Ben Roethlisberger and The 25 Sports Stars With The Longest Roads to Redemption
Ben Roethlisberger has been on the comeback trail ever since he returned to the field of play back in Week 6.
In some ways, returning to the Super Bowl has helped repair his image. People can see that he is saying all the right things, but to some, no number of championships will be enough to undo his poor decisions and possibly criminal behavior.
Like many embattled athletes, time will help Roethlisberger make amends. For others, time isn't been enough of a magic potion.
We've chosen 25 athletes who've had long roads to redemption for missteps they've made off the field (no Scott Norwood or Bill Buckner entries) and ranked them from those who are almost back to where they once were to those who may never be forgiven.
No. 25: Kobe Bryant
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It's been almost eight years since Bryant was accused of rape back in Eagle, Colo.
And although the case was dropped a year later, Kobe's image was certainly hurt by admitted infidelity.
No one has "forgotten" about that incident, but the combination of time and success (four NBA Finals appearances, two wins, a league MVP) certainly has shortened his road to redemption.
As was the case before the accusation, his play and chase for titles is usually the first thing people think about with Kobe.
No. 24: Joe Namath
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Namath's playing career is still his greatest legacy, but especially to the younger generation, the "I wanna kiss you" moment aimed at Suzy Kolber on live television is freshest in people's minds.
Still, because he did the whole rehab thing, most people have forgiven him for that terrible moment.
Forgetting it is probably not an option, however. It was like watching a car wreck on the highway: most people slowed down to ogle it.
No. 23: Mike Tyson
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Once the "Baddest Man on the Planet," Tyson has plenty of moments in his checkered past that made his road to redemption a terribly uphill climb.
The rape conviction in 1992 and (twice) biting of Evander Holyfield's ear stand out most.
But people are more interested in talking about his appearance in "The Hangover" and a potential role-reprisal in the upcoming sequel than anything else he has done, including his meteoric rise to the world heavyweight championship in the mid-to-late 1980s.
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No. 22: Ray Lewis
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It took plenty of time, but the two-time Defensive Player of the Year has managed to blot out the image of him wearing that orange prison jumpsuit with his hands cuffed to his waist.
Not only that but he's become a Madison Avenue darling. Aside from hawking Madden football video games, he's the new face of Old Spice!
Who would have thought that 10 years after being guilty by association in a homicide, he would be on screen in that bubble-covered soap commercial?
No. 21: Pete Rose
5 of 25No one is going to forget that Pete Rose bet on baseball (including his own team) while he was the Reds manager and then lied about it for over a decade.
But with the steroid era sparking a new debate about banishment, rule-breakers, cheats and liars, Rose doesn't look so bad. Is his Hall of Fame candidacy any shakier than that of Barry Bonds or Roger Clemens?
It's not been more than 20 years since he was banned from baseball and he has shown contrition.
And Rose's road to redemption was certainly shortened when NBC's Jim Gray ambushed him on live television during the 1999 World Series.
No. 20: LeBron James
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Of course LeBron James didn't do anything illegal or immoral when he left Cleveland for Miami last summer. And lumping him in to the category of alleged murderers or rapists is entirely wrong.
But James has become something of a pariah in the sports world since "The Decision." And he didn't help himself out any with his "karma" tweet a few weeks back.
James has, however, made up plenty of ground, and for one reason alone: the Heat are winning.
After that rough patch in late November, they won 21 of 22 games and even with that recent four-game losing skid, they are a threat to win the East.
No. 19: Roberto Alomar
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Spitting in the face of an umpire late in the 1996 major league season made Alomar the most hated man in sports for a while.
But in the end it didn't cost him much. He continued to get big contracts, eventually won back the fan support and was just named to the Baseball Hall of Fame's Class of 2011.
Still, it was a pretty huge blemish on his career resume and as much as exceptional defense and a .300 lifetime average, will always be something people think of when they remember Alomar.
No. 18: Reggie Bush
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Although Bush just returned his 2005 Heisman a few months back, his road to redemption hasn't been terribly long.
For one, the Cam Newton scandal overshadowed Bush's complicated Heisman victory and exposed even more seedy corruption within college football. Bush was just part of an increasingly obvious corrupt system.
And since Bush's professional career has been marred by injuries and steady decline since a fine rookie campaign, people are more concerned with his lack of production than the scandal that cost USC so dearly.
