Deadspin
A serious story coming out of Pittsburgh: It appears Super Bowl hero Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was involved in a motorcycle accident about 45 minutes ago (11:30 a.m. ET) in Pittsburgh. Quoth TV station KDKA:
According to an eyewitness, he was not wearing a helmet when he flew over the handlebars and hit his head on the windshield of a car. The witness tells KDKA he said his name was Ben and seemed groggy. She says he was bleeding from his head. He has been taken to Mercy Hospital.
The picture on KDKA's site is rather scary, and there's no word as of yet on his condition. We will keep you updated, and, of course, will be keeping good thoughts.
Roethlisberger Involved In Motorcycle Accident [KDKA]
(UPDATE: The Pittsburgh Channel has aerial video from right after the accident.)
(SECOND UPDATE: This bike has apparently been a source of concern for a while now.)
(THIRD UPDATE: Roethlisberger is now in surgery. He's in serious condition, but is said to be alert and moving all his limbs.)
(FOURTH UPDATE: Here's a photo you hate to see.)
(FIFTH UPDATE: From The Pittsburgh Channel: "According to a police source, Roethlisberger suffered a broken jaw, broke his left sinus cavity, suffered a 9-inch laceration to the back of his head, lost many teeth and has severe injuries to his knees from hitting the pavement. A plastic surgeon has been called in, the source said.")
Comments
Yikes! That picture is scary, espcially if that's all blood. Just heard an interview with him this morning on the radio. Why would a Cleveland station be interviewing a Pittsburgh player? Well, he is from OH and there actually ARE Steelers fans here...
I'm a Browns fan, but you hate to see ANYTHING like this happen. Best wishes to Ben and all Steelers fans... I'll be sending the good vibes out. A question though - why on Earth do professional athletes feel compelled to ride on motorcycles? And why no helmet? He wears a helmet when he's being tackled, not when he's riding a bike at 55+ MPH?
Jeez, hope this isn't another Jay Williams situation. Why don't people learn to put on helmets?
Ouch. I seem to remember Ben saying something about being glad helmets weren't mandatory in Pennsylvania, and thinking that it was rather foolish of him
awful
You're with me, Kellen Winslow Jr.
Whoa -- no fun -- my thoughts and prayers are with Mr. Roethlisberger. It's never cool to see this happen to anyone, but when it happens to a nice guy, it's especially crappy.
Ben needs to get a big SUV AND wear a helmet! Seriously hope he is OK.
as a motorcyclist and a steeler fan, you are an IDIOT if you don't wear a helmet. you will crash, sooner or later. take a rock in the face at 60mph and you'll reconsider wearing a helmet awfully quick, not to mention a face full of windshield/pavement. stupid, stupid, stupid. i hope he lives through this, learns, and then teaches other people not to be as careless as he was.
Not good. Hope he's okay
CMStrapz: I think that it might be that being a big-time athlete has an aura of immortality about it. You're on every screen, you're replayed over and over, how could you be harmed by something as mundane as real life.
I agree Click it or Ticket, but now mandatory helmet law? RETARDED...man the lady that hit him (who was supposidly talkin on her cell phone) might wanna start making plans to move to Philly...LOL
Wow. Why on earth is it legal to ride helmetless in Pennsylvania? Best wishes to him, and you gotta hope he learns from this.
Can someone mirror the picture?
It's not if you crash, it's when and how bad. I hope he comes back to play dammit. One of my favorite qb's in the game right now.
wasn't he interviewed last year and he said that despite concerns he would continue riding his motorcycle without a helmet
Any time a story must contain the phrase "early indications are that the injuries are not life threatening," it's a bad thing. Hoping for a good outcome.
You're right mathesond. Here's an article http://cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/8449835. It's like spooky foreshadowing.
Seattle fans everywhere are complaining that he didn't go over the line with his head-first dive. One ticket to hell please, aisle seat if ya got it ;)
Way too much money on the line to risk by riding without a helmet. Clearly big Ben didn't learn the risk-reward theory. Hoping everything turns out ok for him.
Oh man, that is awful. That sound you here is 10,000 pierogies simultaneously being thrown up. At least they have the Pirates to watch...yeah that was not cool, sorry.
what kind of "car" did he hit?
oh, Ben.
!@#!@@%##$^#^$#$@#$!@#$@#$!!!!!!!!!!!!!! someone put me on suicide watch ASAP
This is not good, not good at all, and only further confirms that you don't pick fights with Channel 11. You just don't.
