Roger Goodell: No Teammates Went to Bat for Ben Roethlisbeger
Despite missing the first four games of the 2010 season while serving a suspension, Ben Roethlisberger is on the verge of winning his third Super Bowl before turning 30. You really can’t argue with what he’s been able to achieve on the field, but there is certainly plenty to be said about his character off of it. It should come as no surprise that the public has a negative opinion of Big Ben. The interesting part, however, is that most of his teammates felt the same way.
In Peter King’s most recent edition of Monday Morning Quarterback, he highlights a discussion that he had with commissioner Roger Goodell about Roethlisberger and his suspension. Goodell said that it really bothers him when players act like they’re getting screwed with their punishment, especially since they bring it on themselves and people have a chance to defend them. In Roethlisberger’s case, no one stuck their nose out.
“[Most often] they’re not recognizing they have a role in it,” Goodell explained when asked about Roethlisberger. “I bet two dozen [Steeler] players … Not one, not a single player, went to his defense. It wasn’t personal in a sense, but all kinds of stories like, ‘He won’t sign my jersey.’ ”
In other words, Goodell talked to some of Big Ben’s teammates to see if they thought the punishment was appropriate and no one made an effort to get their quarterback back on the field faster. Regardless of how great a player Roethlisberger may be, that should tell you a lot about the type of person he is — or was. Then again, it’s nothing a third ring in five years can’t solve.
