Ben vs. Tiger

I have intentionally avoided writing a post about Tiger Woods. I thought I might write about his comeback at the Master's and his reception back in the spotlight, but his anti-climatic finish prevented me from putting forth an effort. I eluded that Tiger was getting what he deserved in a past post, but have not expounded on that idea.

The sex scandal that sent Tiger into seclusion and eventually sex rehab caught the world's attention and everyone had an opinion. My grandmother starts every sentence referring to Woods with, "That sonofabitch..."

Understandably, the majority of the outrage came from women. It seems like most women put themselves in the place of Woods' wife Elin Nordegren, which fueled their distaste for the entire situation.

As far as I'm concerned, the personal lives of athletes should not be exploited by the media unless they are doing the public harm. I don't feel that I have the right to know what goes on in Tiger's bedroom. Everyone, even the most famous athlete on the planet, deserves some level of privacy.

Does that mean I think what he did was right?

Of course not. No one does.

But it doesn't effect me to the point of thinking about it constantly. What does effect me is when I try to watch a golf tournament without Tiger. I have become a fan of golf over the last several years, but there is no doubt, regardless of your stance on Tiger, the tournaments are more interesting with his inclusion.

The scandal highlighted more problems than just adultery in Tiger's life. It was an opportunity for many to comment on his demeanor around people. He is well known for being a baby on the course. Cussing and throwing temper tantrums are a part of his game. So too was a coolness toward his gallery. The PR spinsters all related his lack of approachability to his "extreme focus," but it definitely rubbed people the wrong way.

There are unconfirmed stories and reports that his behavior towards fans is not just cool on the course, but off of it, as well. He doesn't sign autographs, doesn't make eye contact, and infrequently acknowledges fans existence. He has been exposed as notoriously cheap despite being recently named as the first billionaire athlete.

Basically, he was never a guy we should have made a role model. Unfortunately, we translate athletic success to morality when there are only a few rare examples of true role models in sports.

So Tiger is dealing with an assault on his overall character, not just his faithfulness. There are no problems with his behavior that sex rehab can fix. Good looking, super rich, supremely talented, world famous, it all translates into entitlement. It's pretty common with professional athletes. While he might have sought it out, he didn't have to look too hard. He was weak. He needs to decide what type of person he wants to be and act accordingly.

Despite this, I just want to see the guy play golf. I don't care what he does off the course because he's an ass even he is faithful to his wife. But he is interesting to watch, and he didn't do anything illegal.

So let's talk about someone who did do something illegal.

Ben Roethlisberger appears to be a serial rapist. In a lifetime of listening to reports and allegations against athletes, his case might be the most troubling.

After being accused of rape by a Tahoe casino employee last year (civil suit still pending), Big Ben found himself in trouble again this off season when a 20 year old college student accused him of rape. They've thrown the term sexual assault around, but according to her statement and the police report, it was rape.

Let me preface my comments by saying I almost always side with the male athletes in cases like this. They are such easy targets, and none of them have trouble finding sex. So for a woman looking to score a buck or notoriety, it's the perfect play. If we as a society condemn every athlete for an unfounded claim of sexual assault, lives and careers will be ruined by lies.

When the casino employee filed a civil suit against Roethlisberger my immediate reaction was, "B.S." The facts of the case didn't add up. Here's a woman who alleged she was raped, but didn't file criminal charges because she was afraid for her job. She didn't report the incident until a year after it supposedly occurred. At the time I didn't believe Ben would need to rape anyone if he wanted sex, and it seemed like a cheap ploy for money.

Ben said all the right things in the media, and even though the case is still pending, no one really latched on and made a big deal out of the situation. I guess that's why he believed there was nothing wrong with hanging out at college bars and getting under age girls wasted in March.

Who knows what he was thinking? The fact is, the allegations made against him are graphic and startling. The story is corroborated by two of the accuser's friends, and there are countless inconsistencies in the investigation.

After an extensive investigation, the criminal charges were dropped by Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney Fred Bright who said, "We don't prosecute morals. We prosecute crimes." He eluded that there were missing pieces of the investigation that would prevent a "viable prosecution," but his tone was one of reprimand for Roethlisberger.

If nothing else, this statement indicates something bad went down that night. So why aren't they prosecuting? The DA said there were varied accounts due to the amount of alcohol used by the accuser (partly supplied by Roethlisberger) which would prevent a conviction. The medical examination that took place after the complaint was inconclusive. Eventually during the investigation, the accuser became wary of all the media attention and decided not to pursue because of the amount of personal intrusion a trial would create.

There are several troubling facts about the investigation starting with the forced resignation of Sergeant Jerry Blash, the only officer to interview Roethlisberger after the complaint. Apparently, he and Ben became chummy that night, and had even posed for pictures together. Blash reportedly dissuaded the accuser from pursuing a criminal charge because Roethlisberger "had a lot of money."

Add that to the fact two men identified by the witnesses as Roethlisberger's "bodyguards" were off duty police officers, and the video tape from the bar was recorded over after the initial investigators viewed it, and you got a cover up.

Ben's two cop buddies are in trouble too. The accuser claims she was led into an empty room by one of Roethlisberger's "bodyguards" where he left and Ben entered and exposed himself. She told Roethlisberger, "this is not okay," and left the room entering the first door she came to which was the bathroom. She goes on to say that Ben entered behind her and had sex with her despite her protests.

According to her friends, while this was going on they were trying to recover the accuser from Ben, but another "bodyguard" blocked their way, unable to look them in the eye.

Roethlisberger has maintained his innocence, but had the demeanor of someone who just got away with something when the criminal charges were dropped. At the very best, Ben is guilty of providing alcohol for underage college girls, exposing himself in public, and having sex in a bar bathroom. He has admitted all these indiscretions.

During the press conference, DA Bright continued to refer to the accuser as the "victim." Even worse for Ben is that no one on his team spoke out on his behalf. They just stayed out of it. Roethlisberger has been criticized for how he conducts himself off of the field, and true or not true, his teammates are tired of it. Pretty amazing a two time Super Bowl winning QB has no one in his corner.

In one of the more humorous consequences, makers of Big Ben's Beef Jerky have decided to drop their sponsor and find someone less controversial to promote their dried meat snacks. Ouch.

Unfortunately, that is one of the worst things that will happen to Ben. He met with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell last week and a punishment is definitely coming despite the dropped case. Roethlisberger agreed in advance to accept whatever punishment is handed out which seems like a strange reaction for an innocent man.

So Tiger doesn't sound so bad now, does he? Regardless of what you might think of his actions, he didn't rape anyone. I really don't need to hear much more of the case to assume Roethlisberger did, possibly twice, maybe more. Just like Tiger, more claims against Ben for indecent exposure and groping have surfaced since the latest claim. It is unfortunate that he has escaped criminal charges, because his behavior and demeanor suggests he will do it again.

I never liked Ben Roethlisberger. He sounds like an idiot when he talks, and apparently he is. I never thought he was that good of a QB. It would be a lot easier for the Steelers to replace Roethlisberger than it would be for Roethlisberger to replace the Steelers. I hope he is at least suspended the entire year and traded to Oakland. Since we can't lock the guy up, that would be the next best thing.