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cranberry
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Joined: 16 Feb 2005
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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 Posted: Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:44 pm Post subject: Why isn't the Ben Roethlisberger rape case a big story |
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ESPN has recently developed an odd sense of what is a big story. My favorite are the live reports from some High School in “back woods” Mississippi that Brett Favre throws some passes to some 16 teen year old. Yes ESPN considers this big news.
Lost on me is the lack of reporting on the Ben Roethlisberger rape case. Now here you have the Superbowl winning Quarterback being accused of rape an there is barely a mention of it on ESPN and other outlets. This seems odd to me because in the last week alone ESPN has reported about video of former NFL player Adam Pac Man Jones. It just strikes me as odd when ESPN had round the clock coverage of Terrell Ownes who never committed a crime.
I know, I know someone will counter with these are only accusations. I will counter with the charges against Marvin Harrison this time last year. Those charges were not proven either after a full police investigation. Yet, ESPN chose to report constantly on this alleged victimless crime. That idiot Trey Wingo said last night that basically Roethlisberger was good guy and “this did not seem like him”, well can not the same be said for Harrison?
ESPN has reported about Javon Walker and we had nightly updates. Also the same for Donte Stallworth. We got gavel to gavel coverage on that one. Or the coverage of former New York Football Giants Receiver Plaxico's gun charges. Also earlier this year was ESPN’s in depth investigative reports Denver Broncos star receiver Brandon Marshall who faces a possible suspension from a fight with his current fiancé. And don’t even get me started on the media circus that was Micheal Vick.
All this just makes me wonder why is ESPN not reporting on a current two Superbowl champion quarterback facing charges of rape?
Any thoughts? |
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cranberry
He Hate Me
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Sun Mar 07, 2010 8:19 am Post subject: |
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Again Ben Roethlisberger is accused of sexual assault and again it does not make the news. It again amazesme especiallyt coming off the blanket coverage of Tiger Woods whose sexual exploits were not criminal. Why are some athletes demonized by the media while others given a free pass?
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4970050
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East Bay Grease
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Joined: 11 Feb 2005
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| Posted: Mon Mar 08, 2010 10:04 am Post subject: |
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Let's see, I think I have the answer you're trolling for:
Because people in the media are racist. And they demonize people of color, and women. And they let white males get away with murder.
 You're welcome. Proceed.
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cranberry
He Hate Me
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| Posted: Tue Mar 09, 2010 7:14 pm Post subject: |
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It ain't just the media...
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East Bay Grease
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| Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 11:56 am Post subject: |
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No, you're right, it's not.
Actually, I think it's less the media than the market power of the consuming public.
Though some in the media have their own (usually pretty obvious) agendas to push, MOST of them just follow the money. Ratings, eyeballs, clicks, newsstand sales--no matter the medium, content tends to go where the demand is. When you look at the changes over the past few decades in the media landscape---television, newspapers, radio, magazines, books, and now the web--what's really changed is the ability for content providers to know exactly what the users want. Used to be that TV networks put live theatrical productions--plays!--on TV. Radio DJs used to play what they wanted. Magazine editors had distinct personalities and each edited his/her magazine the way they thought it should be. The creators gave the consumers what they thought they wanted. Often, they had the audacity to give consumers what they thought they SHOULD want.
Now it's a science. Everyone gets minute-by-minute ratings. Page-by-page research reports. Focus groups. Test marketing. And now the most feedback-rich medium there is: the internet.
If content scores high, you do more. If content scores low, it dies.
So rather than being the product of an agenda-driven conspiracy by its creators, the media's content is really just a disturbingly ugly reflection of the public's appetites.
• You want scandal? Okay, screw policy analysis--we'll find you some scandal. Bill & Monica? You're front page news!
• You like pictures of celebrity infants? Okay, screw long-form investigative reporting--we'll spend our money on exclusive pictures of celebrity infants. Cue Shilo and Suri and...
• You enjoy pictures of gorgeous, nearly naked 18-24-year-olds with perfect bodies? Okay, screw any imagery of real people with normal physiques--we'll undermine your self esteem with wall-to-wall, gorgeous, nearly naked 18-24-year-olds with perfect bodies. Let the casting call begin, from the pinnacles of Hollywood on down to Girls Gone Wild. And below.
