Moron
Posted June 13, 2006, 6:55 AM ET

Ben Roethlisberger is one lucky man.

On Monday he sustained a broken jaw, nose and assorted injuries when he was thrown from his motorcycle into the windshield of an oncoming car. Big Ben was not wearing a helmet. The Steelers' star quarterback finds himself in critical, but stable condition.

I have never understood why professional athletes, or anybody else for that matter, refuse to wear a helmet when riding a motorcycle.

Most standard contracts in professional sports put clauses in to eliminate health risks away from their respective sport. Evidently some athletes believe they are immune from harm or danger...such as Ben Roethlisberger.

In the last few years we've seen a number of players get injured riding a bike. In 2005, Kellen Winslow, Jr. had an accident on a motorcycle that caused him to suffer injuries and he was forced to miss his rookie season.

Three years ago Duke star and Bulls guard Jason Williams suffered career-threatening injuries when he wrecked his motorcycle.

When you have millions of dollars and a bright career in front of you, how can you be so dumb when it comes to putting your life and career at risk? Don't get me wrong, you can get hit by a car crossing the street...but what Big Ben did this week is just plain stupid.

I'm sure there will be people that want to rip the old lady that drove the car that pulled in front of him...and there will be people that scream that Pennsylvania doesn't have a helmet law and claim that Big Ben had every right not to wear one while riding his motorcycle.

But anybody in their right mind would want to get as much protection as possible...especially somebody in the position of Ben Roethlisberger. The youngest quarterback to ever win the Super Bowl is a very, very fortunate person. Both on and off the field.

The good news out of this is that Big Ben is still around to enjoy the fruits of being a superstar. He is in critical, but stable condition...and doctors have stated that they believe he'll be back with the Steelers for the upcoming season.

Hopefully, this episode will hit home with Ben and many others that ride around on their choppers without a helmet. The same goes for people on leisurely rides on their bicycles, too.

We've all made stupid decisions. Life is precious. Fortunately, Ben will have the chance to live life to the fullest...and he will also have the chance to wear a helmet the next time he's riding his bike on the road.