READ FULL STORY HEREIt’s not a good month to be a big time NFL quarterback in the state of Pennsylvania.
Donovan McNabb, a polarizing athletic figure in Philadelphia, was dealt to division rival Washington after eleven-seasons at the helm of the Eagles. Even bigger news of late comes out of Pittsburgh however where league commissioner Roger Goodell has chosen to suspend Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger. “Big Ben” will not be eligible to return for at least four weeks and could possibly be out up to six games from the start of the 2010 regular season. The 28-year old Roethlisberger has been hailed for his on the field successes just as a string of off the field exploits has garnered him decidedly negative press.
The most recent episode comes from the allegation a young college student who claims the quarterback sexually assaulted her in a Georgia bar last month. Although Roethlisberger has not ultimately been convicted of any wrongdoing commissioner Goodell scolded one of the game’s most prolific passers for his conduct and levied the suspension. In lieu of these events two new surveys depict harsh views being cast on Roethlisberger by the public and a majority of football fans agreeing with his punishment.
Just 24% of Pennsylvanians view Roethlisberger favorably against 56% who hold a mostly negative view. The poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports shows an even wider disparity in the number of those with strong feelings towards the Steelers quarterback. Whereas 22% have a “very” unfavorable impression of Roethlisberger only one in twenty (5%) now view “very” favorably.
In terms of favorables there isn’t a wide gender gap. 27% of men continue to view “Big Ben” favorably as do 23% of women and a majority of both sexes express unfavorable opinions. Perhaps surprisingly the Rasmussen poll did find a large gap between men and women on the topic of his suspension however. In polling conducted before his suspension 55% of men thought Roethlisberger should be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time but only 31% of women agreed. Overall 47% of Pennsylvanians felt the quarterback’s conduct warranted a suspension against 28% who disagreed with that sentiment and another quarter (25%) of those who remained uncertain.
Nearly 250,000 sports fans also made their opinion heard on ESPN.com. While the polling itself is unscientific the harsh tones toward Roethlisberger are clear depicted. 51% of the country agreed with Roger Goodell’s decision to suspend the Steelers QB for 4-6 weeks. With another 28% also believing the penalty to be too soft nearly eight in ten American sports fans (79%) are of the opinion that “Big Ben” is deserving of some sort of suspension. Only 21% who chimed in on ESPN.com are of the opinion that Roethlisberger’s suspension is too long or the penalty too harsh.
Not surprisingly Pennsylvanians were most critical of the Roethlisberger suspension although only one in four (25%) think his punishment was too harsh. 34% of Washington residents do not think commissioner Goodell went far enough in his suspension. Anti-Roethlisberger sentiment in the state of Washington could stem in part from the Seattle Seahawks controversial loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL over four years ago. Utah meanwhile was the most supportive of the decision made by Goodell with 56% of their resident sports fans agreeing with the suspension.
The Steelers organization has been rumored to be shopping their star QB around the NFL. Santonio Holmes, another Steeler' with a checkered past, was recently traded for a 5th round pick in this season's draft. Holmes was named Super Bowl MVP in 2009 in part for his spectacular game winning touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter, compliments of the arm of one Ben Roethlisberger. Should "Big Ben" be traded away in the coming weeks or months both Pennsylvania NFL teams would have parted ways with potential Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the same offseason.
The most recent episode comes from the allegation a young college student who claims the quarterback sexually assaulted her in a Georgia bar last month. Although Roethlisberger has not ultimately been convicted of any wrongdoing commissioner Goodell scolded one of the game’s most prolific passers for his conduct and levied the suspension. In lieu of these events two new surveys depict harsh views being cast on Roethlisberger by the public and a majority of football fans agreeing with his punishment.
Just 24% of Pennsylvanians view Roethlisberger favorably against 56% who hold a mostly negative view. The poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports shows an even wider disparity in the number of those with strong feelings towards the Steelers quarterback. Whereas 22% have a “very” unfavorable impression of Roethlisberger only one in twenty (5%) now view “very” favorably.
In terms of favorables there isn’t a wide gender gap. 27% of men continue to view “Big Ben” favorably as do 23% of women and a majority of both sexes express unfavorable opinions. Perhaps surprisingly the Rasmussen poll did find a large gap between men and women on the topic of his suspension however. In polling conducted before his suspension 55% of men thought Roethlisberger should be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time but only 31% of women agreed. Overall 47% of Pennsylvanians felt the quarterback’s conduct warranted a suspension against 28% who disagreed with that sentiment and another quarter (25%) of those who remained uncertain.
Nearly 250,000 sports fans also made their opinion heard on ESPN.com. While the polling itself is unscientific the harsh tones toward Roethlisberger are clear depicted. 51% of the country agreed with Roger Goodell’s decision to suspend the Steelers QB for 4-6 weeks. With another 28% also believing the penalty to be too soft nearly eight in ten American sports fans (79%) are of the opinion that “Big Ben” is deserving of some sort of suspension. Only 21% who chimed in on ESPN.com are of the opinion that Roethlisberger’s suspension is too long or the penalty too harsh.
Not surprisingly Pennsylvanians were most critical of the Roethlisberger suspension although only one in four (25%) think his punishment was too harsh. 34% of Washington residents do not think commissioner Goodell went far enough in his suspension. Anti-Roethlisberger sentiment in the state of Washington could stem in part from the Seattle Seahawks controversial loss to the Steelers in Super Bowl XL over four years ago. Utah meanwhile was the most supportive of the decision made by Goodell with 56% of their resident sports fans agreeing with the suspension.
The Steelers organization has been rumored to be shopping their star QB around the NFL. Santonio Holmes, another Steeler' with a checkered past, was recently traded for a 5th round pick in this season's draft. Holmes was named Super Bowl MVP in 2009 in part for his spectacular game winning touchdown reception late in the fourth quarter, compliments of the arm of one Ben Roethlisberger. Should "Big Ben" be traded away in the coming weeks or months both Pennsylvania NFL teams would have parted ways with potential Hall of Fame quarterbacks in the same offseason.
PHOTO CREDIT: ASSOCIATED PRESS / Gene J. Puskar
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