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View Full Version : Ryan Clark's tweet comparing Ray Lewis and Ben Roethlisberger is off-base



zulater
01-06-2013, 02:24 PM
How many stories are written each year in which the name "Ryan Clark" and the word "Tweet" or some variation thereof are in the lead?

A few, at least.

Not that it's a bad thing. It's usually compelling discussion. The Steelers' loquacious free safety isn't one to shy from expressing his opinion, regardless of the topic. He weighs in on high school athletes choosing Louisville over his alma mater, LSU, and how his favorite hoops team, the Los Angeles Lakers are doing.

He even recently decided to point out what he feels is hypocrisy behind the forever linked criminal situations involving Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and soon-to-be-retiring Ravens LB Ray Lewis.

ryan clark

@RealRClark25
It's sad that all the Steeler fans who get upset when people speak on Ben's situation continually bring up Ray Lewis' case. #glasshouse
3 Jan 13 ReplyRetweetFavorite
It got attention from Deadspin recently, and for justifiable reasons. One player speaking out in favor of a marquee player of his team's rival is certainly something that will be noticed.

And Clark's motives are his own. He seems more the buddy-buddy type - as displayed in this humorous video in which Clark sneaked into the Ravens locker room after Baltimore defeated Pittsburgh 13-10 in Week 11, and partook in the media interview of Ed Reed at his locker. Reed and Clark grew up together in Louisiana, and Clark's question was about how he felt about a "rumor that you are not the best safety in metro New Orleans, and that it really was the kid from Shaw, who was discriminated against because he was skinny?'

Reed bursts out laughing when he sees him, complete with digital recorder, as part of the media pool.

It's sometimes good to be reminded the athletes themselves can't possible share the same kind of passion for our teams. It doesn't mean that passion is any less intensely competitive, it's just different. Many of them, like Clark portrays in the video, have loyalties toward their hometowns and regions, and their colleges. Not many of them have more than one opportunity to choose the team for which they'd play, and it's rare when being a free agent is a good thing.

So it's understandable why Clark comes to the defense of at least one of his NFL colleagues. His tweet speaks against those whom he feels are vilifying Ray Lewis while still being upset when fans of other teams mention the allegations against Roethlisberger from two separate women involving incidents in Nevada and Georgia.

It's hard to argue with the general sentiment Clark is expressing, and it's highly unlikely he means anything deeper than to express a message of hypocrisy. He's right; it's hard for Steelers fans to attack Ray Lewis for the allegations surrounding the night of Jan. 31, 2000, in which a scuffle he admitted to participating in (to be a peacekeeper, in his words) resulted in the murder of two men by multiple stab wounds while being upset over people bringing up alleged criminal misconduct by Roethlisberger.

But those things are not mutually exclusive.

Lewis pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice for telling those in his party to not say anything to police about what happened in exchange for his testimony against two of his friends. Both were found not guilty.

The Deadspin article itself incorrectly (perhaps libelously) calls Roethlisberger a "noted rapist." Noted, perhaps in the eyes of those who don't cheer for Roethlisberger or the Steelers, or perhaps from people who feel the lack of evidence or charge against him does not preclude the possibility he raped those women.

The article, in the same paragraph, also labels Lewis as a "noted accessory-to-murder," which is as criminally incorrect as calling Roethlisberger a rapist, but if nothing else, closer to reality in circumstantial evidence.


read more....http://www.behindthesteelcurtain.com/2013/1/6/3841828/steelers-ravens-ryan-clark-tweet-ray-lewis-ben-roethlisberger-murder-rape

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http://deadspin.com/5973379/ryan-clark-made-a-good-point-about-hypocritical-steelers-fans?tag=pittsburgh-steelers

Steelers Safety Ryan Clark Made A Good Point About Hypocritical Steelers Fans
Isaac Rauch
If there's one thing we learned while sifting through the assorted vitriolic, typo-ridden responses to the Why Your Team Sucks series, it's that many fans have no perspective when it comes to their favorite teams and players. Morals go out the window ("He basically paid his debt to society!"), logical fallacies become tent poles of backseat strategizing ("He just needs receivers!"), and expectations change drastically according the color of uniform a given player is wearing ("We traded him because he's a traitor!"). Anyone who draws attention to any of these things is, obviously, a hater, and more pertinently, a fan of the rival team. It's math.

Steelers safety Ryan Clark has noticed this, so go ahead and count him among the haters and possibly among the card-carrying Ravens fans. Yesterday, he pointed out that those who lionize noted rapist Ben Roethlisberger while impugning noted accessory to murder Ray Lewis are "sad":


Ben needs to sue these mothefuckers at Deadspin! :mad:

siss
01-06-2013, 02:35 PM
I would hope he would!

zulater
01-06-2013, 02:48 PM
I would hope he would!

He wont because laying down with pigs makes both of you filthy, and the pig doesn't care.

In other words that site and that particuliar blogger can't be dragged down because they're already lower than pond scum.