• You tune in for OJ coverage, you like that titillating mix of race, sex, and violence? Okay, screw a balanced view of the world,let us poke around and see what else we've got that looks like that. C'mon down, Tiger and Brandon and Ben and Michael (Oooh, puppies! Nice twist!) and you too, Duke lacrosse team......
The depressing thing is, that every time ANY of us click a link, or surf over to a channel, we are voting for more of that kind of content. And of course it's hard to ignore the titillating stuff, no matter how high-minded you are. So goes the race to the bottom.
As the ancient philosopher Walt Kelly once wrote: "We have met the enemy, and he is us."
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cranberry
He Hate Me
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 1:45 pm Post subject: |
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You are correct this is driven by the public's rampant want for titillation. That hunger has gone up drastically as of late. TMZ has replaced the nightly news as the public's seemingly main news source. All that being said what is more titillating that the Superbowl MVP involved in a sex scandal?
I mean ain’t much worse than rape right? Well there is one thing. Two separate charges of sexual assault within 8 months! Now if you chronicled the most sensationalized sports stories over the last 2 -3 years, you would think that a rape case would be head of the pack right? I mean it hit the spots, sex and celebrity. Yet oddly enough, lesser known athletes with lesser charges spent more consecutive nights as the lead story.
Ben Roethlisberger is on his second charge and just now making it on the nightly news. It ain’t even the lead story. ESPN now follows it but does not sensationalize it as they have done with many stories recently. So I get your point. I agree it is the American Public as well as the News Producers who dictate what stories run nightly. I also think it is the American public who seems to deem crimes against women as minor misconduct as opposed to a serious crime. It just seems odd to me that some so called news stories have longer legs than others.
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Kobuk
Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Skippy
Joined: 18 Jul 2005
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Location: Sapporo, Japan
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| Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 2:28 pm Post subject: |
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| I don't get to see ESPN over here so I don't know how much it is playing there, but I think the reason the MSM hasn't really picked up this story vs. the Tiger story that Tiger is THE most famous athlete in the world. Tiger probably has near universal name recognition whereas Ben Rothlesberger doesn't. He may be a super bowl MVP, but he doens't have the name recognition of Peyton Manning or Tom Brady. If it had been either of them the story would be everywhere. EBG is absolutely right. Not enough people know Ben Rothlesberger so the MSM isn't wasting there time on it right now. Not enough payoff for them. If he gets indicted that will change (to a certain degree), but it will always be a smaller story because of name recognition. |
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cranberry
He Hate Me
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Wed Mar 10, 2010 3:26 pm Post subject: |
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Kobuk, good point. Tiger broke no laws. It baffles why this was even news. I do not watch golf like a lot of people but there are very few people who do not know who Tiger Woods is fair enough.
This still does not explain the round the clock coverage of Michael Vick, Pac Man Jones and Plexico Burress cases. Hell even Terrell Owens got around the clock coverage and he did not even commit a crime. Mind you none of their transgressions were sexual assault. In my opinion their crimes were minor compared to Ben Roethlisberger’s. You would think that adding in sex would drive up the public demand for more info about “Big Ben’s” transgression.
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BUST = A player who was drafted early in the first round who showed plenty of potential in college but has yet materialize in the Pros. A highly drafted player that can not live up to his value for the position drafted or salary being paid. |
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Turo
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| Posted: Thu Mar 11, 2010 8:13 am Post subject: |
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I'm here for the titillation.
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cranberry
He Hate Me
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 9:12 am Post subject: |
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http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?page=hill/100326
| Quote: | Goodell's slippery Roethlisberger slope
Why hasn't he acted against Big Ben when he moved so quickly on Vick and Pacman?
By Jemele Hill
ESPN.com
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said this week at the NFL owners meeting in Orlando, Fla., that he'll meet with Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who is currently under investigation for sexual assault, at the "appropriate time."
What's he waiting for? Nightly updates from Nancy Grace's show?
