BIG BEN FINALLY FINDS HIS NICHE AS A LEADER
Ben Roethlisberger is playing better than ever - and that's with a sexual assault case hanging over him.
Even for a professional, it can't be easy playing football under the intense media spotlight that is the NFL, together with the trauma of the charges that he is facing.
ESPN put Ben in the spotlight during November and it made for very interesting viewing.
Here's a transcript of the broadcast with the interviewer's questions in bold type:
What’s it been like for you playing this season with the civil sexual assault case hanging over you?
It’s been tough because you know it’s something going on in your life that is a big deal, but I’ve been able to put it behind me when I go into practice when I go to work. So for me, when it comes down to football it’s a singular focus on trying to win football games and be the best I can be.
When you’re not preparing to play ball and you’re at home or away from the game, what were your thoughts?
A lot of the times I just block it out and don’t try to think about it until it’s brought up by the media or I get a call from my agent or attorneys or whatever. For the most part I just try to live my life as normal as I can.
Ben described how he found out about the charges - I was actually signing a ball for a little kid and having fun and I had a stack of papers handed to me.
Asked how he felt about the accusation, he replied, “I was blown away. It shocked me. It hurt because people who know me and I’m close with know this is ridiculous. I was just taken aback and didn’t know what to think.”
What were you feeling? What was going through your mind?
A lot of emotions. I was in tears because I got up there and I thought about my family. I thought about my teammates who are my family. It was almost like this is a really happening moments.
Asked why he filed a counter suit, Ben commented, “We want to clear my name because that’s what hurt the most because my name, my family’s name has been tarnished by this accusation. That hurts a lot.
You could have made it go away and quickly, why not take that course of action?
Because it’s not true and I don’t it to even seem like I did anything wrong.
I stood up and just told them that I’m sorry that this could be a distraction to you guys. It won’t be for me. They kinda just sit down man, we know this is not true. We’re be fighting for you whatever we have to do.
That level of support from the team wasn’t always present. Following the 2005 season when Roethlisberger at 23 became the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl, a very different dynamic existed.
James Farrior, "His success just took off, he was going places and seeing people and doing a lot of those things. It didn’t include us. Rightly so he deserved all the things he got, but that kinda just took him away from the team a little bit."
Ben, "I was invincible. I was Superman. I was probably a little too confident, a little too cocky at times.”
In June 2006 a near fatal off-season motorcycle accident left him with multiple facial fractures and a broken jaw. He pushed himself to get back on the field, but had the worst season of his career.
Hines Ward, “He kinda centred himself off to really handle his own issues - on his own.
Charlie Batch, "I tried to talk to him and tried to get him out of it and said to him, ‘Look, you don’t have to do this by yourself. It’s not you versus the world.'"
Ben, "I think I was so bound and determined and just set on proving to everybody that I could come back it just almost turned me like into a machine, just like it’s right here and nothing else,” indicating tunnel vision with his hands.
Ben responded in 2007 with a pro bowl season, but he was still distant from many of his teammates. That offseason Charlie Batch gave him the wake up call that changed everything.
“I laid everything out for him. His rookie year to where he was at heading into the 08 year. His mouth dropped a little bit.”
Ben, “We talked for a long time. There were some things were easy to hear. Some things were tough to hear."
What was tough to hear?
“I wasn’t a good leader early on and I wasn’t probably the best team-mate I should have been the first couple of years. Charlie helped me and I think I became a better teammate and friend to a lot of these guys.”
What did you change to become a better teammate and friend?
Every couple of days I would call five, six, seven guys, or send them text messages, saying hey, how’s your offseason going, hope all is well. I think it really made a big difference.”
Roethlisberger has spent more time with his teammates, especially his offensive linemen. For two years running, he has hosted them for a weekend during April at his house by the lake in Georgia.
Why is it important for you to come down here with your offensive linemen? What do you get out of it as a group?
“It started last year so they could get to know me, who I was – away from football and all that and we developed a very good relationship off of it.”
Willie Colon, “A lot of quarterbacks don’t extend themselves as he did. It shows you where he’s at in his life and for us to be along with him and try and make the journey with him.”
James Farrior, “He relates with everyone well. You can see that camaraderie when he talking to guys. You can tell he really cares about everyone on the team.”
What is the biggest thing that you have taken away from this experience?
“There’s a lot of things that can happen in your life, good, bad, ugly, whatever it is. These allegations are tough on me, but my teammates knowing they support me and have my back means a lot.”
Brett Keisel was asked, “How has he grown as a teammate?” and he replied:
“He’s really taken the leadership role and run with it. He’s accepted the role and knows how to lead his group. And he’s really come along not only on the field, but inside the locker-room too.