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What pisses me off is that a hack blogger can get away with slander because the person he libel'ed is in a no win situation. The hack blogger has no reputation or credibility to start with so suing him from the perspective of a public figure does you no good.

This is what I posted over at deadspin.

fansince'76
01-06-2013, 02:52 PM
He wont because laying down with pigs makes both of you filthy, and the pig doesn't care.

That, and the Rapistburger bullshit would become front and center again. Besides, it was more than likely written by some broke-ass 30-something blogger who lives in his mother's basement, and there ain't no percentage in suing poor people.

X-Terminator
01-06-2013, 04:17 PM
Best thing for Ben to do is ignore it, and relax with his wife and baby. Obviously some dumbass blogger trolling for readers.

st33lersguy
01-06-2013, 04:46 PM
Here's a fitting comparison, Ray Lewis and O.J Simpson

Shoes
01-06-2013, 07:37 PM
Yep, the offseason has started!
:cheer2:

siss
01-06-2013, 08:51 PM
He wont because laying down with pigs makes both of you filthy, and the pig doesn't care.

In other words that site and that particuliar blogger can't be dragged down because they're already lower than pond scum.

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This is what I posted over at deadspin.
We should all do a lot of things...but I know Ben won't sue him...he has diapers to change!

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-12-2013, 10:57 AM
Steeler fans that vehemently defend Ben for his transgressions should not feel free to call Ray Lewis a killer. Clark is correct that its a "glass houses" situation.

Both did some things wrong in their lives and both had the events whisked away because they were star athletes. Also, both of them had the exact same defense lawyer, Ed Garland of Atlanta, who is apparently good at what he does.

zulater
01-12-2013, 12:02 PM
Steeler fans that vehemently defend Ben for his transgressions should not feel free to call Ray Lewis a killer. Clark is correct that its a "glass houses" situation.

Both did some things wrong in their lives and both had the events whisked away because they were star athletes. Also, both of them had the exact same defense lawyer, Ed Garland of Atlanta, who is apparently good at what he does.

One was arrested and agreed to a plea bargain, which in fact means they were convicted of commiting a crime.

Ben was never convincted of a crime or even arrested for that matter.

I could dock an aircraft carrier in the difference between their respective situations. :coffee:

Psycho Ward 86
01-12-2013, 12:51 PM
clark's right. it is VERY offbase to be comparing an alleged rape with shaky evidence at best to a guy who paid his friends to take the fall for him and so was clearly either a murderer or accomplice to murder. not to mention he has 6 kids with 4 different women.

i love ray as a player, but as a person? jesus....its not even a comparison as to which one is more fucked up.

zulater
01-12-2013, 02:53 PM
One was arrested and agreed to a plea bargain, which in fact means they were convicted of commiting a crime.

Ben was never convincted of a crime or even arrested for that matter.

I could dock an aircraft carrier in the difference between their respective situations. :coffee:

Here's a notable example in the differences in their situations.

Ben's alleged victim was reported to be "nonchalant" about the situation by the first police officer to respond to the scene. When asked directly if she was raped she said she wasn't sure. She also stopped cooperating with authorties when they tried to do follow up interviews concerning her allegations.

The victims in Ray's situation can accurately be described as victims because they were and are in fact dead by nefarious means.

Craic
01-12-2013, 04:29 PM
Here's a notable example in the differences in their situations.

Ben's alleged victim was reported to be "nonchalant" about the situation by the first police officer to respond to the scene. When asked directly if she was raped she said she wasn't sure. She also stopped cooperating with authorties when they tried to do follow up interviews concerning her allegations.

The victims in Ray's situation can accurately be described as victims because they were and are in fact dead by nefarious means.
I'm not going to go the rounds with you on this again, but comparing a knifing victim to a possible rape victim's actions is the same as comparing a dog bite from a miniature poodle to a Pit bull. It really does bother me how much you minimize rape and the effects.

zulater
01-12-2013, 05:47 PM
I'm not going to go the rounds with you on this again, but comparing a knifing victim to a possible rape victim's actions is the same as comparing a dog bite from a miniature poodle to a Pit bull. It really does bother me how much you minimize rape and the effects.

A real rape I wouldn't minimize Preach. Both alleged "victim's" of Ben are a disgrace to real victims of rape everywhere
in my honest opinion. And I wouldn't hesitate to tell them why I believe so to their respective faces.

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-13-2013, 08:59 AM
I'm not going to go the rounds with you on this again, but comparing a knifing victim to a possible rape victim's actions is the same as comparing a dog bite from a miniature poodle to a Pit bull. It really does bother me how much you minimize rape and the effects.

True, and Lewis really is guilty of telling people in his entourage to shut their mouths about what happened. He didnt kill anybody, but likely knows who did. In Bens case his entourage allegedly blocked the bathroom door while he allegedly had sex in the bathroom with a girl that said no.

