Roethlisberger in motorcycle accident

HipE · Post by **HipE** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 8:56 pm

I know it's terrible, but I don't have one bit of sympathy for Ben. His riding of motorcycles, particularly without a helmet, has been a huge issue in Pittsburgh for a year now, with Ben repeatedly being warned and admonished for his reckless behavior by various people inside and outside the organization. I bet nearly every Steelers fan has had a conversation with another fan in the past year where we have criticized his foolishness and what I have always felt was a lack of respect for the team and the fans by his refusal to wear a helmet when riding at the least. It is hard for me to fathom why somebody would be willing to risk his career and millions of dollars just to avoid wearing a helmet. And look at the bike he was riding today when he wrecked! That is a long ways from the "I only ride my Harley, and only in a big group with other riders" statements he was making a year ago.

GTHobbes · Post by **GTHobbes** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 10:53 pm

I respect what you're saying, HipE...but I'm one Steelers fan that says let the guy live his life. We're all going to end up in the dirt. If he wants to ride like that, or have unprotected sex with a hooker like someone else said, God bless him, I say.

I'll bet he's wearing a helmet from now on, if he even gets back on a bike again. But if he does get back on and doesn't wear a helmet, I'm not going to feel let down as a fan. And I'd like to think I'm as big a Steelers fan as anybody. I wouldn't want him telling me what to do in my life, at least not when it comes to things that aren't illegal or, more importantly, hurting anyone else.

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Mon Jun 12, 2006 11:38 pm

Feanor wrote: No, people who get injured or killed in motorcycle accidents are a drain on the rest of society. Even if they go head first in to a tree and die immediately, the taxpayers still have to cough up for the police, ambulance, etc. to come clean up the mess. That's why almost every other Western country makes it illegal to ride motorbikes without a helmet.

Don't forget the rise in insurance cost.

Nozzleman_216 · Post by **Nozzleman_216** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 12:23 am

[/quote]No, people who get injured or killed in motorcycle accidents are a drain on the rest of society. Even if they go head first in to a tree and die immediately, the taxpayers still have to cough up for the police, ambulance, etc. to come clean up the mess. That's why almost every other Western country makes it illegal to ride motorbikes without a helmet.[/quote]

Give me a break!! Trust me, there are a ton of other idiots on the road that cause insurance rates to rise and as far a being a burden on taxpayers for our safety services......smoke another one. As a fire fighter I see it all and I do believe I see far more other accidents than motorcycles. Also the fact that most motorcycle accidents are caused by the OTHER person, as in the lady that turned left in front of Ben.

You see, there are far more other reasons for our rising cost of insurance, healthcare, and oh yea..... gas! Its called the government! This country is in a downward spiral, and its not the drain you say motorcyclists put on the taxpayers, yet again its the government that burdens ME the middle class taxpayer!!!

jondiehl · Post by **jondiehl** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:12 am

SEMINOLE wrote:I do believe I see far more other accidents than motorcycles.

I'm going to take a wild guess here and say that this may have something to do with oh, maybe 100x more cars on the road compared to street bikes? IMO, there should be a helmet law in every state. Just like the seat belt laws slowly took hold and I believe is now pretty much everywhere, I wish the helmet laws would go the same way and become universal in every state. It makes sense, it's for their own good. You're right, accidents are probably in large part to an automobile driver doing something wrong and the motorcycle rider has nowhere to go and has to lay it down or hit the car in front of them. Even so, if every rider had to wear a helmet, I'm sure there would be less death and trauma from these accidents, so why don't the remaining states change their laws? That's as silly as a state saying that they don't want to have a seat belt law and it should be up to the motorist.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:17 am

HipE wrote:I know it's terrible, but I don't have one bit of sympathy for Ben. His riding of motorcycles, particularly without a helmet, has been a huge issue in Pittsburgh for a year now, with Ben repeatedly being warned and admonished for his reckless behavior by various people inside and outside the organization. I bet nearly every Steelers fan has had a conversation with another fan in the past year where we have criticized his foolishness and what I have always felt was a lack of respect for the team and the fans by his refusal to wear a helmet when riding at the least. It is hard for me to fathom why somebody would be willing to risk his career and millions of dollars just to avoid wearing a helmet. And look at the bike he was riding today when he wrecked! That is a long ways from the "I only ride my Harley, and only in a big group with other riders" statements he was making a year ago.

