Special Comment: Dez's Momma

You are an NFL team being visited by one of the top receivers in the upcoming draft and being a position of need, you are interested in said player. You want to know his vitals, measurables, stats and knowledge of the position. Additionally, if you are Jeff Ireland, GM of the Miami Dolphins, you want to know if his mother was a former prostitute because OBVIOUSLY, that can effect his ability to go up and get a pass or run a crossing route across the middle against linebackers and safeties. I mean look at the logic; Jerry Rice's mother, assumingly, was never a prostitute and he is a Hall of Famer. The same for Irvin, Swann, Warfield, Larg...wait.

What about Quincy Morgan, Kevin Johnson or Andre King of the Browns? They failed so their mother's must have been prostitutes, right? That is the reason why Jeff Ireland asked that quesiton; if your momma is on the corner waiving down "Johns" then you can't be a good NFL receiver.

I hope by now you are able to recognize the utter sarcasm in the above paragraphs. This is so insanely stupid and baffling by Jeff Ireland. He says, "My job is to find out as much information I can about a player before drafting him". So, what does his mother possibly being a prostitute have to do with anything? What correlation is there between Bryant being suspended for having contact with Primetime and his mother being a prostitute? Nothing. Nada.

The suspension Dez Bryant underwent while at Oklahoma State had everything to do with his off-field troubles revolving around a mistake due to a dinner with Deion Sanders and the NCAA wanting to make an example of him. But for some reason with Bryant, his past, his mom, his character "issues" have been magnified to the point of ridiculousness. Bryant hasn't been accused of any crime, never been implicated in a sexual assault, never been imprisoned because of drug trafficking, never been convicted of dogfighting, never been arrested for DUI, never had an issue with guns like a lot of other NFL players.

He also never was involved in an academic scandal, stole laptops, punched a guy on the field after the game, pleaded guilty to assault, shaved points, or been involved in some sort of Hatfield and McCoy war with the Ok St basketball team like some college athletes have. So why is Dez Bryant subject to character scrutiny of unheard of levels? And why is he asked about his mom being a prostitute?

The pre-draft interviews are a job interview for these guys and can potentially cost them millions of dollars if they do poorly. Much like the real world; if you were applying for a job as an accountant and your future boss asked if your mother was a prostitute, that would be a violation of law and the boss would be severely reprimanded. But this is where the Shield is different. Will Ireland be disciplined by the Dolphins or the league? I don't think so. Why? The image factor.

The league, after Pacman Jones, Big Ben, and Vick ran rickshaw over the conduct policy, is trying to reform it's image. They want more Tebows and less Bens, and I think this mindset is why Ireland felt the need to ask such a question. The paranoia over the conduct policy and Dez Bryant as an accused diva wide receiver with a troubled past is making teams do unusual things; like asking if your mother was a former prostitute.

Was race a factor? Don't go there. This had nothing to do with Dez being black and had all to do with his NCAA suspension and a hyper-sensitization of league personnel due to all of the recent scandal and the NFL's conduct policy. Tim Tebow would never be asked this; neither would Gerald McCoy. Only because of Dez's suspension, rumor mongering, and sensationalism was he asked this insane, idiotic, and inappropriate question. But Dez Bryant's situation speaks to a larger, systemic problem within the league when a guy like Ben Roethlisberger can consistently have run-ins with the law and have his team stand by him... and a guy like Dez Bryant is given a career black mark even before he plays an NFL down.

SHAME ON YOU, Mr. Ireland, SIR.. and shame on the NFL! Your ineptitude is indeed apparent in this situation, and it must make me wonder; is your mother a prostitute?

For Whom The Bell Tolls, Big Ben

As a Browns fan I gleefully watch the downfall of any AFC North foe, on and off the field. The dilemma Ben Roethlisberger is in brings an added spice which makes it all extra nice, and yet, it's sad and makes me hate him just that much more.

It makes one wonder what went wrong as we take a look at his past:

2001-2003: Ben was at the helm of the Miami (OH) Redhawk offense, mounting a near 4:1 TD/INT differential and leading the Redhawks to a #10 ranking and GMAC Bowl victory over the Louisville Cardinals. Most of all, Ben began to garner serious recognition as the best QB amongst the lot in the 2004 NFL Draft.

2004: Ben was selected with the 11th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The plan was to be Carson Palmer-esque; have the QB sit behind a servicable veteran to learn for the first season, then turn the reigns over to him in 2005. Lady luck had a different plan though for Ben, as Tommy Maddox suffered an injury in Week 2 and Ben had to play, and he did, quite well the rest of the season (15-0, AFC Championship appearance). Ben was NFL ROY and the future was so bright, as Timbuk3 said, he had to wear shades.

2005: Super Bowl victory, making him the yougest QB in Super Bowl history.

The precipitous descent:

-2006: Motorcycle accident where he wasn't wearing a helmet because, "it is just more free to ride without a helmet". He was later cited with not wearing a helmet and having proper certification.

- 2009: Lake Tahoe Hotel sexual assault charges. The jist of this charge was that, allegedly, Ben called down to have the woman come up to fix his TV. When she arrived up to his room the TV was fine. When she tried to leave, he blocked her, grabbed her and "had his way with her". There were conflicting accounts relating to the consent of the matter but it made many wonder why Ben put himself in those situations.

-2009: Locker room questions concerning his toughness after being held out of a game for a concussion.

2010: Ben is accused, again, of sexual assault of a 20-year old in a Georgia bar restroom. The true facts are not known since the DA is not prosecuting the case any further, but Ben did admit to some "contact" with the woman, whatever that may mean. It was said there wasn't enough DNA evidence to link Ben to the woman. Whatever may have happened, it has elicited a response from Mike Tomlin, stating he is very concerned about Ben and the franchise as well as a meeting with Don Roger. Ben most assuredly will be suspended for his 2nd run in with the law, at worst 4 games.

This issue runs deeper than 2 occurences of misconduct by Ben Roethlisberger. It speaks volumes to the immaturity and stupidity of this kid, and yes, I said kid. He is the face of the Steelers, a revered franchise due to the likes of Mean Joe Green, Terry Bradshaw, Jerome Bettis and current guys like Troy Polamalu and Hines Ward. He is 28 years old and needs to realize that if you are under scrutiny for one sexual misconduct accusation that having another is not going to help. He should have realized that he needs to stay away from that scene after Lake Tahoe, but he didn't. He is an arrogant child who does not have any common sense. He put his career in jeopardy climbing on that motorcycle, he put his career in jeopardy with Lake Tahoe; now, he is doing it after the Georgia inquiry.

I had little respect for Ben after the motorcycle accident when he was arrogant and unapologetic about it. I lost even more after Lake Tahoe - and now it is gone. Ben is nothing but a prick who has a lot of growing up to do. If you wear a Roethlisberger jersey, you must realize what that says about you, the fan. You are helping a POS make more money then he deserves; you are saying to everyone else that you have no sense of what Ben is doing to your favorite team; you are someone who I will laugh at, saying to myself that you are incredibly ignorant and oblivious (on top of being a Steeler fan). Ben was blessed with a great opportunity to be a Steeler; one of the NFL's greatest and storied franchises. It is just a shame that his name is going to be next to people the likes of Terry Bradshaw in the record books. Too bad you can't have an "*" next to Ben's name, because he fits the first syllable of asterisk perfectly...