The author of Stambede Blue, an Indianpolis Colts blog, decided to weigh in on Ben Roethlisberger's recent motorcycle accident with a lengthy, and absurd, post. Stampede's argument? Ben Roethlisberger's mistake makes him just another unreliable big name NFL idiot like (are you ready for this?) Randy Moss and Terrell Owens.
No, that's not a misprint. The argument, which is full of fallacies, basically goes: driving without a helmet is both reckless and irresponsible. Therefor, Ben Roethlisberger is unreliable. Therefor, he's like Moss and Owens.
Let's concede the premise of the argument - driving a motorocycle was both irresponsible and reckless. I'll take it a step further: Ben was incredibly stupid to take such a chance. But where everything falls apart is ignoring everything else in Ben's track record to conclude he's some sort of selfish prima donna asshole, and that this admittedly poor decision is a part of a larger pattern that makes him more like egomaniacs Terrell Owens and Randy Moss.
Point 1: Ben's never been anything but a terrific teammate, by all accounts - unlike Moss and Owens.
Point 2: Ben will undoubtedly issue the most sincere apology to his fans and teammates for his stupid decision. Owens would go on Sports Center and blame someone else. Moss would demand a trade or quit trying.
I'm not sure why I'm arguing against this argument so vehemently, because it's that ridiculous. But since I am: the egregious error Stampede makes is confusing a mistake with a pattern of mistakes, and a poor decision with how one handles the aftermath. Everyone makes mistakes. Not everyone who makes mistakes is Terrell Owens or Randy Moss.
Let's just conclude this way: If Ben Roethlisberger is the same as Terrell Owens and Randy Moss, then Peyton Manning is the same as a playoff winning quarterback.
And we all know that's not true.
--PB--