Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge Steelers Quarterback in Motorcycle Accident

Well. here we go again. I wear a helmet most days. I wore one in on my morning commute. Its nice and cool and I always feel a lttle slack jawed in the moring anyway cause I am riding to WORK.

I do find wearing a lid on a 105 degree day during a pleasure ride to be something that is pure choice. I can do without it if I choose. It has nothing to do with being cool. The fact that I am riding a Triumph does that already eh? Lots and lots of people and I reiterate MANY people do ride sans helmet because THEY CAN...it is legal to do so and it has nothing to do with being cool or not. (in a literal sense).

I would not go so far as to presume that all these riders are natural born idiots or retards cause they CHOOSE to ride in the wind without a bucket on their heads.

Probably wasting my breath though.

Remember Dwight you admitted to riding without one from time to time. I would not presume you to be an idiot under that pretense though. I would not assume you to be an idiot under any circumstance. I would just say you CHOSE to take the risk implied for the degree of comfort and freedom that was elicited by the lack of a helmet at the time.

Sal posted "But then that's not what the safety nazis(newspaper writers) want you to read. They'd rather focus their attention on the legal rider instead of the law breaking cager. It helps them to get their agenda across."

You'd be surprised how decisions are often made in the newsroom, and how stories are shaped. The isn't often an agenda... most times you are just looking to fill your time/space with something that'll keep eyes glued to your station/paper... but there is a problem with writers/reporters using conventional wisdom and falling back on that to focus the story. With papers it is a bit different but most are simply reprinting stuff off the wire services without much editing.

The initial reaction for a common person off the street (non motorcycle rider) seeing this accident is "he should have worn a helmet and he wouldn't have been hurt" and that is reflected in the stories about the incident. I'll bet there are a few motorcycle riders in various newsrooms around the country screaming the same thing ... "it was the cager's fault" ... and those riders/reporters will do what they can to follow up this Ben story with motorcycle safety stories, explanations of the facts etc. But most reporters don't ride and they don't think like riders. Could the national stories have put more effort into finding educated riders who would have pointed out the responsibility of the cager? Sure... but it takes time, effort, the willingness of someone to respond in a timely manner... and on deadline you run what you have, not what you want.

You might be surprised at how receptive some local stations/newspapers can be. Call em up. Ask for the Assignment desk. BE POLITE. Remember you want to help get your story out, not just bust their bells because you don't like the story they've already told. Tell them you've got a story idea that is timely and you can help. Volunteer to talk about how enjoyable motorcycling is and how often cagers just don't see us for any of a number of reasons. Maybe your dealer would talk, or someone at your local Motorcycle Safety Course. If you have a club/group/RAT ride coming up, see if a reporter or cameraperson would like to come along for the ride. If not maybe you have tape of your rides... offer it up so they have good video to use. Is it a guarantee that you'll see "motorcycling is great.. news at six"? Nope... but it is a step in the right direction. Maybe they don't bite at the story this week, but next week, or next month when it is slow and someone is looking for a story, your name will be there and you might get that call.

When I bought my cabin cruiser ( I no longer own it) I sat my wife (she also wanted the boat) down and had a conversation that went somethig like this...

ME: You do realise that this is the biggest waste of $$$ we have ever considered?

HER: Yes

ME:It is expensive to store, fule, use, repair, maintain, transport, and there are hundreds of things we could do with all that money we are going to blow every year???

HER: Yes

ME: We won't use it as often as you think, and as often as you want???

HER: Yes

ME: Well ok as long as you know and understand all those things and realise it's the most irresponsible we've done and your still good with that I say lets do it!!!

Just because you know something is stupid/foolish/irresponsible...doesn't preclude you from understanding that and doing it anyway...because YOU CAN and YOU WANT to...

Same thing goes with helmets...I've ridden in the past without one (used to do it regularly)
The day I wrecked I HAD to STOP at the NH/MA border to put mine on...had I not I wouldn't be here to bore you with my opinion...

I no longer ride without one...but that's not to say I won't wake up tommorro and "bet today is not my day to die" and blast down the road sans helmet...I KNOW the risk...but it should be MY choice...

(and I know if MA didn't tell me I had to I might not be here so they (helmet laws) "saved my life" but maybe If I hadn't had to take the time to pull over and dig out the bucket to put on and ride...I just might have beat that truck that dumped it's oil to the off ramp...and not wrecked at all!)

I wish Ben the swiftest, most painless recovery. Nonetheless, I'm appalled at his selfishness to ride in the first place. He is a commodity and should be contracturally prevented from ever riding a bike again as a franchise employee. Because of his mindless behavior yesterday, the financial [revenue producing] strength of the Steelers organization has been put at risk. And what about letting his teammates down as well? As has been said elsewhere, we don't have accidents; we simply run out of talent.

