An Open Invitation To Those Who Think Ben Is Guilty

I posted it here because (1) the haters have been coming to this site as well, and (2) I have no desire or interest in checking out their sites. I guess I’m fine with them getting together on their own teams’ sites to revel in something negative befalling a Steeler player, but to me it’s different if they come to a Steeler site to “raise a ruckus” (esp this one, I love BTSC) I can’t really stop them, I guess, but I want to challenge them to see if they can justify their claims and their namecalling. My guess is, they won’t be able to.

Of course, nothing obligates them to accept my challenge to try and articulate a reasonable grounds for believing that Ben did what he’s accused of. They could still put up any number of posts calling Ben a rapist and not deigning to justify it. I can’t stop that, either, but I tell you what, I think they will have made it clear that they are cowards with no credibility at that point (surprise, surprise).

Personally, I find it telling I haven’t had a single person take me up on this challenge on the Sports Illustrated blog, either. At least, not yet.

at the media. Check out the new TMZ footage of the accuser as she smiles at the cameras:

 http://www.tmz.com/2009/07/22/roethlisberger-accuser-emerges-cracks-a-smile/

NOT the look of a woman who has suffered a rape…..

also i dont think he did it

Tobiathan, you might think of me as one of the Steeler fans that are inexplicably jumping to McNulty’s defense, but I would disagree. I’m certainly not on “her side”. I just think there’s a fine line between defending her and holding off before condemning her. What’s the difference? The difference is realizing and acknowledging that none of us on this site know for sure what happened. In fact, it appears there are only two people in the world that know for sure what happened, and their accounts contradict each other. We love Ben, and so we’re inclined to believe him over McNulty. But is that the same as knowing for sure he didn’t do what McNulty claims? It’s not, no matter how much we wish it was.

Because of that, there have been a number of us die-hard Pittsburgh fans that find ourselves cautioning others from jumping to conclusions. In doing so, we’re certainly not saying that McNulty is telling the truth. In fact, I’ll agree with you there are numerous things about this claim that make it highly suspicious. But until we know more, it is simply the more prudent and civil course of action to refrain from castigating her. I promise you this: If we crucify this woman in the arena of public opinion, and then (however unlikely) it turns out that she really was assaulted, then we’re going to have a hard time making amends for that.

Does this mean we can’t show support for Ben? No. Does this mean we can’t express skepticism over Ben acting as she claims? No. Does this mean we can’t point out how parts of her claims are extremely unlikely? Hell, no. But we can do all of these things without launching personal attacks against her.

Ironically, it’s the haters who come to this site that are doing exactly that: Engaging in vicious namecalling and accusations without any reasonable proof that Ben did what he is accused of. That is what I hope to show any person that takes me up on this challenge, but so far they all seem to have disappeared.

If no one makes out a reasonable case against Ben, especially if nobody even makes a genuine attempt to do so, then I’ll be satisfied that all of these derogatory posts are nothing more than haters catching their jollies over a negative incident befalling the team they envy.

I posted the same challenge on SI.com, over 180 hits and counting, still not one person who’s attempted to make out a real case against Ben.

she’s not?

Just because she’s crying rape?

Good lord….some people are falling all over themselves to apologize for this crazy girl when she has clearly timed this case very carefully. One week, almost exactly, before training camp? Give me a break..

Someone claiming to be a victim does NOT make her one.

End of story. For now.

But I think that’s going to prove a problem for McNulty, not Ben.

Assuming that we’re right about an absence of (1) physical evidence suggesting sexual assault, and (2) evidence by way of witness or recording, then this is probably a true he said / she said situation. If that’s what it is, then I wonder how McNulty is going to prove her case. She’s the petitioner in a civil case, she needs to show that her evidence is better than Ben’s evidence that he didn’t do it (which is probably just his testimony). How is she going to do that? What can she produce to show that her testimony should be considered more credible than Ben’s?

is the wrong term to use here.

It would be “judgement for” or “judgement against”.

Nothing about this is criminal, and as a civil case it represents absolutely NO degree of criminality against the defendant. I seriously, seriously doubt the NFL could even punish Ben if he were to lose a CIVIL case, regardless of the subject of the suit. Since there is no issue of any criminal record, criminal prosecution or even of a crime-per se- it becomes a matter of two differing accounts of one incident. Unlike the Kobe or even OJ cases, there is NO criminal charge involved here(which in itself is very, very unusual).

No one seems to understand that ANY IDIOT can file a civil suit claiming anything he or she wants. Period.

So- ultimately- yes: it is totally pointless to argue over all this.

I’m just saddened by how many “Steelers fans” are willing to consider Ben Roethlisberger a rapist when he has had absolutely no history of ANY negative behaviors to this point. Anything is possible, but is it really LIKELY? Come on, people….

Offering to consolidate all the hatin’ was a good move. This way those of us who are willing to shoot down the Steeler-snipers can find all the blow-hards in one place. And- it saves those on other threads from the tedium of dredging thru all this sludge.

Somebody will ALWAYS want to argue a point- i say “give a place to do it”.

Good job, gcn

…yeah, this one is just not funny.