Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

Do the fans and Coaches/Ownership have a right to tell players what they can and cant do in their personal lives?

Riding a motorcyle is a perfectly legal to do. But alot of people are crucifing Ben.R for getting in an accident.

I can understand a team wanting an injury waiver if a player wanted to play another sport exposing themselves to injury. Does motorcyle riding fall under that category?

My Personal Thoughts:
Fans are getting rediculous. Whats next? No Enzo Ferraris? No Driving Though the GHETTO? No unprotected sex? No going to the club? No Wearing Jewelry because it increases the risk of getting robbed?

Players owe it to the fans to be the best player and teammate they can be.
But the Players owe it to themselves to live how they want to live.

I dont want my employer to try to dictate what i can and can't do in my free time. As long as i show up to work on time and do my job to the best of my abilities, they have no right to comment on my personal lives. I feel the same goes for professional athletes.




Thank you for reading my late night rant. Let the usual Flaming begin!!! ;)

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

i dont know about anyone else...but if someone is willing to pay me millions but one of the stipulations is not riding a motorcycle, show me the money. with a binding contract, the player is actually an investment by the team and i feel well within their rights to try and protect that investment

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[QUOTE=jamf]Do the fans and Coaches/Ownership have a right to tell players what they can and cant do in their personal lives?

Riding a motorcyle is a perfectly legal to do. But alot of people are crucifing Ben.R for getting in an accident.

I can understand a team wanting an injury waiver if a player wanted to play another sport exposing themselves to injury. Does motorcyle riding fall under that category?

My Personal Thoughts:
Fans are getting rediculous. Whats next? No Enzo Ferraris? No Driving Though the GHETTO? No unprotected sex? No going to the club? No Wearing Jewelry because it increases the risk of getting robbed?

Players owe it to the fans to be the best player and teammate they can be.
But the Players owe it to themselves to live how they want to live.

I dont want my employer to try to dictate what i can and can't do in my free time. As long as i show up to work on time and do my job to the best of my abilities, they have no right to comment on my personal lives. I feel the same goes for professional athletes.




Thank you for reading my late night rant. Let the usual Flaming begin!!! ;)[/QUOTE]

I dont think that you can compare an average joe's employer to that of a NFL player. For example, if I get in to an accident and cant come to work, my place of employment will go on with out me. Pittsburgh offense will not on and be just as good with out Ben taking the snaps...

And you are right as long as you can show up to work on time and perform your job to the best of your abilities, what you do on your time is none of there business, but is Ben going to be showing up for work on time and when he does will he be able to perform to the best of his abilities???

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=dmek25]i dont know about anyone else...but if someone is willing to pay me millions but one of the stipulations is not riding a motorcycle, show me the money. with a binding contract, the player is actually an investment by the team and i feel well within their rights to try and protect that investment[/quote]

I agree. I mean come on MILLIONS of DOLLARS and dont even wear a helmet? I Know people are going to say "but theyre not required in PA" Come on they make protective devices for a reason, doesnt matter if there is not a law requiring that you have to wear them. Is there a law that you have to wear a parachute when you skydive out of airplanes? dont think so but im sure that most do. and the ones that dont.. you know what happens..

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

Teams invest in players and should have the right to tell them what to do. No one forces anyone to be a football player, its their choice. These types of things should go with the territory and if someone doesn't like it they shouldn't be football players. They are on call 7 months a year and get paid more in 7 years than the next three generations of our families hope to make. Anyone that invests in something has to protect their investment. If someone wants to play football they should give up reckless behavior for the 10 years they would be lucky to play at most.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

Part of the Big Ben thing is he was so adament about NOT wearing a helmet, now it's come to bite him in the ass. It's his life, but he may have just sacrificed his career.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[QUOTE=BigSKINBauer]Teams invest in players and should have the right to tell them what to do. No one forces anyone to be a football player, its their choice. These types of things should go with the territory and if someone doesn't like it they shouldn't be football players. They are on call 7 months a year and get paid more in 7 years than the next three generations of our families hope to make. Anyone that invests in something has to protect their investment. If someone wants to play football they should give up reckless behavior for the 10 years they would be lucky to play at most.[/QUOTE]
I agree with BSB, the teams should have the right to protect their investment. As fans we don't have the right to say what players should and shouldn't do any more than we have a right to say what our bankers, firefighters, teachers or favorite actor does. Yes we "pay their salaries" technically but in their free time if they wish to jeopardize that then that's their problem.

