Ben Rothlisberger (Allegations, Suspension, etc.)

[Donoghus]

Anybody else impressed with the letter that goodell sent to Big Ben.  Seems like a commish that does the right thing, and also actually cares about the players.

I think Roger Goodell is the best commissioner in any of the major sports leagues.

That's pretty much a no-brainer considering his competition these days. 

Although, there are huge storm clouds on the horizon for Goodell and the labor issues.  We'll see how he handles this one.

[nickagneta]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5121614

Ben Roethlisberger was suspended Wednesday for six games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, the league announced.

Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down the punishment a week after prosecutors decided not to charge Roethlisberger in a case involving a 20-year-old college student who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Georgia nightclub in March.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback also was ordered to undergo a comprehensive behavioral evaluation. Goodell will evaluate Roethlisberger's progress before the season and might consider reducing the suspension to four games.

However, a failure to comply with the NFL's ruling might lead to a longer suspension.

I wonder what happens if after the psychological evaluation they find out that he has a similar psychological makeup as that of a serial rapist?

[Eja117]

I dont think that even matters though right?

Depends on the state, in NE either party being drunk means that there can't be consent.

Not to be all nit picky here, but I assume you mean New England as opposed to Nebraska, right?

[Roy Hobbs]

I dont think that even matters though right?

Depends on the state, in NE either party being drunk means that there can't be consent.

Not to be all nit picky here, but I assume you mean New England as opposed to Nebraska, right?

I'm assuming that he means Nebraska, since Faf is one of our Huskers fans.

I think that's generally the rule in most states, though.  Being intoxicated means that you're legally incapable of giving consent.  The issue, though, is that juries are *very* reluctant to convict people for having intercourse that seems consensual, even if one or both parties are drunk.

In this case, of course, the woman says that there was no consent, which distinguishes it from the above scenario.  However, apparently there was a lack of physical evidence, and the woman's statements weren't deemed reliable (due to her being too intoxicated).  In that situation, the prosecution's hands are basically tied, unfortunately.

[Eja117]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=5121614

Ben Roethlisberger was suspended Wednesday for six games for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, the league announced.

Commissioner Roger Goodell handed down the punishment a week after prosecutors decided not to charge Roethlisberger in a case involving a 20-year-old college student who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Georgia nightclub in March.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback also was ordered to undergo a comprehensive behavioral evaluation. Goodell will evaluate Roethlisberger's progress before the season and might consider reducing the suspension to four games.

However, a failure to comply with the NFL's ruling might lead to a longer suspension.

I wonder what happens if after the psychological evaluation they find out that he has a similar psychological makeup as that of a serial rapist?

I'm sure the commisioner will throw the book at him and give him another 2 game suspension.

What is really bothering me is that given the tremendous scumbaggery here where is just ONE significant teammate or coach to say "I just can't look him in the eye any more, and I get sick looking at him. They need to trade me or him, or maybe I've made enough money and should retire".

Not ONE. You'd think ONE player's wife or sister or mother would be like "Would you play with a scumbag like that if that happened to me? You can sleep on the couch till you do the right thing"

And not to be overly cynical but if say Troy P put down his Bible for a minute to do that I guarantee that player would be an instant hero and find himself more marketable.

Guilt by assosiation. Since the MLB union didn't lift a finger to address roids they're all guilty roids users. And since the Steelers' owners don't lift a finger to deal with this and neither do his teammates they're just enablers.

[Eja117]

I wonder how other countries and cultures deal with this stuff.

If a top athlete in a very machismo society has the same problem I wonder what happens.

On the other hand lets say a player in a country with virtually no violent crime towards women, like say Syria, or Singapore, or Japan has this I wonder what happens.

I have no idea.

And I wonder if in other places the Vick thing would be just different. Like "You killed a camel? How dare you!" We know what he did in Korea is the equivalent of playing with your food, but still

[Eja117]

Some day this will actually happen the other way around.

Some star will say that a healthy/strong chick got him drunk or high to the point that he couldn't do much, lured him into some place like a bathroom to "take care of him" and then totally took advantage of him and maybe photos or something and he's going to point at the chick.

Ben could say that right now if he wanted. Then what would people say?

It goes both ways

Rape and sexual assault are male dominated, it really doesn't go both ways.

I think that my comment about it going both ways was aimed more towards the eyes of the law than the stats of who does what actually, although false accusations for financial gain have gone on a long time too. The Renaissance court records of women and families claiming assault and then suing for the man to pay her dowry (or in some cases marry her, which seems odd to us) are extensive.

[ACF]

Also on ESPN they just reported he will likely face between a 2-4 game suspension.  I find that astonishingly low.

That makes me sick. What Rapistburger did was way worse than what Michael Vick did.

A few of the dogs, probably pets, were kept in one of the sheds. The fighters and a handful of dogs that Bad Newz housed for other people lived in the outdoor kennels. The rest -- dogs that were too young to fight, were used for breeding or were kept as bait dogs for the fighters to practice on -- were chained to the car axles in the woods.

The water in the bowls was speckled with algae. Females were strapped into a "rape stand" so the dogs could breed without injuring each other. Some of the sheds held syringes and other medical supplies, and training equipment such as treadmills and spring bars (from which dogs hung, teeth clamped on rubber rings, to strengthen their jaws). The biggest shed had a fighting pit, once covered by a bloodstained carpet that was found in the woods.

