect his draft status?"

No, this shouldn't impact Redick's draft position, although he won't be able to drive himself to Madison Square Garden for the June 28th draft. Poor decisions behind the wheel shouldn't tarnish Redick's abilities on the basketball court, although they were extremely poor decisions. It's bad enough to drive after drinking, but to execute an illegal U-turn upon seeing a police checkpoint is inexcusable, and practically an admission of guilt. And the lacrosse stick found in the trunk didn't help matters, either.

Reportedly, Redick was unable to walk a straight line, but he did curl nicely around a pick from an assisting deputy and drain a fade-away 26-footer. He refused officers' requests for autographs, but did offer some fresh fingerprints instead. And, back at the busy Durham police station, Redick politely posed for snapshots. Actually, the pictures were just mugshots, but they turned out to look remarkably similar to his 2005-06 player photo. The story quickly made headlines, and a Chapel Hill, NC newspaper ran a story with the headline, "Blue Devil, Blew .11."

NBA teams interested in drafting Redick would be concerned were he an habitual offender. But Redick is no thug. Your run-of-the-mill thug would have assaulted a bouncer at the club, drove away drunk, and then, after noticing a police checkpoint, would have sped away and led police on a 130-mph chase. Then, once caught, the thug would have resisted arrest and used the old "Do you know who I am?" line.

Until now, Redick's worst offense was taking dives on questionable fouls and pushing off for open jumpers. Sure, he may have resisted arrest passively, with the U-turn trick (which never works, by the way), but he clearly did nothing that would cause NBA coaches and general managers to question his character.

If anything, NBA people should question his decision to make a U-turn within sight of a police checkpoint. That's akin to dribbling into a double-team and getting trapped in the corner; there's no escape. In his situation, Redick should have driven up to the police checkpoint, played it cool, handed over his license and registration, and waited for the cops to recognize him. If that didn't save him from a ticket, then a simple bribe from the soon-to-be-millionaire would have turned the trick. If you've ever been to Durham, you know cops are bought and sold as regularly as the crack and cocaine of which they're unable to rid the streets.

Currently, Redick is projected as a top-15 pick. That shouldn't change as a result of his DWI charge, and rightly so. In relation to the crimes committed by other professional or soon-to-be pros, Redick's brush with the law barely registers. For most NBA general managers making a draft pick with the future of their franchise at stake, basketball ability overrides criminal records, especially when that criminal record contains just one non-felonious misstep.

Redick may be penalized by some stingy GM, who, in contract negotiations, will say to Redick, "JJ, I'm concerned about this DWI. deal. I'm afraid we'll have to knock $100,000 off of your signing bonus." I'm sure Redick will manage. He'll just have to buy a bicycle instead of that $90,000 sports utility vehicle. And, on the off-chance that his NBA career fizzles, the Duke family will welcome him back despite his DWI. charge. There's always a spot open on Mike Krzyzewski's bench for a former guard who lacked the skills to make it in the pros.

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