Big Ben Lucky to Still Be Ticking

Forget about football for a minute. Let's not talk about how long Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may be out of action. That's completely unimportant at the moment.

Roethlisberger is lucky to be alive - plain and simple. The man slammed his head off a windshield people and if that wasn't enough, he smacked it off the pavement as well. Does Ben know how fortunate he is that the price he paid was only a smashed face?

How lucky is Big Ben? Roethlisberger's doctors stressed during a brief news conference Tuesday that his knees are not injured, positive news for an athlete who needed knee surgery only last season.

They also said his brain is functioning normally despite the concussion and the trauma of a crash that caused Roethlisberger to fly off his motorcycle and smack a car windshield with such force, his head left a glass-cracking dent in the shape of his skull.

"He is awake, alert, oriented and is resting with his family by his side," said Dr. Larry Jones, the chief of Mercy Hospital's trauma unit.

Young people and young athletes especially, feel they're indestructible and nothing can hurt them. All of us were like that when the stupidity of youth was upon us. So, despite repeated warnings by head coach Bill Cowher and the Steelers front office, Roethlisberger continued to ride without a helmet.

He's not the first and sadly, won't be the last. Just ask the Cleveland Browns and the problems the franchise has had with Kellen Winslow Jr and his motorcycle exploits, among other things.

In May 2005, Cowher warned Roethlisberger about his riding habits after Winslow was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.

"I wish all our players liked board games or low-risk hobbies," Cleveland Browns general manager Phil Savage said Tuesday. "Unfortunately, that's part of the reason that makes these guys professional athletes. They have a little bit of an edge to want to do more, seek more. Where's the line? I don't know that."

Looking for the silver lining in this cloud is fairly easy. Pennsylvania and all states like it, must rescind the optional helmet law and make it mandatory. This is now an issue because the starting QB for the Super Bowl champs got hurt. How many times has it happened to people who aren't in the public eye? How many of them are still here today to talk about it?

Head coaches will demand a no riding policy starting from training camp until the end of the season. As a matter of fact, Seattle coach Mike Holmgren already initiated that rule yesterday for his players. Some teams already have it inserted in contracts that players shouldn't indulge in non-football activities that may cause injury.

More teams will jump on that bandwagon after the Roethlisberger incident and forbid players to entertain high risk activities while under contract. You can't blame the owners for wanting this. They've spent a ton of money building an organization and signing players. The last thing the front office needs is losing one to a stupid non-football injury.

Hopefully, this will be a wake-up call to everyone who rides without a helmet, not just the athletes. Ben Roethlisberger rolled the dice, gambled with his life and lady luck smiled on him - this time. If he continues to ride without a helmet, there may not be a next time.

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