Well, the Steelers' front office is almost as stupid as Roethlisberger. How the f*ck can the Rooneys give this kid a contract without a clause that says either no motorcycle riding or no riding without a helmet?

If Roethlisberger is as dumb as his decision not to wear a helmet indicates, then the Steelers should have protected their investment with such a clause.

Did Big Ben just start riding motorcycles after he arrived in the NFL? If not, I find it incredible that the Steelers didn't know about his motorcycle hobby and love for riding without a helmet before they presented him with his first contract, especially when you consider this is a league in which every single aspect of every potential draft pick's mental and physical makeup is profiled, probed before the draft.

Take care,
PK

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:19 am

I wonder how many of those bones in his face were broken AFTER Cowher showed up at the hospital.

matthewk · Post by **matthewk** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 9:50 am

davet010 wrote:Is wearing a helmet not mandatory in the US ?

Not in Wisconsin. I ride a sportbike (always with a helmet, gloves, and armored jacket), and I think they should be mandatory. That said, when I was 23 I didn't always wear a helmet.

I'd also like to add if people want helmets to be mandatory, then they should also make using cell phones while driving illegal. The bozos who are playing with their phones, PDAs, and even laptops while driving are just as big a drain on society as a biker who crashes.

A lot of the danger of riding a bike is the other idiot in the car that's not paying attention. I don't buy the "I didn't see them" BS because most bikes have their headlights on all the time. It's that they aren't looking, and if it's not a giant SUV or truck, then they don't notice it. Sure, there are a number of dumbass riders who ride wrecklessly, but they are not the majorty.

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:28 am

matthewk wrote:I'd also like to add if people want helmets to be mandatory, then they should also make using cell phones while driving illegal.

It is, at least in New York state!

Take care,
PK

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:31 am

pk500 wrote:How the f*ck can the Rooneys give this kid a contract without a clause that says either no motorcycle riding or no riding without a helmet?

Roethlisberger's contract, like most if not all players, includes a clause for all "non-football related injuries." I think the lawyers have found that more beneficial than including individual exclusions. If the Steelers included a clause for motorcycle riding or some of the other top dangerous activities and then he hurt himself hunting with Dick Cheney, maybe they wouldn't be covered.

ProvoAnC · Post by **ProvoAnC** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 10:58 am

seatbelt laws have nothing to do with helping public safety. It has everything to do with getting federal money. Our seatbelt tickets are $10. That doesn't even cover a 1/10 of the court costs associated with it. So then we spend money on "click it or ticket" bullshit instead of going after bad guys just so we meet our state standards to have the priviledge to suck off the fed's teat.

The dudes who think that all these accidents will disappear cause there's a helmet law or seatbelt law are kidding yourselves. If that was the case there would be no crime at all.

If some d*****bag wants to send his head through the windshield or smash it on a guardrail-that's his decision-its just nature's way of thinning out the herd and I'm sure we can vote for them when the Darwin Awards come out each year.

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:02 am

I wanted a motorcycle for as long as I can remember. Every spring, i would come close to getting one but would never pull the trigger. In the summer of 2004 i decided that come spring 2005, I'm buying one no doubt about. Then in October of 2004 I saw a lady splattered on the road. My dreams of owning a motorcycle ended right there. I don't even think about it anymore. The fact that I have a wife and two young kids should have told me years ago that I shouldn't own one.
There is a website in missouri that you can read all vechicle related accident reports and there is a special section for fatalities. 100% of the time when a crash involving a motorcycle is listed in the fatality section, it's always the driver of the motorcycle that is killed or their passenger.

bdunn13 · Post by **bdunn13** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:43 am

pk500 wrote:
matthewk wrote:I'd also like to add if people want helmets to be mandatory, then they should also make using cell phones while driving illegal.
It is, at least in New York state!

