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Roethlisberger injured in motorcycle accident
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Topic Started: Jun 12 2006, 12:44 PM (143 Views)
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Strider
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Jun 12 2006, 12:44 PM
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I just saw it on the ESPN ticker. Witnesses say that he crashed into a car and slammed his head on the windshield - naturally, he was bleeding. He was rushed to a hospital with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.
I just saw him on Chris Meyes Interview a few days ago and he was saying that people worry about him riding bikes but he'd continue to do it because he's safe and takes precautions. According to the witnesses, he was not wearing a helmet. He's got his hair grown out right now. Guess you can't get the full "cool" effect on the Harley unless the hair is flowing freely.
After what happened to Kellen Winslow, how come NFL teams can't make provisions in contracts that prohibit players from riding motorcycles? Didn't the Yankees do that with Giambi?
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Mantlemurcer
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Jun 12 2006, 12:56 PM
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No helmet = dumbass
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Mattingly23
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Jun 12 2006, 01:00 PM
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- Strider
- Jun 12 2006, 12:44 PM
After what happened to Kellen Winslow, how come NFL teams can't make provisions in contracts that prohibit players from riding motorcycles? Didn't the Yankees do that with Giambi?
Most of these guys just break the clauses and deal with the ramifications (or lie like Jeff Kent) if something ever happens. You'd think all of these guys would learn after Winslow and Jason Williams, but they don't, and Big Ben is the dumbest of them all. He never wears a helmet. I saw an interview with him last year saying that since he doesn't wear one, people recognize him on the roads all the time, so he's always waving to fans. I thought to myself when he said that, this guy is crashing eventually, probably sooner than later.
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Strider
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Jun 12 2006, 01:12 PM
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Celebrity riding amongst the commoners in a town that loves its Steelers + waving to the fans as he rides - helmet = he's pretty fortunate that this is the first incident.
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Strider
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Jun 12 2006, 03:18 PM
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Legend
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ESPN.com news services
PITTSBURGH -- Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was badly hurt in a motorcycle crash Monday and undergoing surgery. The extent of his injuries was not known.
Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition, said Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital.
"He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Jones said before the operation. "He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable."
One Steelers source told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that Roethlisberger was in surgery for a broken jaw, an injury that can take approximately seven weeks to heal. The Steelers season starts in 12 weeks.
The 24-year-old Roethlisberger likes to ride without a helmet, a habit that once prompted coach Bill Cowher to lecture him on the dangers.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Roethlisberger wasn't wearing a helmet. The Associated Press reported it wasn't clear whether he was wearing a helmet or not.
The crash happened at an intersection at the edge of downtown at about 11:30 a.m. A pool of blood was still visible there by early afternoon.
Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Kraus said police and homicide units were investigating the crash, something standard when there is an accident with critical injuries. Kraus would give no details on the extent of Roethlisberger's injuries or if anyone else was injured.
The accident occurred on Second Avenue near the intersection of 10th Street in Pittsburgh, around 11:30 a.m. The route is one often taken in traveling to the Steelers' facility in the Southside section of the city.
Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch was at the emergency room. He had no comment.
A silver Chrysler New Yorker with damage to the front passenger fender was removed and Roethlisberger's bike was loaded onto a flatbed truck. Police were detouring traffic around the crash scene as onlookers and media gathered.
One of his agents, Ryan Tollner, is in route to Pittsburgh for what was supposed to be a pre-planned trip and will arrive later Monday.
In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship. He was 23 when he did it last February.
Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet. He has pointed out Pennsylvania's 35-year-old state law requiring helmets to be worn was amended to make helmets optional.
In May 2005, Cowher warned him about safe riding after Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.
"He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said at the time. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."
Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Terry Bradshaw, who quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s.
Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: "Ride it when you retire."
