Big Ben's scrambling is wrong approach
Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger answers a reporter's question during a press conference in Fort Worth, Texas on Monday. (Jan. 31, 2011) Credit: Getty Images
FORT WORTH, Texas
If you were looking for Ben Roethlisberger to deliver a Super Bowl-sized mea culpa about his off-field problems that resulted in a four-game suspension to start the season, forget it.
The Steelers quarterback, who was sanctioned by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for his role in an alleged sexual assault of a 20-year-old female student in Milledgeville, Ga., last March, hardly was forthcoming about anything related to the incident. But Roethlisberger did open up just a bit Monday about how badly he wants people to look up to him. Not just as a football player but as a man.
"You want to be a good person," Roethlisberger said at the Steelers' team hotel during his first media briefing of Super Bowl week. "You want to someday be a good father, a good husband, whatever that entails, grandfather and all those things."
It sure took Roethlisberger long enough to say even that much. Clearly attempting to deflect as much attention away from the off-field issues he knew would come up this week, with the world's eyes upon him, he mostly offered a friendly - albeit uncomfortable - smile when asked about his situation.
No one was asking for any details; Roethlisberger has made it clear for months that he won't divulge specifics about what occurred March 5 at a Georgia nightclub. His accuser told police that Roethlisberger assaulted her inside a unisex bathroom, but she declined to pursue the case and left authorities with insufficient evidence to press charges. But even when asked if his outlook has changed, Roethlisberger declined to offer much insight.
You do feel a sense of redemption getting to the Super Bowl?
"That's a great reflective question, and the time for reflecting is probably after the year," Roethlisberger said. "For me, I can't reflect now. I have to think about this game."
Awkward answer. Uncomfortable body language.
What has the experience taught you?
"Another reflective question," he said. "There are probably going to be a lot of those this week. Like I said, reflecting is not the thing to do right now."
It was only after a sizable portion of the 100 or so reporters surrounding him had dispersed that Roethlisberger finally opened up, if only slightly. But it was enough to make you understand that he grasps the enormity of his situation. He gets it, even if he did his best to try to put the focus squarely on Sunday's game against the Packers.
"There are a lot of people you can be role models to," he said. "It's not just the fans out in the street. I want to be, when I have kids someday, a role model for them as well."
That day may come in the not-too-distant future; Roethlisberger is engaged to Ashley Harlan, a physician's assistant in cardiac surgery at Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh. The two reportedly were engaged this past Christmas.
"We're all human. We all make mistakes," Roethlisberger said. "It's how can you bounce back from mistakes. It's like a football game. You throw interceptions, you lose a game, you have to be able to bounce back and find a way where it doesn't happen again. It's absolutely important to see how someone bounces back from those things."
Let's not be naive enough to equate bouncing back from what allegedly happened last year to bouncing back from a loss on the football field. That incident was far more grievous than anything that could happen in a game, so Roethlisberger's use of the football metaphor was a bit much.
But he insists he has come to terms with his situation, even if it might not seem that way based on his public demeanor.
"Inner peace is a great thing when you have it," he said. "If you know what it is, I think you'd understand where I'm coming from. You just have to wake up and be thankful for the day. You have to do what you can to be the best person for that day and be thankful for the opportunities you've been given."
Redemption for Roethlisberger now that he has gotten the Steelers to the Super Bowl in the same season in which he was punished for his misdeeds? No. True redemption will come from his future actions, and whether he not only avoids the problems he once created but also lives a productive life as a human being.
And that can't happen until long after Sunday's game has ended.
