Now that the furor over the rape allegations against Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has died down, what to make of it? For now, the matter seems to be settled. Roethlisberger will not be criminally charged. However, he has been suspended for the first six games of the upcoming NFL season. He has announced that he does not plan to appeal the suspension.
The NFL's reaction, and Roethlisberger's contrition, are somewhat perplexing. Both seem to acknowledge that Roethlisberger did something wrong, but not the wrong thing that he is accused of doing, which is rape. As Postbourgie blogger blackink12 points out, "I’m left to consider only two real possibilities when it comes to Roethlisberger: either he’s one of the unluckiest [guys] around or the NFL has legitimate concerns that one of its premier players is a sexual predator." He says, "[I]f the latter is true, then six games isn’t nearly enough punishment."
I'm inclined to agree. As Postbourgie notes, there have been a lot of calls for Roethlisberger to "grow up," as if committing rape was a maturity issue that boys age out of. Both the NFL and the general public are trying to have it both ways with Roethlisberger, admitting that he did something bad but not really bad. But there's nothing wrong with having consensual sex (even if it's a bit inconsiderate to do it in a bar bathroom -- other people need to use it, after all) and nothing wrong with a night out drinking.
Presumably, the NFL has carried out its own investigation and is not limited by the grave police errors that made criminal prosecution difficult. So why are they allowing Roethlisberger to maintain his narrative that he engaged in a lapse of judgment that, while reprehensible, was not rape? Because getting drunk and having consensual sex in a bar bathroom is not a judgment call that should get you a six-game suspension. So what's he sorry for?
--Silvana Naguib