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Mantlemurcer
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Jun 12 2006, 03:32 PM
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"Roethlisberger lost most of his teeth, fractured his left sinus cavity bone, suffered a nine-inch laceration to the back of his head and a broken jaw, and severely injured both of his knees when he hit the ground," police said. A plastic surgeon has been summoned. ESPN's John Clayton projects Roethlisberger needing 7-8 weeks of "downtime" to recuperate and only "some" knee damage. That timeline would have Roethlisberger back before the end of training camp.
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Mattingly23
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Jun 12 2006, 03:39 PM
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It's amazing these guys never learn. Every pro clubhouse should have these pictures posted next to the no betting rules:
Posted ImagePosted ImagePosted Image
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Strider
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Jun 12 2006, 03:40 PM
Post #8
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http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/video/5839843/index.html
Pittsburgh news footage.
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MSUMet85
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Jun 12 2006, 05:35 PM
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He is lucky to have gotten out of the accident alive
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Bleedrngrblue
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Jun 12 2006, 05:58 PM
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Is there any fight left in the dog.....?
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Hope he has a good recovery! The guy has a bright future,and I'd hate to see him get lost in the shadows because of this.
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Grandy4MVP
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Jun 12 2006, 10:16 PM
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I'm glad he is okay and this wasn't life threatening or even career threatening, but what a dumbass! He's lucky, and I hope he learns a f*cking lesson! As if Winslow and Jay Williams weren't enough!
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MSUMet85
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Jun 13 2006, 10:15 PM
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:laugh: He didn't even have a license!
- Quote:
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Ben Roethlisberger might have been riding without a license to drive a motorcycle when he was involved in an accident Monday.
Pittsburgh television station KDKA reported Tuesday that police are checking whether the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback had a license.
Ben Roethlisberger's wrecked bike AP Photo/Keith Srakocic Roethlisberger was riding this motorcycle when he collided with an automobile in Pittsburgh on Monday morning.
Sources told the TV station that Roethlisberger had a license to operate a car but has never had a Pennsylvania motorcycle license.
Roethlisberger had a learner's permit to operate a motorcycle that expired March 29 but had never taken the written and driving tests for a motorcycle license, a source told KDKA.
Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Tammy Ewin told the station that police would "have no comment on licensing issues" until after the accident investigation.
Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship, had surgery Monday for injuries suffered in a motorcycle crash.
His condition was upgraded Tuesday to fair, and doctors said the Super Bowl star fractured his upper and lower jaw bones and broke his nose. He also sustained head lacerations in addition to losing two teeth and chipping several others.
Roethlisberger, 24, was not wearing a helmet, police said. He has said he likes to ride without one, a habit that once prompted a lecture from Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher.
In May 2005, Cowher warned him about safe riding after Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.
Roethlisberger has pointed out a Pennsylvania state law requiring helmets was amended in September 2003 to make helmets optional.
ESPN.com football writers Len Pasquarelli and John Clayton and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2482306
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Mattingly23
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Jun 14 2006, 02:12 AM
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You have to read the 2005 ESPN interview. Roethlisberger mentioned that he only rides street bikes like Harleys and choppers, not racing bikes. Hmm, that should looked like a racing bike to me all mangled on the flat bed truck. He also said he always rides in groups, so he feels safe. Hmm, I didn't hear mention of any friends riding their bikes alongside him. Ben said he had a license. Hmm, reports are saying he had an expired learners permit. I really hope Big Ben learns from this and I hope other athletes finally do too. One of my high school nemesises killed himself on a sport bike a few hundred yards from our high school a few years after graduation. You couldn't pay me enough money to ride one of those things.
Actually, here is the interview:
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In July 2005, ESPN's Andrea Kremer interviewed Ben Roethlisberger shortly after the Cleveland Browns' tight end Kellen Winslow was injured in a motorcycle accident. Portions of that conversation are below:
ESPN: Why do you ride a motorcycle? Roethlisberger: Because I choose to. I want to. It's relaxing to me.