No. 17: Mark McGwire
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Sports fans will always feel cheated and duped based on what happened during the second half of the 1998 Major League Baseball season, and Mark McGwire (along with the No. 11 entry on this list) will always be the reason why.
Although McGwire will never become the same beloved, heroic figure he was at the later part of the 1990s, he is nearing redemption/forgiveness.
A return to the dugout as a hitting coach has helped him a great deal. So has admitting to steroid use last January.
No. 16: Bill Belichick
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As much as Spygate cost Belichick (both financially and reputation-wise), people don't really seem to be that fixated on it anymore, even though the allegations surfaced barely three years ago.
For one, his protege, Josh McDaniels, was also caught spying/taping opponents, and other coaching mishaps (everything Rex Ryan does, Sam Alosi and "trip-gate," Mike Singletary's "pants-gate," etc...) have helped make people forget about Belichick's "misinterpreting" the rules.
But more than anything else, Belichick's teams' playoff failures since 2007 have helped shorten his road to redemption: people want to talk about that more than his taping opponents. Well, that and not shaking hands with Eric Mangini.
No. 15: Ben Roethlisberger
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Right or wrong, the success that the Steelers have had this season has helped Ben Roethlisberger repair his image after two accusations of rape/sexual misconduct.
Seeing his face and hearing him talk about growing up is naturally going to help improve his image more than hiding and staying out of the public eye.
With two weeks of pre-game Super Bowl hype on the way, he'll say all the right things and probably convince millions of people that he's changed his ways.
And since Roethlisberger was never charged with any crime, he can return to the public's good graces faster than someone who spent time behind bars.
No. 14: Alex Rodriguez
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A-Rod hasn't done anything criminal.
Rodriguez did nothing wrong signing the $252 million contract, so he can't be blamed for that.
His "not a true Yankee" status is all fluff and media nonsense.
But he did admit to using PEDs, which is a major error in judgment. After everything Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa and Barry Bonds did, people were hoping to have a "clean" home run champion in A-Rod, and that fell apart in February 2009 when he admitted to steroid use.
With several other steroid abusers clouding the picture and Rodriguez finally winning a World Series later that fall, he absolved himself somewhat.
A-Rod will never be the darling of Major League Baseball, but in the past few years, he's managed to lay low and avoid more controversy.
No. 13: Marion Jones
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Saying you are sorry for something goes a long way in repairing a tarnished image. But actually serving jail time is a much better way to do penance.
Marion Jones cheated and did great damage to the Olympics by using illegal drugs, then lying about it under oath.
But because she spent time in a federal prison, forgiving her is a lot easier than forgiving someone who says, "Sorry."
No. 12: Barry Bonds
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Now Barry Bonds' road to redemption is a bit more complicated than that of anyone else on this list.
If we're talking about athletes and their attempts to get "back to where they once were" (as stated in the introduction slide), then Bonds' road is short.
He's never really been liked!
Bonds isn't a "lone gunman" either. More and more steroid offenders have popped up since the "Game of Shadows" accusations.
No one will ever forgive him for being boorish and (allegedly) taking steroids, but since there is plenty of blame to spread around for the "Steroids Era," Bonds doesn't look quite as bad as people want to remember.
No. 11: Brett Favre
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Unlike most people on this list, Favre's mistakes are extremely fresh in people's minds.
Whether it's the drama over retiring and un-retiring or the Jenn Sterger fiasco (and whatever other allegations have been made), Favre may be relevant and topical, but not terribly well-liked.
It can't help him either that his replacement, Aaron Rodgers, just led the Packers back to the Super Bowl.
Favre's road to redemption will certainly benefit from time. When it comes time for his induction into Canton and his Packers Hall of Fame and jersey retirement ceremony, most of those wounds will be healed.
No. 10: Lawrence Taylor
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L.T.'s football legacy will probably never be totally overshadowed by what has transpired since retiring from the game at the end of the 1993 season.
But he's been pushing it with a string of arrests and rehab stints that didn't have much staying power.
The most recent arrest might prove to be the last mistake the former MVP makes away from the field, but few people will really ever believe that. He is now a registered sex offender after last month's plea bargain.
Despite all the good will he accumulated as a pretty beloved sports star, he might never totally rebound thanks to so many separate slip ups.
No. 9: Tiger Woods
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Like fellow Nike international superstar LeBron James, Tiger Woods hasn't done anything illegal.