Certainly, I'm not making light of Roethlisberger's situation or the complicated position that Goodell finds himself in now that the quarterback for one of the NFL's most storied franchises is facing a sexual assault accusation for the second time in less than a year.
Goodell's first public comments about Roethlisberger indicate the NFL is watching the developments in the case closely. But the commissioner's words weren't as strong as they need to be. Instead of bringing the Roethlisberger controversy down to a simmer, it remains at a boil.
In truth, Goodell should already have met with Roethlisberger, even though the investigation into whether Roethlisberger should be charged with sexually assaulting a 20-year-old woman in a Milledgeville, Ga., bar remains ongoing. And once he and Big Ben are in a room alone together, Goodell should absolutely castigate the two-time Super Bowl winner for bringing such bad publicity to his lucrative league.
I'm aware Roethlisberger hasn't been charged with any crime and -- everyone say it with me -- is innocent until proven guilty. He has the right to defend himself against his accusers. We have no idea what Georgia investigators will uncover, or what will become of the civil suit filed against him last summer by a Lake Tahoe woman who accused him of raping her in 2008.
In a perfect world, there would be no pressure for the commissioner to act until Roethlisberger's situation plays out completely. But in the real world, perception is what matters.
And surely the commissioner has noticed that Roethlisberger's case is becoming a racial litmus test. Fair or not, the perception is that Goodell has been eager to punish black athletes regardless of the status of their criminal investigations; and now that a white superstar quarterback is under police investigation, a lot of people -- especially African-Americans -- are noting how patiently Goodell is behaving.
Certainly there were factors with Adam "Pacman" Jones and Michael Vick -- the most high-profile measuring sticks of how the NFL can enforce its code of conduct -- that prompted the commissioner to dole out punishments before they were convicted in a court of law. For openers, Jones had a long history of previous arrests and other run-ins and Vick had already been indicted in his dogfighting case; Roethlisberger hasn't been charged yet. But the only factor that matters to those African-Americans keeping close tabs on the Roethlisberger case is this: The commissioner didn't wait to meet with Jones and Vick when they had criminal investigations hanging over their heads. Every time a prominent black athlete is involved in a legal situation, it seems as if the long, lawful arm of Goodell is ready to react.
The commissioner announced Jones' season-long suspension in 2007 less than two months after he was allegedly involved in an altercation and shooting outside of a Las Vegas strip club -- which was two months before Jones was officially charged by Vegas police and a week after Goodell brought Jones into his office for one of his infamous sit-downs. Jones accepted a plea deal for the Vegas incident in November 2007, which resulted in a suspended one-year prison sentence, probation and community service.
The commissioner wasn't wrong for punishing Jones before he had his day in court. Given Jones' extensive brushes with the law and the seriousness of the Las Vegas incident, Jones' one-year suspension was entirely appropriate. There was little doubt his reckless behavior was undermining the league's credibility and its reputation.
Goodell, though, officially set a precedent with Jones. For the commissioner, the absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.
When Goodell suspended Jones, he wrote a letter to the troubled player that stated: "Your conduct has brought embarrassment and ridicule upon yourself, your club, and the NFL, and has damaged the reputation of players throughout the league. You have put in jeopardy an otherwise promising NFL career, and have risked both your own safety and the safety of others through your off-field actions. In each of these respects, you have engaged in conduct detrimental to the NFL and failed to live up to the standards expected of NFL players. Taken as a whole, this conduct warrants significant sanction."
Roethlisberger might not have the same track record as Jones, but being accused of sexual assault twice in less than a year is an embarrassment not only to the Steelers, but to the entire NFL. No matter what happens with the criminal investigation or the civil case, these accusations will follow Roethlisberger forever and be used to judge the character of other NFL players.
In the past, Goodell has made it clear that protecting the NFL's brand is his foremost concern. When Goodell barred Vick from training camp while dogfighting charges were pending against him, he wrote this to Vick: "While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy."
Given that stern position, Goodell should not only already have met with Roethlisberger, but he should already have come to the conclusion that no matter how this investigation turns out, Roethlisberger should be suspended.
