Even if you aren't a football fan, you may have heard about Ben Roethlisberger's recent suspension for six games following an incident in Georgia involving a 20 year old girl. Although he hasn't been convicted (I don't even think charges have been filed) the NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell is punishing Roethlisberger for his behavior and lack of good judgment. Sadly this isn't the first time Roethlisberger has been in trouble for something like this...back in 2008 a woman accused him of rape.
If you are not familiar with the story please...go here or here to learn more about it.
Some argue this is too harsh a punishment because he hasn't been convicted of anything. Others argue if Michael Vick got suspended for a year over dogs how come Roethlisberger isn't getting the same punishment? I for one think that six games with the possibility of it being dropped to four seems like more of a slap on the wrist. I realize that this will cost him approximately $2.8 million for something that may or may not have happened but the pattern is there and he used poor judgment. I think he is to an extent using his popularity and name to get away with things that others couldn't get away with. Did he sexually assault a 20 year old young woman? I don't know but it doesn't sound good for him. Did he make a stupid decision putting himself alone with a drunk 20 year old young woman? yes. Does it bring a question? yes. Does he deserve to be punished for marring the young woman's reputation, his reputation, and his team's reputation in question? yes he does.
With people like Michael Vick, Tiger Woods, Charlie Sheen, and Ben Roethlisberger in the news for various mistakes. So what do you think should celebrities be held to a higher standard?
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
1 comments:
I don't remember - was Michael Vick's suspension from the NFL before or after he was convicted in a court. If his NFL suspension was after, then I'd argue the NFL is using the public justice system as a litmus test for how to punish its own players. And whether right or wrong, Vick does deserve a tougher sentence than Roethlisberger.
But no, I do not think celebrities should be held to higher standards than anyone else. It just so happens that celebrities have their personal lives (for better and worse) splashed across all sorts of media streams.
Post a Comment