I'm glad that Ben is going to be ok, but I don't feel sorry for him. He made the decision to ride a motorcycle without a helmet knowing the risks and got burnt.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

I definitely agree we're expecting too much to think a person can't do what they want in their free time. If they end up losing millions because of their actions that's their business.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

well obviously its their choice even if they sign a contract. I mean you can't actually stop them. You can only take money away which I think the teams should have full right over.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

I don't think that teams are asking too much. I mean they are paying out the ass to expect their players to act like professionals. They are paying them to PLAY A GAME, millions of dollars, so you'd think it's not too much to ask for them to be responsible. Because if the team sucks the next year due to a certain player not being there, the owner catches the flak for the team not being good and the player will deservedly catch some flak because that's the business you're in. If you can't take the heat, well you know what to do.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

Ben plays football. Ben also lives his life the way he wants to. If he really wanted to play professional football and maintain and long healthy career he would take all the necessary precautions. He's just living to whatever suits his fancy. I don't see anything wrong with that. I'm sorry he got injured, just like I'm sorry anybody gets injured. He's just a man that happens to be a professional sports athlete. The Pittsburgh Steelers have often been a championship level team long before Big Ben and they probably will continue to be one after. Maybe not in the immediate future but as they say: the game goes on.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=Daseal]Part of the Big Ben thing is he was so adament about NOT wearing a helmet, now it's come to bite him in the ass. It's his life, but he may have just sacrificed his career.[/quote]I agree that not wearing the helmet for extra protection was dumb on his part but if he was wearing an open face helmet the broken nose and jaw would have probably still occured.It would have prevented the cut to the back of the head and the picture I saw of the window you could see hair in the glass. I do agree that a team has the right to but things in a contract to protect their interest but the hard part is what is considered risky behavior. Its between him and the team. I would think if the Stealers thought that him riding a bike was that great of a risk they would have done something to have stoped him from riding. Even if its not in his current contract they could have done something to stop him from riding.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=724Skinsfan]Ben plays football. Ben also lives his life the way he wants to. If he really wanted to play professional football and maintain and long healthy career he would take all the necessary precautions. He's just living to whatever suits his fancy. I don't see anything wrong with that. I'm sorry he got injured, just like I'm sorry anybody gets injured. He's just a man that happens to be a professional sports athlete. The Pittsburgh Steelers have often been a championship level team long before Big Ben and they probably will continue to be one after. Maybe not in the immediate future but as they say: the game goes on.[/quote]

So you don't see anything wrong with doing something detrimental to your career in your free time? I'm not saying stop riding the bike, but at least wear a helmet.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

He let his team down. He is not only hurting himself. he is hurting an organization and as far as I am concerned they could tell him where and when to sleep if he signs a contract that says that. It should be a basic thing in contracts to have no cycles. This is a high caliber team and he puts people's careers in actions. They train hard and they expect everyone to do the same.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection]So you don't see anything wrong with doing something detrimental to your career in your free time? I'm not saying stop riding the bike, but at least wear a helmet.[/quote]

Not at all. It's a choice that he made and without a doubt he was aware of the potential consequences. If Ben was all about football and playing for the Steelers he wouldn't have been on the motorcycle. His career is not as important to him as having a good time and enjoying himself. That's not the same as saying his career is not important. As far as his financial future, he will always have money, unless he's into heavy gambling or major substance abuse. If he's the free spirit that I think he is, nothing holds him back from doing the activiites that he wants to do. Ten years from now he may regret riding that motorcycle but right now he did what he felt like doing. Good for him.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

Does Ben get paid all that much? If he never played again I am sure he would seriously need money soon.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=BigSKINBauer]Teams invest in players and should have the right to tell them what to do. No one forces anyone to be a football player, its their choice. These types of things should go with the territory and if someone doesn't like it they shouldn't be football players. They are on call 7 months a year and get paid more in 7 years than the next three generations of our families hope to make. Anyone that invests in something has to protect their investment. If someone wants to play football they should give up reckless behavior for the 10 years they would be lucky to play at most.[/quote]
I agree with this statement and to further expand on it, we are talkng about a franchise player here not a special teams player. If your the franchise player on a team(which Ben is), you owe it to your employer, coach, teammates and fans to be at your best on game day. If your going to take extreme risks in everyday life then you are letting all those people down. Terry Bradshaw suggested to Ben to "ride the bike when you retire".

