The “Big Ben” Backlash

July 22, 2009 by Black Belt Mama · 14 Comments
Filed under: Things that get my gi all in a bunch

Ben Roethlisberger has been one of my favorite football players through the years, like when he's on my fantasy team and putting up killer numbers or when I'm playing against someone who has him and he's having a rough game, for example. When I opened up a news website the other day and saw that a woman has filed a civil suit against him claiming sexual assault, I was completely shocked. Other players in the NFL? Maybe I could see it, but with him, I guess I'm having a hard time.

Part of my problem with it is that the woman waited a year to file a lawsuit and she didn't previously file criminal charges. I have a very strong feeling the case will be settled discreetly to quiet it, or completely thrown out of court because without evidence, and after a year? That's a seriously long time to wait. Plus, because of who he is, it is easy to think that the woman is just out to get money.

Articles have said that she didn't file criminal charges because she feared she'd be fired. If it was me and it really did happen? I would have filed criminal charges, and let Harrah's fire me if they dared. Then sue them for false termination.

I've read various articles about it and some claim that the woman was hospitalized for depression during the past year. Maybe she's just now strong enough to go after her alleged attacker. But even with a background as a sexual assault educator while in college and being a strong advocate for women's rights, the fact that it's a civil case and that she waited so long is giving me some serious pause.

Then again, what woman would want to subject herself to the public scrutiny of making these claims if they weren't true? If you search long enough, there are certain celebrity blogs (and news outlets like the one linked above) that have already published her name, multiple pictures of her, and other identifying information about her. If you think that's bad, you should read some of the comments under the articles about her pictures. I truly hope it didn't happen; but if it did, then I hope she's prepared for the ugliness that's already circulating on the internet because if there's one thing that's for sure, when a celebrity like "Big Ben" is accused of something like this, the backlash against the accuser is going to be massive.

What do you think about the civil case against Ben?