According to court documents, from time to time Vick and his cohorts "rolled" the dogs: put them in the pit for short battles to see which ones had the right stuff. Those that fought got affection, food, vitamins and training sessions. The ones that showed no taste for blood were killed -- by gunshot, electrocution, drowning, hanging or, in at least one case, being repeatedly slammed against the ground.

It's impossible to say what Jasmine saw while circling the axles deep in the woods, but dogs can hear a tick yawn at 50 yards. The sounds of the fights and the executions undoubtedly filtered through the trees.

"Multiple studies have shown that if you take two mammals, say rats, and put them in boxes side by side, then give the first one electric shocks, the reaction of the second one -- in terms of brain-wave and nervous-system activity -- will be identical," says Stephen Zawistowski, a certified applied animal behaviorist and an executive vice president of the ASPCA. "The trauma isn't limited to the animal that's experiencing the pain."

In a sense, then, whatever atrocities any of the dogs suffered at 1915 Moonlight Road, all of them suffered. So one would think that April 25, 2007, the day law-enforcement officials took the dogs from the Vick compound, would have been a good one for Jasmine.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2008/magazine/12/22/vick.dogs/index.html

I am not saying which is worse. Please, just read the article. Thanks.

[Eja117]

I dont think that even matters though right?

Depends on the state, in NE either party being drunk means that there can't be consent.

Not to be all nit picky here, but I assume you mean New England as opposed to Nebraska, right?

I'm assuming that he means Nebraska, since Faf is one of our Huskers fans.

I think that's generally the rule in most states, though.  Being intoxicated means that you're legally incapable of giving consent.  The issue, though, is that juries are *very* reluctant to convict people for having intercourse that seems consensual, even if one or both parties are drunk.

Wait a second. Does that mean that in NE if two drunk people have sex that they both raped each other? Or that if Ben was drunk too he could say he was raped by her? That's weird

[Fafnir]

I dont think that even matters though right?

Depends on the state, in NE either party being drunk means that there can't be consent.

Not to be all nit picky here, but I assume you mean New England as opposed to Nebraska, right?

I'm assuming that he means Nebraska, since Faf is one of our Huskers fans.

I think that's generally the rule in most states, though.  Being intoxicated means that you're legally incapable of giving consent.  The issue, though, is that juries are *very* reluctant to convict people for having intercourse that seems consensual, even if one or both parties are drunk.

Wait a second. Does that mean that in NE if two drunk people have sex that they both raped each other? Or that if Ben was drunk too he could say he was raped by her? That's weird

When you're legally intoxicated you can't give consent in most states, including Nebraska. So yes technically any sexual encounter where one or more parties is drunk is a sexual assault.

[Eja117]

That' amazing. So in NE if my wife and I are having our 10th anniversary together and we start off with apps and a beer and then buy the big bottle of wine, and have a big alcohol cake desert thing and go home and get it on we've sexually assaulted each other? Assuming we got a taxi and didn't add DUI to the deal.

I guess your answer of "technically" is a good point.

[Fafnir]

That' amazing. So in NE if my wife and I are having our 10th anniversary together and we start off with apps and a beer and then buy the big bottle of wine, and have a big alcohol cake desert thing and go home and get it on we've sexually assaulted each other? Assuming we got a taxi and didn't add DUI to the deal.

I guess your answer of "technically" is a good point.

Yeah, the law isn't applied that way in practice. But that language is necessary to prevent clear rapes that occur on a passed out woman from being explained away as "she said yes at the time". Of course most of those cases still don't go to court.

[nickagneta]

That' amazing. So in NE if my wife and I are having our 10th anniversary together and we start off with apps and a beer and then buy the big bottle of wine, and have a big alcohol cake desert thing and go home and get it on we've sexually assaulted each other? Assuming we got a taxi and didn't add DUI to the deal.

I guess your answer of "technically" is a good point.

Technically, yes.

Here's the crazier scenario. Same as above but you go to bed and just as stuff is about to happen she says no and rolls over to goes to sleep. During the night while spooning and cuddling, something happens. The next day, can your wife claim rape and call the cops and have you arrested because the last thing she said to you while inebriated was no?

Things that make you say hmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

Sorry this is all off subject but just something to make you think

[Eja117]

That' amazing. So in NE if my wife and I are having our 10th anniversary together and we start off with apps and a beer and then buy the big bottle of wine, and have a big alcohol cake desert thing and go home and get it on we've sexually assaulted each other? Assuming we got a taxi and didn't add DUI to the deal.

I guess your answer of "technically" is a good point.

Technically, yes.

Here's the crazier scenario. Same as above but you go to bed and just as stuff is about to happen she says no and rolls over to goes to sleep. During the night while spooning and cuddling, something happens. The next day, can your wife claim rape and call the cops and have you arrested because the last thing she said to you while inebriated was no?

Things that make you say hmmmmmmmmmmm!!!!!!

Sorry this is all off subject but just something to make you think

My wife has me nervous I'll be arrested for not doing the dishes or giving the kid too much ice cream ( or maybe not enough) so I'd say in this case I'm screwed

[nickagneta]

LOL!!! TP eja. I know how you feel!!!