Joey Porter on motorcycing: "There's never been a case where concrete lost."

See also the other side.

Roethlisberger in 2005: '... The safest rider I can be'

ESPN.com

In July 2005, ESPN's Andrea Kremer interviewed Ben Roethlisberger shortly after the Cleveland Browns' tight end Kellen Winslow was injured in a motorcycle accident. Portions of that conversation are below:

ESPN: Why do you ride a motorcycle?
Roethlisberger: Because I choose to. I want to. It's relaxing to me.
ESPN: Relaxing?
Roethlisberger: Very.
ESPN: What kind of rush do you get?
Roethlisberger: Oh, it's not a rush. It's relaxing. A rush is when you're riding a roller coaster. It's relaxing for me. You're going out, riding in groups, having fun ... you're free. Your mind is as free as it can get and it's probably the best stress reliever I've ever had in my entire life.
ESPN: Why? Why does it do that?
Roethlisberger: I don't know. You're just out there and you're free.
ESPN: How long have you been riding?
Roethlisberger: For a while.
ESPN: What's a while?
Roethlisberger: A long time.
ESPN: Since you were in high school?
Roethlisberger: I've always been big into snowmobiles, four-wheelers, jet skis, all kinds of those X Games kind of things. And I just finally bought my own motorcycle, not too long ago.
ESPN: I assume you have your license?
Roethlisberger: Yes.
ESPN: It's not the law in Pennsylvania to wear a helmet. Why don't you wear a helmet?
Roethlisberger: Because you don't have to. It's not the law. If it was the law, I'd definitely have one on every time I rode. But it's the law and I know I don't have to and you're just more free when you're out there with no helmet on. ESPN: How much do you view riding a motorcycle as a risk?
Roethlisberger: I think it can be a risk. It depends on how you ride. I don't ride a sport bike. If I'm riding a sport bike and trying to do tricks, and going 200 miles down the highway, that's probably pretty stupid. But when you're riding a Harley or a chopper and you're riding with a group of people and you're not on the highway and you're cruising, you're relaxing. I don't think its as much of a risk as people make it out to be.
ESPN: What is the difference between what you're talking about, recreational riding, and what Kellen Winslow was doing? What kind of bike do you ride?
Roethlisberger: I ride a Harley and a chopper. Those are the two bikes I ride the most.
ESPN: Are those viewed a top of the line, high performance cycles?
Roethlisberger: They are like, it would be like riding in a Cadillac compared to a Ferrari, which is a sport bike. It's a luxury motorcycle. You know it's relaxing. You don't pop wheelies, because it's pretty hard to do it anyway. So you just keep two wheels on the ground and you just ride.
ESPN: Have you ever done wheelies?
Roethlisberger: No, never tried. Never will.
ESPN: Why?
Roethlisberger: Because it's just asking for disaster. It's just asking to go down.
ESPN: When you heard about Kellen Winslow's accident, what went through your mind?
Roethlisberger: I was concerned for him. I was hoping he'd be OK because he's a great player. You don't want someone like that to get injured off the field, and so I was hoping he was going to be OK. ... I knew it was going to blow up for me, people were going to start talking about me as well.
ESPN: What part of you said, "those are the consequences?"
Roethlisberger: Well, it's just like anything and I didn't wish for him to get hurt. It's just like anything else, the more risk you put into something, into whatever it is ... Just like gambling. You're gambling. The more money you want to put into something -- you can lose, or you can win big, so you take gambles with things and you can get burned.
ESPN: Jamie Henderson was just out riding, had an accident, and was in a coma, so how do you manage the risk?
Roethlisberger: Well it's just like everything else. You can get injured and killed in a car, too. You can get killed walking down the street. You have to know what you're doing, and I'm not saying anyone didn't know what they were doing, but it's a risk and being in life is a risk.
ESPN: What has (Steelers head coach) Bill Cowher said with respect to riding a motorcycle?
Roethlisberger: People blew that out of proportion, what we talked about.
ESPN: What was it?