ESPN: Relaxing? Roethlisberger: Very.
ESPN: What kind of rush do you get? Roethlisberger: Oh, it's not a rush. It's relaxing. A rush is when you're riding a roller coaster. It's relaxing for me. You're going out, riding in groups, having fun ... you're free. Your mind is as free as it can get and it's probably the best stress reliever I've ever had in my entire life.
ESPN: Why? Why does it do that? Roethlisberger: I don't know. You're just out there and you're free.
"It's not the law. If it was the law, I'd definitely have one on every time I rode. But it's the law and I know I don't have to and you're just more free when you're out there with no helmet on." Ben Roethlisberger
ESPN: How long have you been riding? Roethlisberger: For a while.
ESPN: What's a while? Roethlisberger: A long time.
ESPN: Since you were in high school? Roethlisberger: I've always been big into snowmobiles, four-wheelers, jet skis, all kinds of those X Games kind of things. And I just finally bought my own motorcycle, not too long ago.
ESPN: I assume you have your license? Roethlisberger: Yes.
ESPN: It's not the law in Pennsylvania to wear a helmet. Why don't you wear a helmet? Roethlisberger: Because you don't have to. It's not the law. If it was the law, I'd definitely have one on every time I rode. But it's the law and I know I don't have to and you're just more free when you're out there with no helmet on.
ESPN: How much do you view riding a motorcycle as a risk? Roethlisberger: I think it can be a risk. It depends on how you ride. I don't ride a sport bike. If I'm riding a sport bike and trying to do tricks, and going 200 miles down the highway, that's probably pretty stupid. But when you're riding a Harley or a chopper and you're riding with a group of people and you're not on the highway and you're cruising, you're relaxing. I don't think its as much of a risk as people make it out to be.
ESPN: What is the difference between what you're talking about, recreational riding, and what Kellen Winslow was doing? What kind of bike do you ride? Roethlisberger: I ride a Harley and a chopper. Those are the two bikes I ride the most.
ESPN: Are those viewed a top of the line, high performance cycles? Roethlisberger: They are like, it would be like riding in a Cadillac compared to a Ferrari, which is a sport bike. It's a luxury motorcycle. You know it's relaxing. You don't pop wheelies, because it's pretty hard to do it anyway. So you just keep two wheels on the ground and you just ride.
ESPN: Have you ever done wheelies? Roethlisberger: No, never tried. Never will.
ESPN: Why? Roethlisberger: Because it's just asking for disaster. It's just asking to go down.
ESPN: When you heard about Kellen Winslow's accident, what went through your mind? Roethlisberger: I was concerned for him. I was hoping he'd be OK because he's a great player. You don't want someone like that to get injured off the field, and so I was hoping he was going to be OK. ... I knew it was going to blow up for me, people were going to start talking about me as well.
ESPN: What part of you said, "those are the consequences?" Roethlisberger: Well, it's just like anything and I didn't wish for him to get hurt. It's just like anything else, the more risk you put into something, into whatever it is ... Just like gambling. You're gambling. The more money you want to put into something -- you can lose, or you can win big, so you take gambles with things and you can get burned.
"You can get injured and killed in a car, too. You can get killed walking down the street. You have to know what you're doing, and I'm not saying anyone didn't know what they were doing, but it's a risk and being in life is a risk." Ben Roethlisberger
ESPN: Jamie Henderson was just out riding, had an accident, and was in a coma, so how do you manage the risk? Roethlisberger: Well it's just like everything else. You can get injured and killed in a car, too. You can get killed walking down the street. You have to know what you're doing, and I'm not saying anyone didn't know what they were doing, but it's a risk and being in life is a risk.
ESPN: What has (Steelers head coach) Bill Cowher said with respect to riding a motorcycle? Roethlisberger: People blew that out of proportion, what we talked about.
