At some point in our lives, we all come to grips with inalienable realities. If you’re reading this article, it probably means you aren’t making it as a professional athlete. Reality. If you’re reading this article, you likely won’t be a multi-billionaire CEO. Reality. If you’re reading this article, it means you may be living your dream of a sports writer vicariously through a fifty dollar annual fee at GoDaddy hosting for a cheap sports blog. Reality (Damn it!). If you’re Ben Roethlisberger, the reality that money, fame, and championships aren’t enough to hide the fact that you’re ugly was delivered in a harsh and direct manner this week.

For the past decade, the conversation regarding the best quarterback in the NFL revolved around two people. They were Tom Brady of the New England Patriots, and Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts. This debate was similar to the Chamberlain/Russell debates of the 60’s. Wilt would collect scoring titles and MVP awards, while Russell would bring home the championship rings. Manning won more regular season games than any quarterback in the 2000s, while clinching the Lombardi trophy only once. Brady won three Lombardi trophies while losing in the Super Bowl once. The topic of who the third best quarterback of the decade is a complex debate. Kurt Warner had such an obscure career it is difficult to lobby for him. The other name in the conversation is Ben Roethlisberger. Roethlisberger collected two Super Bowl rings in a four year span. Though he fails to get much of the credit for these wins, based mainly on the Steelers dominant defense and ground attack during the title runs. What separates a Roethlisberger from a Brady? I’ll give you a hint, it involves one key physical attribute.

Being a professional athlete means you’re constantly in the limelight. An athlete’s persona dictates their perception in the public eye. Some athletes play the role of the superstar very close to the vest. They do very little in the way of carousing, and apply most of their focus to the game. Roethlisberger is a good ol’ boys party animal. He comes from a medium sized town in medium sized Ohio, and went to a mid major college in Ohio. Roethlisberger has been the star of the show and center of attention in practically every year of his adolescent and adult life. Perhaps this entitlement is what has led Ben to behave the way he does, or perhaps it’s something more concrete.

Along with fame comes quite a pretty penny as a star athlete. Roethlisberger was selected 11th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. On August 4, 2004, he signed a six year contract worth $22 million in salaries and bonuses, with an additional $17.73 million available through incentive clauses. He was touted by the Steelers in a press conference as a franchise quarterback, and their quarterback of the future. As a rookie, he went 13–0 in the regular season, and 14–1 including the playoffs as a starting quarterback. In the 2005 regular season, the Steelers finished 11-5, good enough for an AFC Wild Card playoff berth. The Steelers would go on to win four straight road games, and earn Roethlisberger’s first Lombardi Trophy. After a down year in 2006, Roethlisberger led Pittsburgh on another playoff run in 2007, only to lose to Jacksonville in the first round. 2008 would be a marquee year for Roethlisberger. Leading the Steelers to a 13-3 regular season record was only the first feat of an incredible year. He would go on to beat Arizona 27-23 in the Super Bowl, a game that is considered one of the best five bowls in history. Roethlisberger was soon rewarded for his performance, when the Pittsburgh Steelers and Roethlisberger agreed to an eight year, $102 million dollar contract extension.

How can someone with the fame the Roethlisberger has attained and the wealth he has accumulated end up in his current predicament? There is only one obvious answer to me, and it is something at FromThe3s we’re very familiar with. Roethlisberger is ugly, and this is undoubtedly the only reason he has ended up in his current predicament. In the world of being good looking, you will never rape girls in a bathroom adjacent to the VIP section of the Capital City club in Milledgeville, Georgia. Women will instead take you home and do as they please. When you’re good looking, no woman will ever utter, “No, this is not OK” prior to intercourse. As an attractive man, you will seldom be referred to as a man walking around “with his penis out of his pants.” Roethlisberger has clearly proven to be more than just ugly in the physical sense. A brutish, immature soul struggling with the perils of too much fame, money, and power too fast. This has led him rapidly down a corrupted path. What the future holds for Big Ben is somewhat of a mystery, but I doubt this episode is powerful enough to completely derail his career. Roethlisberger should take a note from Tom Brady.

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