Roethlisberger: We talked in camp. We were just standing there, he asked me about how I rode, who I rode with, am I safe, and I told him exactly what I told you. I don't ride sport bikes. I ride Harleys and choppers and I ride in a group, and we point out potholes as we go by so other people will know ... he asked me about wearing helmet, and I said I don't wear a helmet, and he goes just be careful. He never told me not to ride. He never told me to wear a helmet. Then people said that I just denied everything he said. He didn't say anything like that. He just told me be careful and use my head.
ESPN: Did you need to be told that?
Roethlisberger: I was already doing those things. But it's just like, my father said the same thing, it's just someone telling you because they care about you.
ESPN: What have (your) mother (and) father said?
Roethlisberger: They don't like me doing it, but they know I'm a man. I can make my own decisions. They just want me to be careful.
ESPN: Is there an analogy between the rush of motorcycle riding and football?
Roethlisberger: I don't get on them because it's a risk. I don't get thrills like when you ride them like 'oh this is a rush for me.' It's just relaxing for me. I mean, I could just get in the biggest fight of my life and get on the bike everything is forgotten and you're free. And I think its going to help me, I think.
ESPN: Where do you ride?
Roethlisberger: All over. We ride outside of Pittsburgh, out on the country roads, and just ride.
ESPN: How aware are you that some contracts ban risky activity?
Roethlisberger: Very.
ESPN: What, if anything, is in your contract about motorcycles?
Roethlisberger: If it was in my contract it said I can not ride a motorcycle, then I can't ride a motorcycle.
ESPN: What if they wanted to put that additional language in there?
Roethlisberger: I wouldn't be happy, but that's part of the deal. If your boss says you can't do it, you can't do it.
ESPN: You would abide by that?
Roethlisberger: Absolutely, it's the law.
ESPN: But it's not in there?
Roethlisberger: Right. We've gone over that with a fine toothed comb ... not breaking the rules, exactly, just like wearing a helmet. If the law says I need to wear a helmet, I'll wear a helmet.
ESPN: How do you view that you are putting your employment at risk?
Roethlisberger: It's tough. It's kind of like we say: "Let those who ride decide." I can make a decision. I'm a man. You're not going to make a decision for me, especially if you're not my boss or my employer. You don't have the right to make that decision for me, so I'm gonna go out and be as careful as I can … look how many people are killed in car accidents every day. It's [a] risk whatever you do.
ESPN: What kind of gawk factor do you get when you're on a motorcycle?
Roethlisberger: I don't ever ride by myself. We always have at least one other guy there. They say 'I'm not worried about you riding, I'm worried about the other people,' and it's true. People don't see motorcycles as much because it's a smaller vehicle.
ESPN: Have you been distracted at all?
Roethlisberger: No, its just like anything else: you've got to stay focused because if you don't stay focused, you're going to lose the game, or you could die.
ESPN: What to you constitutes a hazardous activity for a professional athlete?
Roethlisberger: Playing football with no pads on. Riding a motorcycle? I don't think is hazardous. I think maybe something like skydiving, although I think that's pretty safe from what I've heard.
ESPN: What obligation does a professional athlete have in his free time to not engage in certain activities?
Roethlisberger: The obligation for us is on the days we practice and on Sundays, the days that we play. That is the obligation we have, to go out and be athletes toward what we do. In my free time, I can work out, which I do. I can throw, which I do. Or I can do anything else that I want to do -- as long as its not illegal or against the rules.
Roethlisberger: There's a lot of people that ride that people don't know about, it's amazing.
ESPN: Why? What do you mean by that?
Roethlisberger: … (John) Elway rode his whole career. (Troy) Aikman. All those guys. They still ride theirs. I bet I'd have to say over 75 percent of the league people ride motorcycles.
ESPN: What would people have thought if they did know that John Elway rode a motorcycle?
Roethlisberger: I have no idea. I don't what would people think. You know … I just know people they make a big fuss like Kellen and I are the first guys ever to ride motorcycles you know I think that's just silly.
ESPN: Can you understand that there is a focus on the risk factor?
Roethlisberger: Yes, but there is a risk in everything you do. (In) everyday life, there is a risk no matter what you are doing. And yeah, there is a risk if I'm out there doing wheelies on a motorcycle. But I'm being the safest rider I can be.

