Everyone Put Your Helmet On Now

Ben Roethlisberger’s motorcycle accident is a reality TV mix of Greek tragedy meets Wile E. Coyote, another saga of the arrogance of a sports hero with a heavy dose of just plain stupidity.

Now if Big Ben had played NFL football without a helmet, most folks would have said, “He’s nuts.” But Ben riding a Suzuki at high speed on a city street without a helmet and we hear, “He’s young,” or, “It wasn’t against the law,” or, “I want to be free.” That’s more than nuts, it’s dumber than a sack of footballs.

We should all feel bad for Ben -- he seems like a pretty nice guy -- but feel sad for him too. That photo of Ben on his bike without a helmet, wearing his shades and looking all bad was just hubris waiting for disaster.

The irony here is that with this accident, Ben will now probably save the lives of hundreds of kids who ride bikes this summer, a greater feat by far than anything he ever did on a football field.

MIKE MASON

Castaic