Again, the fans who vehemently defend Ben and aggressively criticize Ray Lewis are blind homers that hang on a legal technicality to defend their idol. I think both did immoral things and am comfortable openly criticizing them as people, but both are great football players.

zulater
01-13-2013, 09:16 AM
True, and Lewis really is guilty of telling people in his entourage to shut their mouths about what happened. He didnt kill anybody, but likely knows who did. In Bens case his entourage allegedly blocked the bathroom door while he allegedly had sex in the bathroom with a girl that said no.

Again, the fans who vehemently defend Ben and aggressively criticize Ray Lewis are blind homers that hang on a legal technicality to defend their idol. I think both did immoral things and am comfortable openly criticizing them as people, but both are great football players.

Allegedly said no.

And the alleged victim is alive and with us today.

Ray Ray had blood on his suit. His suit dissapeared, was dissposed of in fact. The limo had the victim's blood in it. I think there's a real chance Ray was more than an innocent bystander who only sought to cover up a grade 1 felony.

Again the difference in the situations here are wide enough to fit Heinz field into.

Just because you've taken a personal dislike to Ben over the years doesn't mean that fans who've thoroughly examined the available evidence and find ample reason to give Ben a presumption of innocence based on available facts are "blind homers. "

Rather what I think is more in evidence here is that you're a blind hater.

Psycho Ward 86
01-13-2013, 09:19 AM
He didnt kill anybody

you dont know that

zulater
01-13-2013, 09:45 AM
you dont know that

Good point.

While none of us that weren't there in the bathroom know for sure if a rape or consentual sex took place that night in Ga.

We do know for a fact that a double homicide occured and Ray had some involvement in it, be it before, during or after the fact, or some combination thereof. .

El-Gonzo Jackson
01-13-2013, 02:02 PM
you dont know that

Read some more about the case.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/07/sports/pro-football-lewis-says-defendant-described-stabbing.html?ref=reginaldoakley

http://www.sptimes.com/News/012301/SuperBowl2001/_There_is_no_justice_.shtml

I have read dozens of articles and accounts of the night. As I am not a Ravens fan, but a man who can be objective about people for who they are....it appears that the 2 victims had gang ties in their past (from the Akron area i believe) and took part in some instigation of the conflict throuought the evening in question. According to testimony Lewis did not stab anybody, but did tell other not to say anything. He is guilty of obstruction of justice from what could be found and not murder.

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Allegedly said no.

And the alleged victim is alive and with us today.

Ray Ray had blood on his suit. His suit dissapeared, was dissposed of in fact. The limo had the victim's blood in it. I think there's a real chance Ray was more than an innocent bystander who only sought to cover up a grade 1 felony.

Again the difference in the situations here are wide enough to fit Heinz field into.

Just because you've taken a personal dislike to Ben over the years doesn't mean that fans who've thoroughly examined the available evidence and find ample reason to give Ben a presumption of innocence based on available facts are "blind homers. "

Rather what I think is more in evidence here is that you're a blind hater.

I advocated Ben being drafted. I purchased my son a Roethlisberger jersey before he played a snap that year. I am a big time football fan of Ben. Sorry to disprove your theory that I dislike Ben or am a hater of him.

I can separated the actions of football players on the field from their actions as people off the field. Apparently some fans cannot.

zulater
01-13-2013, 02:17 PM
Read some more about the case.
http://www.nytimes.com/2000/06/07/sports/pro-football-lewis-says-defendant-described-stabbing.html?ref=reginaldoakley

http://www.sptimes.com/News/012301/SuperBowl2001/_There_is_no_justice_.shtml

I have read dozens of articles and accounts of the night. As I am not a Ravens fan, but a man who can be objective about people for who they are....it appears that the 2 victims had gang ties in their past (from the Akron area i believe) and took part in some instigation of the conflict throuought the evening in question. According to testimony Lewis did not stab anybody, but did tell other not to say anything. He is guilty of obstruction of justice from what could be found and not murder.

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I advocated Ben being drafted. I purchased my son a Roethlisberger jersey before he played a snap that year. I am a big time football fan of Ben. Sorry to disprove your theory that I dislike Ben or am a hater of him.

I can separated the actions of football players on the field from their actions as people off the field. Apparently some fans cannot.

I'll bet you haven't bought one since 2010 and wont ever again.

And I can seperate the two as well, Ben on and off the field. And I still have yet to see any evidence to convince me that Ben isn't owed a presumption of innocence in relation to the unsubstaniated accusations against him.

Meanwhile I know for a fact that Ray Lewis had some complicity in a double homicide. Not an opinion a fact.

Now I do agree the two victims in Atlanta were in fact thugs and were almost certainly party to their own demise.

In fact I'm not even a Ray Lewis hater. I've come to respect him as a player and feel that he's grown off the field and don't see him as the devil incarnate as a human being.

All I'm saying is that it's understandable that Steeler fans get fed up with the Saint Ray Ray persona the press likes to put out.

tube517
01-13-2013, 02:28 PM
I guess I am tired of the Ray shit on the field vs off. His case is over. But the tired dance and the 40 tackles per game make me glad he is retiring. I just get tired of him in general. I like Ed Reed and Ngata better. Even Suggs.

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