Take care,
PK

Did you thank Hillary for that?

<snicker>

pk500 · Post by **pk500** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:51 am

The only time I'll thank her for anything is when she no longer is our senator and gets her carpet-bagging, Wide Load Ahead ass out of our state.

Take care,
PK

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 11:54 am

I'm always surprised when what seems to be a common-sense personal safety issue on the surface gets turned to a Big Guvuhment vs. civil liberties debate.

It's a free country, I guess, sort of, to a degree.

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:34 pm

Big Ben should be OK for opener:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06164/697867-100.stm

sfz_T-car · Post by **sfz_T-car** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:35 pm

Leebo33 wrote:Big Ben should be OK for opener:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06164/697867-100.stm

I bet he wears a helmet

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 1:52 pm

sfz_T-car wrote:
Leebo33 wrote:Big Ben should be OK for opener:

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06164/697867-100.stm
I bet he wears a helmet

It is kind of funny that he doesn't have a problem wearing his football helmet 20 plus sundays out of the year, not to mention at practices as well but won't wear a hemet when he rides his bike. He should just compromise and wear his Steelers helmet when riding his bike.

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:11 pm

tjung0831 wrote: It is kind of funny that he doesn't have a problem wearing his football helmet 20 plus sundays out of the year

Actually I saw an interview with him last night that they dug up from last year where the reporter asked him why he wears a helmet when he plays football but not when riding his motorcycle and he said something like the only reason he wears a football helmet is because it's the law (NFL rule), and it's not the law to wear a motorcycle helmet.

He was basically saying he WOULD play football without a helmet if it was allowed.

Either he's a moron, or he thinks we're morons and believe him when he says that tough-guy crap.

Sudz · Post by **Sudz** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:14 pm

I heard in an extrodinary move of team unity Coach Cowher has graciously agreed to donate his jaw to Ben's recovery.

Brando70 · Post by **Brando70** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:28 pm

sfz_T-car wrote:I'm always surprised when what seems to be a common-sense personal safety issue on the surface gets turned to a Big Guvuhment vs. civil liberties debate.

It's a free country, I guess, sort of, to a degree.

They should pass a law that it's illegal to wear a helmet, then all the idiots would think it's cool to wear one.

I like tjung's suggestion that Ben wear his Steelers helmet. That would be awesome.

Nozzleman_216 · Post by **Nozzleman_216** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:34 pm

Sudz wrote:I heard in an extrodinary move of team unity Coach Cowher has graciously agreed to donate his jaw to Ben's recovery.

Now THAT is funny!!!

Leebo33 · Post by **Leebo33** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:36 pm

lexbur wrote:He was basically saying he WOULD play football without a helmet if it was allowed.

Either he's a moron, or he thinks we're morons and believe him when he says that tough-guy crap.

I've played tackle football hundreds of times during my lifetime without a helmet (hold the jokes please). I believe him when he says he would play football without a helmet because I'm assuming that nobody else would be wearing one either.

Some people are just crazy:

lexbur · Post by **lexbur** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 2:37 pm

Leebo33 wrote:Big Ben should be OK for opener

Their guy: NO HELMET... busy, traffic-filled street... smashes his head into a windshield of a car... lands head-first on the concrete... DOESN'T MISS A FRIGGIN' GAME!

Our guy: HELMET ON... empty parking lot... lands in the friggin' BUSHES... and is out for at least a YEAR AND A HALF!

tjung0831 · Post by **tjung0831** » Tue Jun 13, 2006 3:05 pm

lexbur wrote:
Leebo33 wrote:Big Ben should be OK for opener

Their guy: NO HELMET... busy, traffic-filled street... smashes his head into a windshield of a car... lands head-first on the concrete... DOESN'T MISS A FRIGGIN' GAME!

Our guy: HELMET ON... empty parking lot... lands in the friggin' BUSHES... and is out for at least a YEAR AND A HALF!

Well I guess we know who the real "soldier" is!