When Goodell sat Jones down for a year, he wanted to send a message that irresponsible behavior could cost an NFL player his livelihood. If Goodell doesn't schedule a meeting with Roethlisberger immediately, it feeds the perception that white NFL stars under criminal investigation are treated differently and will receive more benefit of the doubt than their black counterparts. |
Jemele Hill I am in love with yiou, now more than ever.
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BUST = A player who was drafted early in the first round who showed plenty of potential in college but has yet materialize in the Pros. A highly drafted player that can not live up to his value for the position drafted or salary being paid. |
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Kobuk
Don't Blame Me, I Voted for Skippy
Joined: 18 Jul 2005
Posts: 577
Location: Sapporo, Japan
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| Posted: Sun Mar 28, 2010 3:09 pm Post subject: |
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I didn't remember that Goodell doled out punishment to Jones and Vick prior to conviction. He is certainly giving the appearance of a double standard. That is not acceptable. Each player must be held to the same standard. The only thing the article remains somewhat vague on is the time that passed from story breaking to meeting with Goodell for Vick and Jones. It has only been three weeks or so in the Rothlesberger case. If within this amount of time he had already met with Jones and Vick then Goodell is wrong. If not he needs to get him in within the same general time period to avoid that double standard.
Anyone remember what he did with the Marvin Harrison incident a few years back. Harrison was a role model player who had no prior incident, certainly a cleaner image than Rothlesberger. If he called in Harrison by this point in the investigation then Goodell has a real problem.
Goodell set the standard. Now he needs to apply it to all players equally. |
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cranberry
He Hate Me
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
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Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Mon Apr 12, 2010 7:26 pm Post subject: |
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Well the Sexual assualt charges against Ben Roethlisberger have been dropped.
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/commentary/news/story?id=5078977
I never knew it was so difficult to prove rape here in Georgia according to the Distrct Attorney.
| Quote: | | Bright said the victim had bruises and a laceration in her genital area when examined at the hospital. Bright said that there was not enough semen or other bodily evidence to show that there was carnal knowledge or penetration. Was it consensual? Was it consensual for a time until consent was withdrawn? We do not know, and we might not ever know. |
I hope Big Ben learns from this because no matter how good your lawyer was he dodged a bullet big time. Also I hope women learn from this as well.
He still has to meet with the 'Commish' I am curious to see what Goddell does.
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BUST = A player who was drafted early in the first round who showed plenty of potential in college but has yet materialize in the Pros. A highly drafted player that can not live up to his value for the position drafted or salary being paid. |
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East Bay Grease
Official Tower of Power Stat Beaver
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| Posted: Thu Apr 15, 2010 7:17 am Post subject: |
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Okay, this is an Onion headline waiting to happen:
God Mulls 4-week Suspension of Ratzinger for "Pattern of Poor Judgement"
...the story practically writes itself from there. 
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cranberry
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| Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 7:56 am Post subject: |
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http://www.ajc.com/sports/gbi-report-another-woman-465574.html
| Quote: | GBI report: Another woman claimed Roethlisberger forced himself on her
By Christian Boone and Kristi E. Swartz
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
1:49 p.m. Friday, April 16, 2010
The GBI's month-long investigation into a rape accusation leveled against Ben Roethlisberger uncovered an allegation -- unsubstantiated -- by a second woman that the Steelers quarterback forced himself upon her.
The incident allegedly occurred during a party at Roethlisberger's house in Reynolds Plantation. A young woman not interviewed by authorities claims the quarterback pulled his pants down and told her she could “do whatever she wants," according to the GBI report.
A week later, the woman, believed to be 21 or 22, attended another party thrown by Roethlisberger. She claims the 28-year-old quarterback was drunk and forced his hand up her skirt. She was able to escape and informed her father of the incident but he apparently encouraged his daughter not to pursue a criminal complaint, the report states.
Ocmulgee Circuit District Attorney Fred Bright announced Monday that he would not be filing charges against Roethlisberger for an alleged rape at a Milledgeville night club. The accuser's varying accounts and the lack of conclusive physical evidence were cited by the DA, though the alleged victim contends a rape did occur, according to documents released Thursday by the GBI.
