I hope Pittsburgh QB Ben Roethlisberger, seriously injured today while riding his motorcycle without a helmet, is okay. Although I must say, what an idiot.
Last year, when Cleveland Brown Kellen Winslow was injured in a motorcycle crash, it was widely believed that he'd forfeited his bonus money under the NFL Standard Player Contract "other activities" clause. That clause bars players from engaging in activities other than football "which may involve a significant risk of personal injury". It will be interesting to see whether, if the injuries cost Roesthlisberger significant playing time or even end his career, the Steelers will be as generous as the Chicago Bulls were when they honored a year of Jay Williams' contract even though that player's motorcycle-riding breached the equivalent NBA contract provision. What may set Roethlisberger apart? On the one hand, unlike Winslow and Williams, Ben wasn't wearing a helmet, which is the equivalent of playing Russian Roulette after putting six slugs in your revolver. On the other hand, unlike Williams and Winslow, Ben has led a (pro) team to a championship.
I bet Roethlisberger wants to eat these words, from May 2005:
Roethlisberger explained that he does not consider the way he rides his Harley sans helmet as taking much risk.
"It's one of those things, where he talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker, I'm pretty conservative and laid back," Roethlisberger said. "So the big thing is just be careful and that's what we do. I think every person that rides is careful. That's the biggest thing, I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we never ride alone we always ride in a group of people, and I think that makes it more safe."
Update (June 15, 10:19 pm): Out of the hospital, Ben is all apologies.
0 comments:
Post a Comment