ESPN: What was it? Roethlisberger: We talked in camp. We were just standing there, he asked me about how I rode, who I rode with, am I safe, and I told him exactly what I told you. I don't ride sport bikes. I ride Harleys and choppers and I ride in a group, and we point out potholes as we go by so other people will know ... he asked me about wearing helmet, and I said I don't wear a helmet, and he goes just be careful. He never told me not to ride. He never told me to wear a helmet. Then people said that I just denied everything he said. He didn't say anything like that. He just told me be careful and use my head.
ESPN: Did you need to be told that? Roethlisberger: I was already doing those things. But it's just like, my father said the same thing, it's just someone telling you because they care about you.
ESPN: What have (your) mother (and) father said? Roethlisberger: They don't like me doing it, but they know I'm a man. I can make my own decisions. They just want me to be careful.
ESPN: Is there an analogy between the rush of motorcycle riding and football? Roethlisberger: I don't get on them because it's a risk. I don't get thrills like when you ride them like 'oh this is a rush for me.' It's just relaxing for me. I mean, I could just get in the biggest fight of my life and get on the bike everything is forgotten and you're free. And I think its going to help me, I think.
ESPN: Where do you ride? Roethlisberger: All over. We ride outside of Pittsburgh, out on the country roads, and just ride.
ESPN: How aware are you that some contracts ban risky activity? Roethlisberger: Very.
ESPN: What, if anything, is in your contract about motorcycles? Roethlisberger: If it was in my contract it said I can not ride a motorcycle, then I can't ride a motorcycle.
ESPN: What if they wanted to put that additional language in there? Roethlisberger: I wouldn't be happy, but that's part of the deal. If your boss says you can't do it, you can't do it.
ESPN: You would abide by that? Roethlisberger: Absolutely, it's the law.
ESPN: But it's not in there? Roethlisberger: Right. We've gone over that with a fine toothed comb ... not breaking the rules, exactly, just like wearing a helmet. If the law says I need to wear a helmet, I'll wear a helmet.
"It's tough. It's kind of like we say: 'Let those who ride decide.' I can make a decision. I'm a man. You're not going to make a decision for me, especially if you're not my boss or my employer. You don't have the right to make that decision for me, so I'm gonna go out and be as careful as I can … look how many people are killed in car accidents every day. It's [a] risk whatever you do." Ben Roethlisberger
ESPN: How do you view that you are putting your employment at risk? Roethlisberger: It's tough. It's kind of like we say: "Let those who ride decide." I can make a decision. I'm a man. You're not going to make a decision for me, especially if you're not my boss or my employer. You don't have the right to make that decision for me, so I'm gonna go out and be as careful as I can … look how many people are killed in car accidents every day. It's [a] risk whatever you do.
ESPN: What kind of gawk factor do you get when you're on a motorcycle? Roethlisberger: I don't ever ride by myself. We always have at least one other guy there. They say 'I'm not worried about you riding, I'm worried about the other people,' and it's true. People don't see motorcycles as much because it's a smaller vehicle.
ESPN: Have you been distracted at all? Roethlisberger: No, its just like anything else: you've got to stay focused because if you don't stay focused, you're going to lose the game, or you could die.
ESPN: What to you constitutes a hazardous activity for a professional athlete? Roethlisberger: Playing football with no pads on. Riding a motorcycle? I don't think is hazardous. I think maybe something like skydiving, although I think that's pretty safe from what I've heard.
ESPN: What obligation does a professional athlete have in his free time to not engage in certain activities? Roethlisberger: The obligation for us is on the days we practice and on Sundays, the days that we play. That is the obligation we have, to go out and be athletes toward what we do. In my free time, I can work out, which I do. I can throw, which I do. Or I can do anything else that I want to do -- as long as its not illegal or against the rules.