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=BigSKINBauer]Does Ben get paid all that much? If he never played again I am sure he would seriously need money soon.[/quote]

He's a Super Bowl QB that gets endorsement checks. Autograph sessions, jersey sales, not to mention Big Ben Beef Jerky ([URL="http://www.plbsports.com/ProductPgs/products_roethlisberger.htm"]http://www.plbsports.com/ProductPgs/products_roethlisberger.htm[/URL]), Ben will be alright for a few years. Then he'll open up a car dealership and be the new King of Cars.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=Drago]I agree with this statement and to further expand on it, we are talkng about a franchise player here not a special teams player. If your the franchise player on a team(which Ben is), you owe it to your employer, coach, teammates and fans to be at your best on game day. If your going to take extreme risks in everyday life then you are letting all those people down. Terry Bradshaw suggested to Ben to "ride the bike when you retire".[/quote]I don't know if riding a bike is considerd an extreme risk now if he was cliff diving maybe we could say extreme risk.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[QUOTE=Mattyk72]I definitely agree we're expecting too much to think a person can't do what they want in their free time. If they end up losing millions because of their actions that's their business.[/QUOTE]

I have no issue with them doing whatever they want and losing money as a consequence. What I do have an issue with is the fact that often times they don't lose money and continue to collect their guaranteed money. I bet if Ben sits out this coming year he'll continue collect his paycheck.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=724Skinsfan] If he's the free spirit that I think he is, nothing holds him back from doing the activiites that he wants to do. Ten years from now he may regret riding that motorcycle but right now he did what he felt like doing. Good for him.[/quote]

Can't you say the same thing for Ricky Williams and a ton of other atheletes who have thrown away their careers for drugs/alcohol/gambling/whatever? In the history of professional sports there are probably hundreds, if not more, of potentially great atheletes who have thrown away all their potential because they didn't want to be held back from doing the things they wanted to do.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

I would say the same thing for any professional sports athlete, including Ricky Williams. I'm going to lunch but I'll comment further later on.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

It is not just Fans and NFL Teams.

The NFL is a huge business. But so is gambling. That is why there are injury reports.

This accident is no different than the KWII bike accident which has claimed two years of a highly regarded TEs career. Of course, he hasn't been able to get his NFL career untracked yet, so we have nothing to talk about. But I'm sure that his Team, the fans of his team, and gamblers had great expectations.

It is great expectations that are indeed lost.

Big Ben, from all reports, should recover in time for the regular season. So, there may only be a loss of practice time, photo opportunities, endorsements, fan meet & greet gatherings, post-SB banquets, and other such "demands" on his time between now and the season. He may also be hampered by some temporary loss of weight due to not being able to eat solids.

Each of us has to make personal life decisions. Some chose to ride, others do not.
Some riders wear protection. Others do not.

After the decision, each of us has to live with the consequences.

KWII and Big Ben are living with theirs.

Unfortunately, those decisions, for KWII and Big Ben, and their consequences affect everyone else surrounding their respective team, and the other teams involved in the business we know as the NFL.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=724Skinsfan]I would say the same thing for any professional sports athlete, including Ricky Williams. I'm going to lunch but I'll comment further later on.[/quote]

I all these players are, when it all comes down to it, people who should be free to make their own decisions, but I just feel like someone like Ben or Ricky should really think about the responsibility that comes with their huge contracts. They should realize that they are being paid these outrageous sums of money because they are expected to be able to perform at a certain level. From all accounts, it seems like Ben was asked repeatedly to stop riding, or at the very least to wear a helmet, because of the risks involved.

I just feel like he has a responsiblity to his team to try and avoid off-field activities that could result in on-field problems.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

I don't think Ben [B]has[/B] to take the responsibility to act in such a way that he minimizes his chances for off-field injuries just for the sake of the Steelers and its fan base. He seems to be a nice guy who is going to enjoy himself while it lasts. Unfortunately for him he got a reality check a little earlier than I'll bet he expected.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

I think we're all losing sight of the question at hand. Is it too much to ask for people like Ricky Williams to not smoke weed? No. Is it too much to ask for Ben to wear a helmet? No.

I think we're getting into this whole free will thing, and while I think that people should be able to exercise free will, I also think it's NOT too much to ask or too demanding to say that a player should exercise some responsibility or suffer the consequences.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=724Skinsfan]I don't think Ben [B]has[/B] to take the responsibility to act in such a way that he minimizes his chances for off-field injuries just for the sake of the Steelers and its fan base. He seems to be a nice guy who is going to enjoy himself while it lasts. Unfortunately for him he got a reality check a little earlier than I'll bet he expected.[/quote]

So, he has no responsibility to try to live up to his contract? I feel like he's really lucky that his agent was able to keep some kind off the field injury clause out of his contract, especially since they didn't want him riding in the first place.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

if these pampered, dumb ass, me first athletes prefer to ride motorcycles or take other chances to endanger their professional careers, then if the time comes thru injury or whatever that they cannot perform anymore, no one needs to feel sorry for them. to a man they will say they dreamed of being a pro sports star, and if they cant give up a few of lifes pleasures(at least while they are still playing) how bad do they want to be a professional athlete?