That's what I'm saying Bill. Shouldn't MOST of the focus be on cagers turning into motorcyclists and crashing into them? After all, when I took the MSF course that's what they told us was the #1 danger out there. But instead of bringing attention to that fact, they turn all their attention to the non helmet wearing victim. You've probably seen plenty of articles like this one in the local papers where you are, I know I have, and unless the cager was DUI, this is exactly the kind of coverage they give an accident like this one. Instead of using this as an opportunity to educate cagers to watch out for us riders, they turn the tables and accuse us of being "irresponsible" by not wearing a helmet. It's BS!

And after reading that ESPN "interview", Ben Roethlisberger is a very patient person. I'd have walked away from the ESPN idiot not even halfway through those stupid questions. It's like he's being cross examined on a witness stand.

Just read the_reverends post again, think I'll try it here. You?
I'll see what happens.

Just a little comment:

Unlike other sports such as baseball or basketball, football players' contracts are not gauranteed. It is very uncommon not to see a dangerous activity clause in the gauranteed contracts (eg., motorcycle riding). Those guys get cut, they still get paid. Footbal players get cut, they're cut. I would think that if my boss wants to tell me what I can or can't do in my extracurricular activities he better gaurantee me a contract. You're all right in that it is risky behavior riding a motorcycle, helmet or not, but we all know what Ben is talking about wrt the relaxing part of riding. His call in a non-helmet law state, PERIOD!

You must be kidding...A commodity???... does your boss tell you what to do 24/7...I bet Big Ben and the Steelers will be just fine next year... He might have a few scars, but he was not all that pretty to begin with

OUCH!!!

Latest news says he didn't have a motorcycle license. Hmmm, interesting development.

The whole thing just goes to show that even though he is a mega star athlete, he is not indestructible. He still just a normal person that decided to ride without an endorsement and helmet and like a lot of regular people, got into an accident. After he heals up, he could use his super stardom and the accident as an example of what not to do and promote the importance of getting an endorsement, taking a safety course and riding responsibly. If he plays his cards right, he could really use his accident as a very positive thing for himself and motorcycling altogether.

Soren

It is pretty impressive that he received no structural damage to his neck, back, knees, etc... Only a busted face. He should consider himself lucky.

If anyone receives a ticket it will/should be Ben. Hospital costs should also come out of his own pocket.

Here's an interesting Link:

Expired Permit

Bottom line:

- His permit was expired
- Driving with an up-to-date PERMIT in Pennsylvania REQUIRES helmet use
- Just a permit could mean a Motorcycle Safety class was never accomplished
- He had no legal right to be on the road in PA and if obeying the law, wouldn't have been there in the first place

He may be talented at sports, but sure lacks a lot in the common sense department.

The press is really attacking the guy. Dangerously fast bike, no helmet, no license, irresponsible, etc. I still have yet to hear any press remark about the need for car drivers to be more attentive to what's on the road. Rather than more legislation, let's spend some money on public service anouncements to help educate car driver's to be more responsible. Nowadays car drivers have endless distractions from cell phones, GPS maps, CD players, and everything else they feel can be done while driving. With all these distractions it's amazing there aren't even more accidents with pedestrians, bicycles, and motorcyles being hit by cars. It will probably get worse.

I have a motorcycle license, choose to ride with a helmet, and treat cars as mortal enemies out to kill me. It's a serious game I can't afford to lose. 2 and 1/2 years ago my wife and I were almost killed when rear ended in our car (sitting at a red light) by a couple having sex at 55 mph. Please, let's find some way to increase driver awareness and responsibility. Drivers not paying attention are lethal loaded weapons on the road.

I see your point, King Siggy(of Persia)!

HEY!!! I gots me a question here....During your many diplomatic junkets, Your Majesty, have you ever had occassion to met the current Governor Of California???

Yep! It seems when it comes to riding a motorcycle without a license, His Excelency The Governator ALSO seems to have one o' those G.O.O.J.F. cards, TOO!!!

Cheers,
Dwight
(ya SEE, if your daughter's dad was Arnold, this crap would'a NEVER HAPPENED to ya, ol' buddy....wait a minute....that doesn't make any sense....eeah...as most o' you guys know, most o' my stuff doesn't usually ANYWAY!!!)

I just hate to see stories about motorcycle accidents in the headlines because it make it even harder to get the mainstream acceptance we need if we want our side of the story heard.

I just started riding my bike to work a few weeks ago so coworkers are still learning that I am a "biker" and I swear, since Monday, I must have had to following conversation a dozen times:

Coworker: "I didn't know you rode a motorcycle."
Me: "Yep, I just got my first bike a few months ago and I love it."
Coworker: "Bikes sure are dangerious."
Me: "Sure, there are risks, just like anything else, but I have done X Y Z to midigate the risks as much as possible."
CoWorker: "Yeah but that Steeler's guy was in an accident. Motorcycles are just so dangerous..."

Now it's always going to come back to "that Steelers guy" no matter what I say, there minds are closed. Great.

I just tell em to do me a favor and look twice and check for motorcycles before making a left turn.

From Tom's linked article, it appears that the cager ran the light. The witness in front of the cager stated the green arrow was changing as they went through!

So how come Ben did not see her? Speed? Inattention? I can't wait to see the police report and accident reconstruction!

btw, I have one of these:



I am going to use it to leave South Florida one of these days!

