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Steelers Fans: Big Ben in motorcycle accident!

yellow

yellow

Moderator emeritus
Original poster
Oct 21, 2003
16,018
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Portland, OR
From ESPN.com

ESPN.com said:
Early indications are injuries not life-threatening


PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was involved in a motorcycle accident in Pittsburgh on Monday morning.

"He was alert and conscious," said Ernie Roman, shift commander for the Allegheny County emergency service.

Witnesses told authorities that the player's motorcycle collided with a car near a downtown intersection and that Roethlisberger's head hit the windshield and was bleeding. Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet when riding.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Roethlisberger wasn't wearing a helmet. In previous interviews, Roethlisberger has said that he does not like wearing a helmet while wearing a motorcycle.

ESPN.com's John Clayton reports that early indications are the injuries are not life-threatening.

One of his agents, Ryan Tollner, is in route to Pittsburgh for what was supposed to be a pre-planned trip and will arrive later Monday.

One witness told KDKA television that Roethlisberger was conscious but appeared disoriented before he was taken from the scene to Mercy Hospital.

A Steelers spokesman is at the hospital and confirmed Roethlisberger is being treated there, but wouldn't provide additional details.
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#1 I wish him a full recovery.
#2 I would like to point out that not wearing a helmet is plain stupid.
#3 I hate the Steelers.
 
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Roethlisberger wasn't wearing a helmet. In previous interviews, Roethlisberger has said that he does not like wearing a helmet while wearing a motorcycle.
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I hope he recovers quickly, but how on earth do you wear a motorcycle???
 
Yes.. nice to see that their editors are editing. The sad part... that quoted story is the 2nd version in about 5 minutes. The previous version was edited even more poorly!
 
treblah said:
People who ride motorcycles without a helmet is natural selection at its finest. :rolleyes:
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I agree with that. My parents have a motorcycle, but never ride without one. I have a good friend whose parents who will wear no less than a helmet and leather chaps while riding. There are just too few protections with motorcycles when compared to cars. Your body is just no match to a 2-ton hunk of steel or whatever you end up running into. I just don't see why you wouldn't want to wear some form of protection. Who cares about looking cool with the wind running through your hair??
 
#4 Why on earth doesn't his contract have a clause in it prohibiting him from doing stuff that might get him seriously injured or killed? (I'm sure he will be having a LONG talk with Mr. Rooney about this when he gets out of the hospital.)
 
gwuMACaddict said:
Precisely what the Steelers wanted in his contract, a clause that forbid riding...

Guess they should have stuck to their guns...
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Like gwuMACaddict posted.. they tried. They failed. I think we all expressed amazement at the time.
I might even have wished him a minor accident as a "lesson".
 
clayj said:
#4 Why on earth doesn't his contract have a clause in it prohibiting him from doing stuff that might get him seriously injured or killed? (I'm sure he will be having a LONG talk with Mr. Rooney about this when he gets out of the hospital.)
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why the helld don't all sports athletes have a contract for getting in any vehical since he may do stuff with them that might get him seriously injured or killed?

hell lets not let athletes up ladders either they may fall off.

Also sneezing may be one to put in that contract as well. We don't want another Sosa episode
 
as a huge steelers fan this saddens me for the team but of course more for the person.

the important thing is, from what we know, that it isn't life threatening and he should be fine after he heals. just hope that he learns from this and doesn't ride without an helmet.
 
eva01 said:
why the helld don't all sports athletes have a contract for getting in any vehical since he may do stuff with them that might get him seriously injured or killed?

hell lets not let athletes up ladders either they may fall off.

Also sneezing may be one to put in that contract as well. We don't want another Sosa episode
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Way to take it to the logical extreme.

One's odds of being seriously injured while riding a motorcycle are MUCH higher than while driving around (or being driven around) in a big car. Not wearing a helmet lowers the odds to a REALLY dangerous level.
 
yellow said:
Nice.

I bet Tommy Maddox is ready to go. Maybe Neil O'Donnell would come back?
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Terry Bradshaw might even leave Fox for this kind of opportunity.
 
Diatribe said:
Steve Young didn't seem to have a problem with that... :D
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Well, in his defense, it probably did, but when you significantly lower your skills from godlike to just plan awesome.. will anyone notice? Not too many QBs can really deal with this.



emw said:
Terry Bradshaw might even leave Fox for this kind of opportunity.
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Holy crap.. can you imagine? Terry Bradshaw is "Mic'd Up". <gag>
 
Same link as above, the story has been updated:

ESPN.com said:
ITTSBURGH -- Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was badly hurt in a motorcycle crash Monday and undergoing surgery. The extent of his injuries was not known.


Roethlisberger
Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition, said Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital.

"He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Jones said before the operation. "He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable."

One Steelers source told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Roethlisberger was in surgery for a broken jaw, an injury that can take approximately seven weeks to heal. The Steelers season starts in 12 weeks.

The 24-year-old Roethlisberger likes to ride without a helmet, a habit that once prompted coach Bill Cowher to lecture him on the dangers.

The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Roethlisberger wasn't wearing a helmet. The Associated Press reported it wasn't clear whether he was wearing a helmet or not.

The crash happened at an intersection at the edge of downtown at about 11:30 a.m. A pool of blood was still visible there by early afternoon.

Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Kraus said police and homicide units were investigating the crash, something standard when there is an accident with critical injuries. Kraus would give no details on the extent of Roethlisberger's injuries or if anyone else was injured.

The accident occurred on Second Avenue near the intersection of 10th Street in Pittsburgh, around 11:30 a.m. The route is one often taken in traveling to the Steelers' facility in the Southside section of the city.

Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch was at the emergency room. He had no comment.

A silver Chrysler New Yorker with damage to the front passenger fender was removed and Roethlisberger's bike was loaded onto a flatbed truck. Police were detouring traffic around the crash scene as onlookers and media gathered.

One of his agents, Ryan Tollner, is in route to Pittsburgh for what was supposed to be a pre-planned trip and will arrive later Monday.

In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship. He was 23 when he did it last February.

Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet. He has pointed out Pennsylvania's 35-year-old state law requiring helmets to be worn was amended to make helmets optional.

In May 2005, Cowher warned him about safe riding after Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.

"He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said at the time. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."

Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Terry Bradshaw, who quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s.

Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: "Ride it when you retire."
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quigleybc said:
Injury report

broken jaw, broken left sinus cavity, 9 inch laceration on the back of the head, some teeth, and some knee damage....

medics were seen picking teeth off the asphalt.......:( :(
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Profootballtalk.com are reporting somewhere between 'several' and 'most' teeth (I wonder how one of those Roethlis-burgers tastes liquidised) and damage to both knees. It looks a lot worse (in terms of motorcycle) damage than Winslow's stunts created. Ben might be lucky to play this year...
 
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