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

He does try to live up to his contract to a certain degree but he's not required to seal himself up in a huge plastic bubble until football season. You will hard pressed to find an athlete that doesn't do something that could be considered dangerous.

By the way, I thought I read somewhere that he does have a clause in his contract that allows the Steelers organization to attempt to recoup some money. Given Ben's super-status, it's doubtful the team will persue this though.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

this is the one time i'm with the owners.they pay these guys boatloads of money to play for them,and i think they are completely just in laying down the cans and can't dos for all the players,not just the superstars.i can't see why anybody making the money these guys are making would want to go out and do extremely dumb things.play it safe,if you want to do that sort of thing,retire or do it after your career is over.if i were a steelerfan today,i'd really be pissed!!!

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

Are we asking too much for players to have common sense?

No.

From the owners' standpoints, are they asking too much for players to protect themselves and stay in the playing condition that they signed the contract under?

No.

When it comes to Ben Roethlisberger, Im more upset about his possible liability on every taxpayer and insurance customer than his possible breach of contract with the Steelers if he can't play or has affected his playing abilities through his stupidity. Sure, Governor Rendell repealed the helmet law in PA a few years ago, but the legality of something doesn't make it smart or even healthy. Cigarettes are legal, but if you smoke and get cancer you have no one to blame but yourself. Bungee jumping is legal, but if you get whiplash....your problem as well. It's not illegal to sleep around or be gay, but when you get STDs...you must learn to reap what you've sown.

When it comes to people who choose to ride motorcycles without helmets, you're taking a risk that will likely cost you your life or at least your health. They should again have to take responsibility for their actions, but in reality, they won't have to. Their motorcycle insurance and health insurance will pay for their amplified injuries from not wearing a helmet. It won't come out of their own pocket, but it will come out of the pocket of everyone who pays taxes to keep the hospitals open and from everyone who will help pay the higher insurance rates from their stupidity. I think that if you want to ride without a helmet, you should have the freedom to do so since it's your life. However, with freedom ALWAYS comes responsibility and you should pay for your own injuries that result from your decision. People like Ben should have to pay for their own surgeries that were easily preventable with a helmet. The same should be true with seatbelts; if you are ejected from your car because you didn't wear your seatbelt, that's your decision to choose that outcome but you should also pay for your mistake instead of expecting everyone else to pay for your risk-taking. Just as a I don't like paying for people's herpes treatments from being irresponsible, I don't like the idea of paying my share of someone else's medical costs because they were stubborn or just like having wind and bugs in their hair.

Personal responsibility makes life better for everyone. The responsible stay safe and healthy and the irresponsible learn lessons. Society has grown to expect the government and everyone else to pay for their laziness, their risk-taking or their ignorance. Women now have babies without having a husband just for a larger check from the government every month. People quit working because they can get paid for staying home. Others have sex with anything that moves because they think that's a right, but then think it's a right to kill their baby when they have an "unexpected" pregnancy. If someone loses all of their money gambling, they don't deserve any government help (welfare).

Personally, I'm getting a little sick of taking care of these people.

I hope this bonehead move by Ben prompts owners to put some clauses into all contracts to protect their investments. Kellen Winslow Jr. should've taught Ben a lesson, but it obviously didn't.

I won't be upset if he's not the player he used to be. He brought it on himself. I just heard a report that he didn't have a PA Motorcycle license. If that's true, he really deserves any consequences from his actions.

I hate seeing anyone hurt and I pray he'll be ok as a person for his family's sake, but if he ended his football career or even limited it with this situation, I won't have any sympathy.

In the end, he's no better than anyone else and I'd feel the same way if he was a "common" person.

He needs to get his priorities straight and start taking some responsibility in his life. Despite what the media might say, he's not Superman and when it comes to his health and life, he has the same responsibilities as any of us.