Jonathan,

Actually, The people who will never know the transcendence experience of riding a motorcycle ARE right..."Motorcycles ARE just so dangerous". And, even though some of us who have ridden for years want to justify our love of this sport with rationales such as, "Well, you can get killed just walkin' across the street", I believe, do a disservice to the awareness of this FACT, and in some regard ADD to the FEAR that many, if not most, non-riders hold in their hearts.

And then...to PUSH THE ENVELOPE FURTHER, by not wearing protective gear, isn't "macho"....it's just plain....well, YOU KNOW!

So, YOUR JOB as a newbie to this sport is to...PROVE 'EM WRONG(and as anybody around here can tell ya...I LOVE to do THAT to people)...and DIE of OLD AGE!

RIDE SAFELY!

Cheers,
Dwight

All this foo furah over a single incident whereby a celbrity gets his noggin knocked.

Meanwhile the average Joes continue to die. It seems like at least one a week at times here in Tucson.

latest a 37 year old man died yesterday morning on a 1998 Honda while riding eastbound on West Ajo Highway and a 1999 Ford Taurus pulled out in front of him from a stop sign at West Valencis Road. The report states the motoryclist had no time to avoid a collision and impacted the vehicle. He was transported to hospital and died shortly thereafter. He ws wearing a helmet but the impact speed was likely in excess of 50 miles per hour.

The driver and passenger of the ford suffered minor injuries and were released. Both were wearing seatbelts.

Not one word of this will make CNN nor will it impact anything one little bit.

No helmet laws will change and there will be no general outcry from the public to "be aware of cyclists"

One more* Killed here in NH bringing the total up to 7...
and still 4 more days to go for bike week

(* this one was the passanger on a bike when a rotted tree fell and hit her on the head while riding the Kanq...driver was fine...just a freek accident...but then aren't they all)

Rob, this one was truly a freak, now we have to watch out for trees too?
As my memory serves me, this year is worse than last year. I know 2 kids died goofing off on sport bikes last year. But the deaths from traffic havent been this bad in a while.

I'm going up Sat am and I think I'll wear one of those infaltable sumo suits just to be safe!

here are a couple of opinions:
Anti-helmet law

pro-helmet law

cat

Similar story here. That girl from Clemson who was all the talk for a few days when she was strangled with a bikini, and then they caught the guy in Tennessee. Was on CNN/FOX/etc... for days. Well, same timeframe, a black girl, whose parents weren't VERY wealthy (as the Clemson girls was), going to a local college, also murdered in her apartment, barely made the local news. Shoot,for that matter, how many domestic murders or similar murders go unnoticed by the big news outlets, but the daughter of somebody with money, and it's big news...

Two words - DUMB A$$!!

This is coming from a lifelong Steelers fan... sorry about your freedom and all Ben but when you're the QB on a SuperBowl caliber team you have a responsibility to all the guys on that team and the city to not do stupid things to injure yourself whether it's skiing, riding a bike (with or without a helmet)or jumping the Grand Canyon in a rocket bike. You're 24, young and rich - play with these kind of toys AFTER your done with football.

And I call BS on the "could've been a broken neck with a helmet" talk - I'm sorry but that's just plain stupid.

Here in the UK there's a government sponsored TV ad campaign about looking out for bikers, the most commonly shown is the classic "pulling out of a junction without looking right" (left for you Yanks), or rather looking, but not SEEING. I'm surprised there's not a US equivalent.
One of the things about car drivers that has to impact on concentration is how easy they are to drive. What with ABS, crumple zones, air-bags, traction control, modern suspension and tyres and automatic gearboxes, it's a wonder that every cager isn't asleep at the wheel. If they made cars MORE DIFFICULT to drive, instead of less, then perhaps they wouldn't have time to take that mobile call, check their GPS, drink that drink etc etc. and they could spend more time lookin' out the ****** window!

It's bad to see any motorcyclist go down in a crash. I wish Ben a speedy recovery; it sounds like he was pretty lucky it wasn't worse.

Without witnessing the crash, it's almost impossible to know how the events unfolded. It is sounding like the car driver may have run the light, which (if true) would put her at fault in the crash.

But, there's another thing that we, as motorcyclists, should be mentioning here. Approaching an intersection, make yourself as visible as possible to other drivers, and position yourself in the lane and line of traffic so that you can most effectively see what is going on in front of you (and the cars in front of you). I have no idea if this was a factor in this crash, but it's at least worth considering and mentioning. Unfortunately, there's not much that we can do to control the way other people drive their cars. I think sometimes motorcyclists are too quick to automatically place all of the blame on a car driver and forget about the responsibility that we have for ourselves. Just my $.02.

Will

I will never give the cagers any credit or due NEVER!!(some sarcasim,some truth)