[LUconn]

because I might be.


I don't watch a lot of ESPN but...

I read a few days ago on profootballtalk.com that big Ben was accused of raping a girl. Sure enough there's a civil case against him for doing just that. Now, let me just say that I think it's BS. Chick didn't even go to the police or try to press criminal charges. And still hasn't. 95% chance she and her lawyer are just looking for some free money. But PFT tends to get things way before other people because they will print any stupid rumor they hear. Then I saw it on a few different news channels and they had lengthy discussions on it.

I have yet to see ESPN mention it. I watched SC and NFL today and not one word about it. True or not, this is a pretty huge NFL story and they're not touching it.

[ToTheLeft]

because I might be.


I don't watch a lot of ESPN but...

I read a few days ago on profootballtalk.com that big Ben was accused of raping a girl. Sure enough there's a civil case against him for doing just that. Now, let me just say that I think it's BS. Chick didn't even go to the police or try to press criminal charges. And still hasn't. 95% chance she and her lawyer are just looking for some free money. But PFT tends to get things way before other people because they will print any stupid rumor they hear. Then I saw it on a few different news channels and they had lengthy discussions on it.

I have yet to see ESPN mention it. I watched SC and NFL today and not one word about it. True or not, this is a pretty huge NFL story and they're not touching it.

Nope... ESPN hasn't touched it. Which is funny, because they are raking Jeremy Mayfield over the coals about his alleged meth use, and Kobe got the villan treatment when he was accused of rape... but Big Ben? Nahhhh.

I think it's a joke that it's not being brought up. But if people didn't believe that ESPN is just one huge hype machine, and not a "news outlet", before now, then I think they can start to figure it out by now.

[flames1971]

I watched SC just this morning and I didn't see squat mentioned about that. Didn't hear of this till you said it.

[LUconn]

because I might be.


I don't watch a lot of ESPN but...

I read a few days ago on profootballtalk.com that big Ben was accused of raping a girl. Sure enough there's a civil case against him for doing just that. Now, let me just say that I think it's BS. Chick didn't even go to the police or try to press criminal charges. And still hasn't. 95% chance she and her lawyer are just looking for some free money. But PFT tends to get things way before other people because they will print any stupid rumor they hear. Then I saw it on a few different news channels and they had lengthy discussions on it.

I have yet to see ESPN mention it. I watched SC and NFL today and not one word about it. True or not, this is a pretty huge NFL story and they're not touching it.

Nope... ESPN hasn't touched it. Which is funny, because they are raking Jeremy Mayfield over the coals about his alleged meth use, and Kobe got the villan treatment when he was accused of rape... but Big Ben? Nahhhh.

I think it's a joke that it's not being brought up. But if people didn't believe that ESPN is just one huge hype machine, and not a "news outlet", before now, then I think they can start to figure it out by now.

I don't even understand how ESPN benefits from this at all. Have they been pushing him for some kind of humanitarian award? I see no reason for them to be silent.

[ToTheLeft]

He's a superstar. A likable figure. Someone they like to put up as a role model and an example. And I have to figure there is a racial aspect as well. But he's one of "their guys". So I guess it would take more of a substantial story (not sure how much more substantial it can get, tho...) to put a blackmark on his sparkling image.

[SuperJon]

ESPN issued a do not report memo the moment this story broke. They're not letting any of their affiliates talk about it.

[LUconn]

Rookie Symposium class:

Hey guys, rape all the women you want and they'll try to look the other way but the moment you let someone harm a dog at your house they'll crucify you.

[ToTheLeft]

They just "broke" the story on the bottom line during the Sox/Rangers game. It's basically a "Ben didn't do anything, per his agent" thing. Which is to be expected, but it's been a story all day... Weird.

[SuperJon]

It came out two days ago on Deadspin and With Leather. The reason ESPN claimed they didn't report it was because they don't report on civil cases, only criminal.

[flamesbball84]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/stor ... LHeadlines

[Liberty4Life]

I dunno, maybe it's because ESPN just got a new ombudsman (they're hired to offer critical analysis of a program's, or in this case, a network's, coverage). They brought in Don Ohlmeyer, who was the former head of NBC Sports. He could have instituted a mandate that you're not going to turn ESPN into TMZ for athletes. It's bad enough that ESPN is already MTV.

[LUconn]

I think this is a little more than TMZ gossip.

[Rocketfan]

I think this is a little more than TMZ gossip.

How? Its going to be nothing more than a "He said, She said" - which is what TMZ loves.

[LUconn]

Because this is a legal issue. And that's pretty much what every court case is only a judge or jury decides who's right.

I can't believe ESPN reports on 100s of athletes in trouble every single year but now all of the sudden they think it's too "TMZ". Lame.

[olldflame]

I think the fact that she has not pressed criminal charges is very telling. If he is guilty of rape, this Steeler fan would want him locked up for a long time, but that's not even at issue. This has all the earmarks of a classic money grab.

[SuperJon]

Because this is a legal issue. And that's pretty much what every court case is only a judge or jury decides who's right.

I can't believe ESPN reports on 100s of athletes in trouble every single year but now all of the sudden they think it's too "TMZ". Lame.

They report on criminal cases. They don't report on the civil cases with no criminal background.

[Chris Lang]

Not necessarily true, Jon. They reported the Robbie Alomar civil case and it had no criminal background. Selective reporting on ESPN's part and terrible news judgement. I'm not saying they needed to blow it up and make a huge deal out of it. But you have to at least mention that the star QB of the most popular NFL team was served with a juicy civil suit, especially considering said QB was compelled to respond through an attorney.

[LUconn]

Are you just telling me what ESPN said or are you telling me that they have never done that. Because how often does a civil case like this happen when there's no criminal case? It's easy for them to claim that's there policy as it doesn't ever happen. I find it hard to believe if this happened to Terrell Owens or Pacman Jones, ESPN would act like they're above it.

[SuperJon]

I was just saying what the rumors out of ESPN through Deadspin and PFT have been.

[Liberty4Life]

Yet they didn't report the lawsuit against Michael Vick (the other lawsuit). Anyone remember "Ron Mexico"?

It's an odd line to toe. So you have to ask, does ESPN have a stake in protecting the name of Ben Roethlisberger?

Well, in an upcoming series on ABC (of which, ESPN is a subsidiary), Ben Roethlisberger plays a part. Hmm...

[Liberty4Life]

On the other hand, "rape" and allegations of such aren't reported in the same way as other crimes.

If a guy robs a liquor store, you'll know the name and location of the store that got robbed. With rape, it's completely different. How long did it take to find the names of the Duke Lacrosse accuser, or Kobe's?

Is it possible that ESPN was protecting the accuser in this situation? Probably. I don't know.

[ALUmnus]

Are identities protected in a civil case? I don't think they are, and we already know this woman's name, heck, her picture is even out there. And now espn has all their radio lackies playing CYA today.

[Kolzilla41]

Uh, just by looking at her, I don't see that happening.

[ToTheLeft]

It came out two days ago on Deadspin and With Leather. The reason ESPN claimed they didn't report it was because they don't report on civil cases, only criminal.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4359721

Seems like they changed their mind on that policy.

["R" i "]

If you are going to whine and complain about ESPN...


Dont watch it!