I hope this does spur a reversal of Rendell's repeal of the helmet law. He did it for purely political purposes in the first place and most residents here in PA opposed it and forsaw this exact outcome of it. Fatalities from non-helmet wearers in PA have tripled and for what reason? The "right" to endanger your life and put your death on the conscience of a possibly innocent car driver? The lady that Ben ran into was a 62 year-old lady who by all accounts so far, wasn't at fault. Now she's on public record as the lady who hurt the star QB because HE WASN'T WEARING A HELMET. I hope people are sensible and leave her alone but there's always idiots who will harass her. Also, I'll be paying a share of his medical and insured costs that would've been treatment for some bruises and roadrash that is now a surgery, hospitalization and rehab.

You have the freedom to be stupid, but if you are...pay for it yourself.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

No way is it asking too much for these guys to be responsible. Many people in this thread have talked about the money involved, teams have a financial interest, front office guys have their jobs tied to the success of the team, etc.

But what's getting lost here is that many football players say that they play the game to win a championship, they don't play it for the money. Of course they want the money, and it's a big motivator. But any football player worth his weight is motivated by winning first and foremost.

Everytime you smoke weed or ride a motorbike you're compromising your ability to help your team win games. It says either that you're too dumb to recognize the risks, or you don't care so much about winning.

I can't fault fans for being upset. They want their team to win, and to see a player do anything that compromises the team's ability to win is incredibly disheartening. Being responsible is part of being a good teammate. You can't win games if you're paralyzed.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=Schneed10]No way is it asking too much for these guys to be responsible. Many people in this thread have talked about the money involved, teams have a financial interest, front office guys have their jobs tied to the success of the team, etc.

But what's getting lost here is that many football players say that they play the game to win a championship, they don't play it for the money. Of course they want the money, and it's a big motivator. But any football player worth his weight is motivated by winning first and foremost.

Everytime you smoke weed or ride a motorbike you're compromising your ability to help your team win games. It says either that you're too dumb to recognize the risks, or you don't care so much about winning.

I can't fault fans for being upset. They want their team to win, and to see a player do anything that compromises the team's ability to win is incredibly disheartening. Being responsible is part of being a good teammate. You can't win games if you're paralyzed.[/quote]

Well said!

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

So we are all in concensus that it's NOT too much to ask?

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection]So we are all in concensus that it's NOT too much to ask?[/quote]

taking care of your responsibilities, MAN LAW!

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

Man Law!

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

I suppose it's not too much to ask but think about being a high school or college level athlete and being told that once you get into the pros you're going to have your freedom of choice severley limited. Most guys will be cool with it since they are going to be making a lot of money. A few others, who like to rebel against the system are going to say forget you! It's the professional sports teams responsibility to determine who these people are before they sign them.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=ArtMonkDrillz]taking care of your responsibilities, MAN LAW![/quote]

MAN LAW indeed.

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

[quote=TheMalcolmConnection]MAN LAW indeed.[/quote]

because, when you gotta pet, you gotta responsiblity. You don't ride around like an idiot and then call it a career. You put on your f'in helmet and you play some f'in football!

Re: Are Fans and NFL teams too demanding of players?
 

Not gonna take all the time to read all the posts, as I'm a bit short on time...

But think if Big Ben was a good friend or something and not the Steelers QB who you know and love (or maybe you don't?).

Anyway, if Big Ben was a good friend of yours, you'd be upset with him if he was riding a bike without a helmet and without a license. Right?

Football fans look at themselves and the players of their favorite team as family and friends. It's like one big happy family or something, especially when your team is good. You see other Skins fans at tailgates, games, bars and you automatically have something in common. If you see a player like Portis on TV, you feel like you know him and know what he's about. So would it be too much to ask a friend or someone you really care about to ask a helmet? Certainly not.

And for those of us who are removed from the Steeler family, we look at this situation as a qb with immense talent who nearly could have thrown it all away. And for what? Something stupid like riding a motorcycle without a helmet. What about the Dolphins? How many of us were pissed off at Rickey Williams because he's a great running back but threw it all away for weed.

It's like a parent watching a kid with a 160 IQ get C's and D's because they don't care about school or watching a talented friend you deeply care about wasting away on drugs or continually making boneheaded decisions.

I also feel that we get upset at athletes such as this because we all would instantly trade places with them. It's a jealousy thing. How many of us have sat here watching this whole Big Ben thing thinking to ourselves that if we were him, we'd NEVER do something that stupid? Getting paid that much money to play football? Why risk it on a motorcycle?

Because they're people, just like you and me. And they make mistakes, and thats what we forget sometimes because they're larger than life. Big Ben being an idiot is just like that best friend who makes bad decisions and then wonders why he's getting screwed over during the aftermath. And we've all been there, we've all had people like that in our lives.

So it's not that much to ask at all.