I'm not a proponent of more government in our lives, but for christ sakes Pennsylvania--pass a fucking helmet law!
That's horrible SlickBomb. I was hoping I would be the first with that joke.
Thats just scary. Regardless of how serious this may, or may not, be I certainly hope it's just a bad cut and a worth while lesson. It seems like everytime I go on trips with family or friends we always make comments on how dangerous it is to see people driving motorcycles without helements. I mean thats just so bad. I know two people who have parished from not wearing a helment. I mean how many states have cell phone laws and seat belt laws and everything else under the sun laws, but a helment? Nooooooooooooooo what could possibly go wrong?
Carson Palmer is probably feeling pretty good about things right now... Seriously, I hope he's okay, but as others have said, you're taking your life out of your own hands with that shit. James Caan shoulda taken away his keys a long time ago.
I'm shocked he didn't wear his "Drink Like a Champion Today" helmet!!!
the car he hit has a Maine license plate. Belichick IS a genius.
Isn't a "no motorcycles" clause mandatory for most pro athletes? Like Ty said above: It's not if you crash, it's when and how bad. I've known two people who were killed on bikes, and my SO has dumped the bike twice; both times wearing protective clothing AND a full-face helmet has saved her from serious injury. Anyone who thinks the "right" to not wear a helmet is worth dying for is...not thinking about their family.
C'mon, Dan from Detroit - everyone knows SUVs aren't as safe as "regular" cars. Get him in an AWD sedan with ABS and airbags all around, if safety is what yer looking for...
If you ride a motorcycle without a helmet you are asking to be turned into roadkill. Moreover, if you ride a motorcycle without some kind of leather coat and long pants and gloves, you are asking for skin grafts. I just laugh at people who ride in shorts and t-shirts. Dumb. I feel some sympathy for this guy, but really. It's just fucking MORONIC.
Good thing he's got such a huge Meathead. That might be what saves him in the end. Assuming he pulls through and plays again, I nominate that he be referred to as Big Busey for the remainder of his career. And play in an old-school leather helmet.
I wear a full face helmet, a textile leather jacket, boots, and these gloves: http://www.webbikeworld.com/r2/icon/main.jpg and I *still* feel like an idiot because I am too lazy/uncaring to put on the motorcycle pants I bought due to the hassle. I ride in blue jeans instead, which is really no protection at all. But to ride without a *helmet*?? I just can't even fathom. I got hit in the neck with a rock on the Beltway (DC, I-495) @ 65 mph and it broke the skin. It fucking HURTS. Somehow it found a small part of exposed skin between my helmet and jacket. Take one of those in the face and see how you feel. Or a windshield. Or a hundred feet of asphalt. so, so dumb.
if anybody knows how to get in contact with the Roethlisberger camp, i would like for them to be remind them of Kellen Winslow, Jr. and Jay Williams. seriously, how do his advisers let him get away with this. i also wonder what his contract says about this sort of action. i hope he makes a full recovery, but seriously...
Come on, even the Hell's Angels will wear a freaking helmet out there.
If he pulls through and survives this -- and we all hope he does -- I propose a new nickname for him: Big Busey.
I think it was Carson Palmer driving, with Hasselbeck riding shotgun, while Peyton was calling the signals
You don't wear a helmet or a seatbelt, you are a fucking moron. Period. Even if you're convinced you're the safest driver in the world, there's always some idiot out there who isn't.
Sorry-okily... My con-didly-olances... um, sorry, I didn't mean any disrespect. I can only joke because IT SEEMS he's okay. But one can only wonder if Joey Porter's hot-air bag could've saved him from the scrapes he did take.
Your NFL opening day QB duel - Joey Harrington vs Charlie Batch. One for the ages.
Apparently Big Ben did have a helmet, but the NFL wouldn't let him wear it because it had a Pat Tillman decal on the back. It may not be his fault, but Baby Kellen should have taught him something.
Moral question: as a huge Saints fan, was I wrong 3 years ago when Vick broke his leg in a preseason game and my first reaction was delight? It was unfortunate for him, obviously, but it was just a flukish clean play. This post isn't funny, I'm really curious what others think. I've had this debate before with friends. Like, is it ok for Pittsburgh fans to feel a sense of relief when Carson Palmer got hurt? I'm not going to lie, I was very happy when I heard Vick would be out for 12 weeks. (please keep in mind that I find this situation entirely different. A) it's potentially life-threatening; B) it didn't happen on the football field)
Love that video of Terry Bradshaw glowering at the camera, wagging his finger and shouting "PARK THE HARLEY, BEN~!!!!!! i'm tellin' ya, PARK THE HARLEY~!!!!!!!"