“He had sex with me and meanwhile his body guards told my friends they couldn’t pass them to get to me,” the accuser wrote in a hand-written statement dated March 5. The 20-year-old Georgia College & State University sophomore states a Roethlisberger bodyguard took her by the arm and led her down a hallway and placed her atop a stool. The bodyguard left, Roethlisberger approached and exposed himself, the woman said. She said this was "not OK" and went to a bathroom, where Roethlisberger pursued her and forced her to have sex, the woman told a Milledgeville police officer immediately after the incident.
"I went to the first door I saw, which happened to be a bathroom and shut the door," the accuser wrote. "I still said no, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me. He said it was OK. He then left without saying anything."
Roethlisberger's attorney, Ed Garland, said Monday he would not discuss any additional details about the case. "This matter is over," he said. "It is concluded, and I will not be answering any questions about the facts.” Roethlisberger has, through attorneys, maintained his innocence.
According to the documents, one of the woman’s sorority sisters told investigators that her friend "was dragged by a bodyguard to the back room in Capital (City, a local nightclub). She was extremely intoxicated and not aware of what was happening."
Nicole Biancofiore told police she asked the owner of the Capital City Club to "unlock the door but he told me that ‘Ben was not going to do anything to ruin his reputation for the Steelers.' " The accuser, who was wearing a sexually explicit T-shirt, then "came out of the back room and told [another friend] that he had sex with her without her consent," Biancotiore said.
Another friend, Ann Marie Lubatti, said she approached the other security guard and "told him that she [the accuser] was in no shape to be back there with Ben Roethlisberger. He couldn't look me in the eye, and told me he didn't know what was going on."
Bright said Monday that Capital City Club owner Rocky Duncan told him that he offered the accuser's sorority sisters another way into the guarded VIP area. But the manager told Bright they did not take him up on it.
While Roethlisberger avoided prosecution, the only officer to interview him has lost his job. Sgt. Jerry Blash resigned Wednesday under pressure, WSB-TV reported. Milledgeville Police Department Chief Woodrow Blue confirmed Monday that Blash had made derogatory comments to Roethlisberger about the accuser less than an hour after the alleged sexual assault was reported.
In a March 15 interview with GBI Special Agent Ryan Carmichael, Blash indicated that he was mad because the alleged victim was not being "straight up" with him. The former sergeant said the victim was very "nonchalant" about her allegations.
Blash's incident report stated that one of Roethlisberger's bodyguards "escorted [the accuser] to a back room/hallway area where the suspect was.
"Once there, she stated, the suspect asked her for sex," Blash's report reads. "At this time it is unclear what happened after this point due to the complainant's recollection being foggy from her intoxication level. However, she did write a statement of what she thought happened."
According to the GBI report, Blash said the victim was "swaying and smelled of alcohol." Blash asked her if she had been raped but she said ‘No, I did not know what was going on."
Roethlisberger met Tuesday with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who is expected to suspend the quarterback. The league and the Steelers probably won't decide on punishment until after next week's three-day draft.
Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a press conference Thursday that his All-Pro quarterback will face consequences for his actions.
"I've made it clear to Ben that his conduct in this incident did not live up to our standards," Rooney told reporters. "Ben has indicated to us that he's willing to accept those consequences."
-- Staff reporter Marcus K. Garner contributed to this story. |
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BUST = A player who was drafted early in the first round who showed plenty of potential in college but has yet materialize in the Pros. A highly drafted player that can not live up to his value for the position drafted or salary being paid. |
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cranberry
He Hate Me
Joined: 16 Feb 2005
Posts: 2894
Location: Atlanta, GA
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| Posted: Sun Apr 18, 2010 7:57 am Post subject: |
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I wonder if we will see any protest at Steeler's games now? Or should I say N.O.W.
_________________
BUST = A player who was drafted early in the first round who showed plenty of potential in college but has yet materialize in the Pros. A highly drafted player that can not live up to his value for the position drafted or salary being paid.
Last edited by cranberry on Sun Apr 18, 2010 10:30 am; edited 1 time in total |
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