Anti-Big Ben Hysteria

In case you have been living under a rock for the past 2 days, on Monday the District attorney of Milledgeville, GA announced that he would not press charges against Ben Roethlisberger for an alleged sexual assault. Judging by the reaction of many Steeler "fans" however, one would think there was already a trial and Roethlisberger is on his way to jail. Many in the Pittsburgh and national media have appointed themselves as the judge and jury in this matter. The witch hunt has reached epic proportions, and all based on unproven accusations and hearsay stories of Ben being a jerk (Note: I guarantee 99% of these rumors have been started by men 40 and older who Ben refused to sign autographs for) Were any of these people taught the concept of innocent until proven guilty? I doubt it. I expected the torrent of negativity from fans of the other 31 NFL teams, but to hear these things coming from other Steeler fans is nuts.

In the days following this, I have read comments from so-called Steeler "fans" that border on the insane. Thank God none of these people are the general manager of the team, because they actually think that by trading Ben or cutting him the Steelers will be better off. I won't even address the suggestion of cutting him as a rational or meaningful thought. As for trading him, that would be insane. Who's to say all or any of those draft picks they are supposedly being offered will work out? As much as I like Dennis Dixon, I don't believe he could lead the Steelers to two Super Bowl trophies. Oh yea, that evil Big Ben is the main reason we got one for the thumb and another. How soon we forget.

Get rid of Big Ben and see how our Steelers do. Without roethlisberger, they would finish 7-9 at best. The "fans" need to shut up with this melodramatic BS about "Oh I can never root for the Steelers again with Ben as the QB." I would bet my paycheck that all these holier than thou idiots will be the first ones jumping up out of their seats at Heinz Field when Ben throws a TD pass to Hines Ward or Mike Wallace. Maybe while we're at it we should bring back Kordell Stewart or Tommy Maddox, to go back to the good old days before Evil Ben showed up. Let's draft Tim Tebow and sell the team to Pat Robertson so we can show the NFL how holy the Steelers and the city of Pittsburgh are.

As you can see by my tone, it's late and i am extremely ticked about all the Ben hating going on. What can I say, in the words of Terrell Owens, "That's my quarterback." Unlike our friend TO, I will stick with my quarterback through the good times and the not so good times. It is shocking to me how quickly Steeler Nation, or at least a part of it, turned on a two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback. Since when did we start emulating the behavior of Eagles fans? As I indicated earlier, I doubt any of these hypocrites will put their money where their mouth is. Will they give up their season tickets? Don't think so. Will they stop watching the Steelers on TV at home or at the bar? Not a chance. Will they clear out their closets of Steeler merchandise? Impossible, and for many Pittsburghers and ex-Pittsburghers such as myself, half of our wardrobe would be gone. Hopefully, sanity prevails with Art Rooney II and Ben Roethlisberger continues as the Steelers starting quarterback. The Anti-Ben Inquisition won't like it, but to do otherwise would plunge the Steelers franchise into the Dark Ages.