Actually it is s little refreshing to hear that some people still remember Big Ben's somewhat checkered past after the deflamegate nonsense
I was worried that football fans would only remember Brady's henious crime of playing with footballs that were affected by the laws of nature, and would forget all about Ben's pesky little rape allegations.
This is not just a "somewhat checkered past. This when he and some of his drunken buddies forced themselves on a girl that got drunk, but not drunk enough to say no.
There is no question that if the girl had prosecuted and the evidence they had from eye witness accounts and the police on the scene, Rothlessberge wouldn't have gotten a 4 game suspension but more like 4 years in prison.
Unfortunately at the time the prevailing attitude, was "boy will be boys", and girls who get drunk at bars deserve what they get. And getting a rape conviction against a prominent person opens up a girl to a different kind of rape, but one that is no less painful.
So while she was probably better off putting it behind her and taking a settlement, the fact remains that Ben was VERY lucky he now has a good life to go home to. Instead the one he could have faced.
I understand that he he has a young daughter now. I'm hoping that he NOW understands what he put someone elses father through and is remorseful for his past actions. People can change. However what id DO hate are those Steeler fans who want to pretend that just because he wasn't sent to jail or charged, he was somewhat innocent and it was the girls fault. Or worse yet, equate what Brady did for his suspension with what Ben did with to get his. Yeah right, its all the same.
DISCLAIMER - I feel it is important from me to add this. I came of age in the late 60's at a much less evolved time where it pertained to relationships with women. As I look back at that time over 50 years ago, I sometimes have ask myself how many time my "persistence" with a girl crossed that line and I wasn't grown up enough to be aware of. I know I never came close to what he did, but at that age when I was more hormones than brains, I was far from perfect either. So before I cast some very easy stones at Rothlessberger, I should acknowledge my own faults. (this is what happens when you get old. You start thinking about **** like this. )
