Ben ROFLburger's Suspension Cut to 4 Games

Every picture says a thousand words....

So a few months ago, Ben Roethlisberger acted like an idiot. Wait, this is news why? Oh, that's right, he apparently sexually assaulted 2 women. Wait... I'm still failing to see why this is news. Sexual assault is a bad thing, yes, but 2 women who wished to remain anonymous claiming a sports celebrity sexually assaulted them? Where have I heard that news before? In the end, the case was dismissed for lack of evidence against Big Ben. The NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, champion of the No Fun League, decided to impose a 6 game/week ban against Roethlisberger for inappropriate off-field behavior or something to that effect because even though he was not even charged with a crime, his name being involved in such a scandal was "detrimental" to the NFL's image. Some people felt a 6 game ban was too small and he should have been banned for 8 game, or half the season. Some felt 6 was too much and a 1 month ban would be more appropriate. And of course, others felt that 6 games was just right. Can you guess what 3 groups of people belong to the 3 camps? The 8 game ban people are mostly female sports writers, the 6 game ban people are mostly sports fans, and the 4 game ban people are mostly male sports writers. Goodell did say upon enacting the ban that he may decrease or increase the length of the ban based on Ben's behavior by the time the ban would start being in effect.

Remember, this whole scandal happened in the off-season, still weeks before the NFL Draft even took place. There was a rumor that the Pittsburgh Steelers were serious about trading a top 10 draft pick in exchange for Big Ben. After those trade talks failed, news from Pittsburgh seemed to just disappear while Ben acted like a responsible human being for once in his life. Thanks to a loophole in his 6 game ban, Ben was allowed to play in preseason games. After playing much better than he did the entirety of last season, it looked like he was ready to accept his punishment and then come back with a vengeance to the gridiron.

And then Roger Goodell commuted his sentence to 4 games instead of 6.

So, the question on everyone's mind is, "Does Ben really deserve a 4-game suspension for not being charged with a crime?" The answer is yes, because he still acted like a moron and perpetuated a very negative stereotype of sports stars. This is a lot coming from a Lakers fan, being that my favorite player in the NBA right now was also successfully charged with being a rapist. Don't get me wrong, though. Kobe should have been suspended for at least a month just for being charged of a crime. The fact that he got away with no punishment whatsoever is absurd. Whether he really did rape that girl or not is open to speculation, but the facts remain that he admitted to sleeping with her and admits to performing sexual acts that she did not approve of.

Ben didn't get off easy at all, but let's just hope he can get all this "special" attention through his thick skull and play like it actually matters.