When news broke of the civil lawsuit being filed against Ben Roethlisberger, Steeler fans didn’t know what to do.
Some laughed off the charges as a money grab, some started calling the QB “Rapelisberger” and others were just plain stunned.
No matter which camp you were in, fans of the Steelers were united on one front: Steeler haters celebrating the charges got annoying. Fast.
Every time a Ravens blog made a joke about “Rapelisberger,” it was like the charges were being announced all over again. It sucked seeing one of our favorite players get his name trashed and it sucked feeling like maybe the guy we’ve been rooting has been a bad dude this whole time.
After I’ve had some time to think about this whole sage, I realized that Steeler fans were long overdue to feel this type of torture. We made our own bed and our now getting what Ravens and Bengals fans probably feel is long overdue.
Read why after the jump….
Every time we are feeling uninspired or get struck with writer’s block, we usually revert back to making a joke about Ray Lewis knifing his way through a blocker or Chris Henry buying beer for some underage women.
We still think it’s fun and we probably won’t be able to think of anything better to spew online, but now we finally get to feel what it’s like to have the shoe on the other foot.
We’ve spent the better part of the past decade poking fun at the legal problems of the Bengals and Ravens, mostly. Our team was better onthe field and well-behaved off of it.
But now, that’s all changed (off the field at least). Whether the charges against Roethlisberger stick or not, his and the Steelers reputation will take a hit. Jokes will be made. Punchlines will be delivered.
Next time you coworker who grew up in Cincinnati gives you a hard time about Rapelisberger, just remember that Chris Henry joke about the prison stripes you emailed him last year.
And that Ray Lewis guy was actually found innocent of murder in the eyes of the law, but we’ve been treating him like a convicted killer for years. (Don’t say the nature of the case is different…it really doesn’t matter. You are either guilty or innocent. Period. He was guilty of a misdemeanor. That’s it.)
Most likely, that’s the same situation Roethlisberger will put Steeler Nation in for the rest of his career. There will always be a shadow cast over anything he does.
There’s only one real way to go about it as fans. You gotta grin and bear it…laugh along with all the epic battles between rival fans. Don’t take it too seriously and don’t spend your night thinking of what Roethlisberger’s legal defense should be. From a fan’s perspective, the damage has already been done (for the most part…the word “guilty” certainly wouldn’t help).
Besides, it’s only a matter of time before Chris Henry or Chad Ochocinco or do something utterly insane and the focus of the media and NFL fans will be turned away once again.
Like it or lump it, the charges against Roethlisberger should make us all think twice when jumping all over rival players who find themselves in legal trouble. It’s either all out war between fan bases or you can let the law sort things out and not worry about it.
But you can’t have it both ways, even when it’s your favorite QB under the microscope.
