Just 4 months after bringing home a Super Bowl title to Pittsburgh, Ben Roethlisberger has a little more than football to worry about. Monday morning at around 11:30 a.m. Roethlisberger crashed his motorcycle into another car in an intersection. Roethlisberger reportedly broke his nose and his jaw.
This is a very serious accident because Roethlisberger wasn't wearing a helmet. In Pennsylvania there is no law that you have to wear a helmet. It is optional. Not a lot of details are available at this time regarding the accident, but what is known is that the accident also caused a few other injuries:
Roethlisberger is currently in surgery for the gashes on his head. This comes just a year following an accident by Kellen Winslow Jr. involving a motorcycle. That accident prohibited him from playing a single snap in the 2005 season. A promising draft pick out of Duke, Jay Williams, was injured when riding a motorcycle before he even made his career debut and so far hasn't ever played in the NFL. It seems to be happening all the time now with athletes who like to take risks. Steelers coach Bill Cowher warned Roethlisberger about the risks after Winslow Jr.'s accident.
The law in PA that made it illegal to ride a motorcycle without a helmet was repealed 2 years ago, changing it to be optional. Riding a motorcycle without a helmet has apparently been a topic with Roethlisberger and the Steelers before.
In 2005 ESPN interviewed Roethlisberger and many questions has to do with riding a motorcycle. Here's a few of the questions:
Roethlisberger: Because you don't have to. It's not the law. If it was the law, I'd definitely have one on every time I rode. But it's the law and I know I don't have to and your just more free when you're out there with no helmet on.
ESPN: How much do you view riding a motorcycle as a risk?
Roethlisberger: I think it can be a risk. It depends on how you ride. I don't ride a sport bike. If I'm riding a sport bike and trying to do tricks, and going 200 miles down the highway, that's probably pretty stupid. But when you're riding a Harley or a chopper and you're riding with a group of people and you're not on the highway and you're cruising, you're relaxing. I don't think its as much of a risk as people make it out to be.
ESPN: What is the difference between what you're talking about, recreational riding, and what Kellen Winslow was doing? What kind of bike do you ride?
Roethlisberger: I ride a Harley and a chopper. Those are the two bikes I ride the most.
For the rest of the interview head over to ESPN.com.
I wish Roethlisberger the best during his recovery and hope he can get back for the 2006 season. It's too bad when promising careers of young athletes are ruined because of stupid decisions outside of the football world.