But the infidelity and subsequent divorce completely ruined his family man, "good guy" image. The handful of sponsors that dropped him was proof of that.
The obvious impact the scandal(s) had didn't help either. If he doesn't ever surpass Jack Nicklaus' 18 majors, people will look at the ruined 2010 season as the reason why.
Although Tiger probably was never "beloved" like a Derek Jeter or Peyton Manning, people didn't dislike him. For him to get back to that point after what happened last year will take a long time.
No. 8: Sammy Sosa
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There's a reason why Sosa's road to redemption is much longer than that of his fellow 1998 home run icon.
For one, Sosa has never admitted to using steroids or any other PED, something McGwire did as recently as a year ago.
Also, McGwire doesn't have a corked bat scandal weighing over his head like Sosa did.
Fans are usually willing to (try to, at least) forgive players for mistakes, so long as they admit to them. Sosa has not done that and has a much larger uphill climb.
No. 7: Randy Moss
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A terrible season (with three different teams) only added another line to the increasingly unlikable resume of the man who was once the most exciting player in the NFL.
Moss's tantrum and complaints have greatly damaged his stock in the NFL, and it remains to be seen if a team will gamble on him for the 2011 season.
But more than anything else, the "I play when I want to" attitude has come to be an equal part of his legacy as much as his amazing touchdown catches.
Time is running out on his career, and it will be very difficult for him to redeem himself on the field and prove he is a good teammate to his fellow players and worthy of a hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars.
No. 6: Rafael Palmeiro
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More so than perhaps any other steroid abuser, Palmeiro's guilt caught most sports fans by surprise.
Questions about his legitimacy didn't pop up like they did for a Bonds, Sosa, or McGwire because he wasn't shattering records.
So the stunning news that he had tested positive was cause for fans to feel extra cheated. He was so vehement about not taking steroids when he testified before Congress.
As long as he sticks to that lie, along with the excuse that a vitamin injection was to blame, he will always have an incredibly long road to redemption.
No. 5: Michael Vick
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As an NFL player, Vick has completely rehabbed his image. In 2010, he was better than any season prior to his incarceration.
But there are still going to be people who never forgive him for dog fighting and all the tangential elements included in the cruel sport.
Still, because he served his time and has been seen as genuinely trying to make amends, to many he is still capable of redeeming himself.
No. 4: Lawrence Phillips
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To many sports fans, wasting talent is as deplorable as a committing a crime, and Lawrence Philips may be the poster child for squandering athletic gifts.
From his arrest at Nebraska to his arrest in the NFL to his many arrests after football, Phillips was given numerous second chances.
Redemption (in the mind of the general public) might be impossible for a man who is going to spend the next several decades behind bars.
No. 3: Donte Stallworth
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Stallworth may have served his time and shown a degree of remorse for what he did, driving under the influence of alcohol and ultimately killing a man with his car, but because he was given such a ridiculously short sentence (24 days), it's almost impossible to see his punishment as fitting the crime.
Now that may be the fault of the judicial system, but there is no denying that his transgression directly led to the death of a human being.
That's a fact only one other person on this list has attached to his legacy.
And considering that he missed only one NFL season for that act (while Michael Vick missed two) leads to some real confusion and angst for many people.
No. 2: Roger Clemens
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Without the steroid cloud hanging over his head, Roger Clemens' claim as the greatest pitcher of all-time is a valid one. He's won more Cy Youngs than anyone else.
And while several of his fellow steroid-embattled stars (Mark McGwire, Alex Rodriguez) have admitted to using PEDs, Clemens has been so outspoken and so proactive that he seems to be in denial.
There is only one way that Clemens ever redeems himself from the scandal that might lead to his incarceration for perjury, and that's if he is found 100 percent not guilty of ever taking steroids.
With the mountains of evidence against him, that seems next to impossible.
No. 1: O.J. Simpson
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Can you imagine a situation where O.J. is absolved and forgiven? Probably not.
Although he was found not guilty (not "innocent," but "not guilty") of double homicide, he was found guilty in the civil case, so it's a good bet that he did it.
Writing a book entitled "If I Did It" is another piece of evidence that suggests as much, and so is his most recent incarceration for kidnapping/armed robbery.
But because he was once a beloved athlete and movie/commercial star turned murder suspect, he fell from grace perhaps harder than anyone in sports history.
Short of finding a cure for every known disease, solving America's energy crisis and achieving world peace, O.J. probably won't be forgiven.
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