If Billy Idol can make it out of a motorcycle crash unscathed and Big Ben can't, then there really is no God.
You don't wear a helmet or a seatbelt, you are a fucking moron. Period. Even if you're convinced you're the safest driver in the world, there's always some idiot out there who isn't. The crazy thing is, a few months ago I rolled my Blazer 5 times without a seatbelt on (one of the few times I didn't wear it) and during the roll I got shifted over to the passenger seat and came away with a broken femur and a few cuts and scratches on that leg. Had I been buckled into the drivers seat my whole lower half would have been destroyed.
I hope this sends us all a message we should never forget: Ben Roethlisberger deserved to be on the Madden 07 cover.
He is in surgury which isn't really the best news. I mean I am sure it is going to be fine, but you would rather just hear them say "overnight observation" rather than anything like surgury.
Big Ben in surgery now. Gotta love this quote from ESPN "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."
I hope Barbaro writes him a get well card.
"I think it was Carson Palmer driving, with Hasselbeck riding shotgun, while Peyton was calling the signals"--->Way to scout that one out, Shorty! As for the Saints fan, you guys need all the help you can get so this can slide.
Could be a bunch of things: he fractured some bones in his face and they're putting them back together; he has a blood clot or swelling and they have to let it drain, or it's plastic surgery for a large cut or gash.
FYI - that picture on KDKA's site that looks like a pool of blood is a red, hooded sweathsirt. A ground-level shot of the scene can be found at the Post Gazette's site: http://www.post-gazette.com/popup.asp?img=http://www.post-... Also, he's been in surgery, and is in serious, but stable condition. There is a press conference scheduled for 3 p.m. The PG seems to be pretty well on top of this thing. If you're interested, and if their servers hold up (they're very slow right now, I'm guessing they're getting a lot of traffic) check this page: http://postgazette.com/breaking/ Hope he's ok, and hope he learns a lesson. Everything above written by the commenters/riders is right. Sure, it's great to feel the wind in your hair, but it's not great to see your hair on the pavement 30 feet behind you.
But one can only wonder if Joey Porter's hot-air bag could've saved him from the scrapes he did take. Nice one, str8cash. Big Ben will be okay, I'm sure. We cavemen are practically natural selection-proof. Why, just last week I had unprotected sex with a hooker, and the doctor said the penicillin should clear up everything within the next week. Also, was Big Ben wearing you're-with-me-leather pants or Bad Idea Jeans?
Willie Hayes, I think you don't necessarily beam, but if the player's life isn't in any danger, then be happy. I'm sure there were plenty of times when you said "@#$%@$# Vick,"" or something to that effect. Schadenfreude? Sure, but these guys know the risks (especailly in football). But another here's a question: Would you rather your real life team's anchor go down, knowing they have a capable backup (McNair/Volek), or your fantasy team's?
Yeah, he may have crashed, but he'll be the first to tell you that at least he didn't have helmet hair when it happened. Oh sure, a bloody head maybe, but c'mon, chicks dig guys with scars.
Commentators always talk about the importance of good decision making by a starting quarterback. From that fundamental belief, consider what this says about your favorite bearded AFC starting quarterback: Jake Plummer: Drives a Honda Element Ben Roethlisberger: Rides a motorcycle without a helmet. Discuss. . .
Gotta love the guy wearing his Terrible Towel t-shirt in June. That is dedication.
bill brasky would have put the car in the hospital
Big Daddy Drew, best post of the day.
SuperMike, I couldn't see Ben riding in a Volvo, a Vulva perhaps, but not a Volvo....
It would be ironic if they had to fly Dr. McDreamy in from Seattle to work on him. He is the best head doctor in the country.
If you thought Bonds/Clemens coverage on ESPN was bad, I am going to be scared to watch local TV in the burgh this evening. The stations will get anyone they can. Bike experts, helmet experts, you name it. With some live look-ins to somewhere.
I love that one of the first responders to the scene has a Terrible Tower shirt on. Priceless.
I just read that Charlie Batch is AT the hospital. Now... I'm sure that this is just a case of one teammate being there for another. And, I'm not even going to suggest that he's there out of ANY kind of self-serving malace or greed... ... But the idea that the BACKUP QB is at the Hospital while the first stringer is on the table is just rife with odd comedic potential. Is he expecting to substitute in for Roethlisburger at some point? Does he think the doctors will come out of the ER and