Roethlisberger: There's a lot of people that ride that people don't know about, it's amazing. ESPN: Why? What do you mean by that? Roethlisberger: … (John) Elway rode his whole career. (Troy) Aikman. All those guys. They still ride theirs. I bet I'd have to say over 75 percent of the league people ride motorcycles. ESPN: What would people have thought if they did know that John Elway rode a motorcycle? Roethlisberger: I have no idea. I don't what would people think. You know … I just know people they make a big fuss like Kellen and I are the first guys ever to ride motorcycles you know I think that's just silly. ESPN: Can you understand that there is a focus on the risk factor? Roethlisberger: Yes, but there is a risk in everything you do. (In) everyday life, there is a risk no matter what you are doing. And yeah, there is a risk if I'm out there doing wheelies on a motorcycle. But I'm being the safest rider I can be.
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MSUMet85
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Jun 14 2006, 05:11 PM
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I guess he lied and I don't think on national TV he would say that he is riding without the license
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Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger didn't have a valid motorcycle driving permit or license when he crashed into a car Monday morning and likely will be ticketed, police said.
Roethlisberger's motorcycle permit, which PennDOT can issue for one year, expired March 29, police said. Even if the permit had been valid, PennDOT regulations require anyone driving with a motorcycle permit to wear a helmet, which Roethlisberger wasn't.
http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pitt.../s_457935.html
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Mattingly23
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Jun 14 2006, 05:28 PM
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- MSUMet85
- Jun 14 2006, 05:11 PM
I guess he lied and I don't think on national TV he would say that he is riding without the license
If at the time the interview was conducted, he had a valid learners permit, he could have easily said that's what he had when she asked if he had a license. The reason being, he said he always rode with other people. That's probably allowed with a learners permit, assuming the other riders have their licenses. Either way, he's an ass.
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MSUMet85
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Jun 14 2006, 05:46 PM
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ESPN: It's not the law in Pennsylvania to wear a helmet. Why don't you wear a helmet? Roethlisberger: Because you don't have to. It's not the law. If it was the law, I'd definitely have one on every time I rode. But it's the law and I know I don't have to and you're just more free when you're out there with no helmet on.
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Even if the permit had been valid, PennDOT regulations require anyone driving with a motorcycle permit to wear a helmet, which Roethlisberger wasn't.
To say that and be too lazy to get an official license and while breaking the law as well, that is idiotic
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Mattingly23
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Jun 14 2006, 05:50 PM
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- MSUMet85
- Jun 14 2006, 05:46 PM
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ESPN: It's not the law in Pennsylvania to wear a helmet. Why don't you wear a helmet? Roethlisberger: Because you don't have to. It's not the law. If it was the law, I'd definitely have one on every time I rode. But it's the law and I know I don't have to and you're just more free when you're out there with no helmet on.
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Even if the permit had been valid, PennDOT regulations require anyone driving with a motorcycle permit to wear a helmet, which Roethlisberger wasn't.
To say that and be too lazy to get an official license and while breaking the law as well, that is idiotic
Yeah, not to mention anyone who doesn't wear a helmet, even if the law tells you NOT to wear one and to ride around naked, is out of their minds.
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MSUMet85
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Jun 14 2006, 06:29 PM
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- Mattingly23
- Jun 14 2006, 05:50 PM
- MSUMet85
- Jun 14 2006, 05:46 PM
- Quote:
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ESPN: It's not the law in Pennsylvania to wear a helmet. Why don't you wear a helmet? Roethlisberger: Because you don't have to. It's not the law. If it was the law, I'd definitely have one on every time I rode. But it's the law and I know I don't have to and you're just more free when you're out there with no helmet on.
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Even if the permit had been valid, PennDOT regulations require anyone driving with a motorcycle permit to wear a helmet, which Roethlisberger wasn't.
To say that and be too lazy to get an official license and while breaking the law as well, that is idiotic
Yeah, not to mention anyone who doesn't wear a helmet, even if the law tells you NOT to wear one and to ride around naked, is out of their minds.
I agree completely
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