缅北禁地

Jan 6, 2017 By Jim Wexell for The 9 min read

OK, it鈥檚 soul-baring time, but before you turn away I鈥檓 going to titillate you with the plot: It includes violence.

So, I put this TV guy against the wall 鈥� gently, mind you. Well, not really gently, but I grabbed him by the lapels because he told me not to walk away from him after he got in my face and told me what he had thought about me.

I tried to walk away and he said not to, so I softly 鈥� well, not really softly 鈥� but I did put my hands on him and asked him if he was trying to threaten me. When he said no, I let him go and left.

He didn鈥檛 leave. He had me suspended from the facility for a month for this act of violence, and when I returned Art Rooney asked me if I was all right. I was. James Harrison saw me and nodded. I nodded back. Mike Tomlin saw me and told me it was good to have me back at the facility. I thanked him for his support throughout.

I bring this all up because of the next guy.

Troy Polamalu, with whom I had, and still have, a more friendly relationship than with most of the others, saw me and wasn鈥檛 so friendly.

鈥淥h, good thing you鈥檙e back,鈥� he said, sarcasm dripping. 鈥淲e really needed a bad-ass reporter around.鈥�

It was a shot. And for that I felt bad.

Now, I bring THAT up because Polamalu was the first guy I went to after Ben Roethlisberger鈥檚 infamous incident in Milledgeville in 2010.

I really didn鈥檛 know what Troy would say, but did consider him the conscience of the team. If he disapproved, he would say so. If he didn鈥檛 hear all of the facts, as none of us had, he would say that. If he approved of Ben enough to tell us reporters to give him another chance, even if Ben had done wrong, he would say that as well.

Here鈥檚 what Polamalu said:

鈥淭his will be the great example. Everything鈥檚 not always peachy, and not everybody has that unblemished image, but I think for him to have that repentance, you know, the way that he鈥檚 going to have to continue to live his life, is going to be the great example 鈥� I think a better example than what somebody else could provide.鈥�

I鈥檝e always remembered that the conscience of the team seemed to be excited about what Roethlisberger could show moving forward.

In light of the regurgitation of all of Roethlisberger鈥檚 past mistakes 鈥� real or imagined 鈥� that have been dredged up this week by 缅北禁地 Illustrated, it鈥檚 important that Roethlisberger鈥檚 behavior, or as Polamalu would put it, Roethlisberger鈥檚 鈥渆xample,鈥� since then, be examined as well.

To that end, Roethlisberger has carried two families 鈥� one at home with his wife of the last five-and-a-half years, Ashley, and their three small children, and the other, at the UPMC Rooney 缅北禁地 Complex, with his football family of 52 rather large children.

He seems to be carrying them both rather well, but I can only speak for the second family as a reporter who鈥檚 been here since the first day he showed up.

We, in fact, voted Roethlisberger the Chief Award at the end of that troublesome 2010 season, and it wasn鈥檛 so much because we thought he had turned his life around, but 鈥� at least with me 鈥� because we wanted to prove the point that Roethlisberger really hadn鈥檛 been the jerk to the media so many national guys suspected and therefore reported.

Not that Roethlisberger was a great quote, but he always had a minute to give you a unique quote.

He still does that. In fact, I hadn鈥檛 had a bad moment with Roethlisberger until AFTER he had vowed to become the nicer family man we see today.

I was out one night during training camp a few years ago and came upon Roethlisberger, Brett Keisel and Keisel鈥檚 friends from Wyoming. They had become my friends after we had met several years earlier, and so I sat down with them all at Keisel鈥檚 request. Some time later, Roethlisberger became happy about a comment I had made, and he called me the most negative writer in town.

OK, that was fine. We went back and forth with it and he remained steadfast. I offered my hand in peace, he shook it and I left. The next day, Roethlisberger saw me walking across campus, stopped the cart on which he was riding and went out of his way to apologize. I tried to shake it off, tell him there was no need, but he apologized again. It would be described as a profuse apology. And I had no doubt it was sincere.

Did he need that for his public image? Absolutely not.

Did he need to for his team to win a game? Of course not.

But this 鈥渆xample鈥� was just one since Polamalu gave the ready-set-go on Roethlisberger鈥檚 second life during the spring of 2010.

In the locker room and on the field, that鈥檚 where Roethlisberger earns his pay, and of course that鈥檚 where he鈥檚 had the greatest impact as a leader these past seven years. Maurkice Pouncey was a rookie in 2010 and has lockered close to Roethlisberger ever since.

鈥淗e鈥檚 a true leader,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 accountable. When you watch the way he plays, you see how much he cares about this team. I鈥檝e been with him a long time and seen the growth. I always thought he was a great leader, but now, to be this late in his career and the way he鈥檚 running things around here, it鈥檚 awesome. You can really appreciate that.鈥�

Pouncey, of course, was the center for another great leader in college at the University of Florida.

鈥淏en鈥檚 totally different,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥�(Tim) Tebow was more outgoing, yelling around, pumping the guys up. Ben鈥檚 more the guy who鈥檚 鈥業鈥檓 going to give you this speech and expect you to go out here and follow my lead.鈥� I kind of like that approach a little bit better.鈥�

Roethlisberger gave the players his 鈥淔ollow Me鈥� speech after a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in November. It was the Steelers鈥� third consecutive loss and Roethlisberger urged his team to just pay attention to what he does and how he does it and they would end up righting the ship.

鈥淵ou could really tell in his demeanor when he said it that he meant it,鈥� Pouncey said. 鈥淚t was in the way he was speaking, the way he looked at us, the way he went out there and played. Whenever you give that type of speech and go out there and back it up, that鈥檚 why you follow people like that.鈥�

They did. And they lost.

But it wasn鈥檛 because of anything Roethlisberger had done. In fact, his fake spike and touchdown pass to Antonio Brown would鈥檝e beaten the Dallas Cowboys that day had the defense not blown the lead with nine seconds left.

But the Steelers did turn it around. They reeled off seven consecutive wins following the loss that followed the speech, and Roethlisberger has had good days and bad during the run. But the bad days have been countered by some great days by players such as Brown, Le鈥橵eon Bell, James Harrison, Chris Boswell, etc., and that鈥檚 fine with Roethlisberger.

鈥淏en wants to win,鈥� said offensive coordinator Todd Haley. 鈥淚 mean, he鈥檚 in it for one reason that I can see and that is to put another trophy in that room. We鈥檙e in the thing now and every game鈥檚 the most important game of the year and he鈥檚 obviously acting like that. I really believe he doesn鈥檛 care whether we do it running, throwing, even if we called Wildcat with him out there. He鈥檚 going to do whatever gives us the best chance to win.鈥�

Haley鈥檚 been here since 2012, and he came with a reputation that was almost as bad as Roethlisberger鈥檚. But Haley didn鈥檛 care about stuff the outsiders were saying.

鈥淚鈥檓 a big go-by-what-you-see guy, not what you hear,鈥� Haley said. 鈥淗e and I even talked about it, that 鈥業 don鈥檛 want you to pre-conceive notions about me, and I won鈥檛 about you. I want you to go by what you see, and it takes time.鈥� From that point on, I鈥檝e seen a mature guy playing the quarterback position with great ability. I鈥檝e seen nothing out of him other than a guy who wants to be great and wants this team to be great and play in big, big games.鈥�

Haley said 鈥渢here are so many鈥� examples of Roethlisberger鈥檚 leadership, but came up with one that might only be meaningful to coaches.

鈥淚n individual, which is a 10-15 minute period in practice that everywhere I鈥檝e been coaches have run that period, he made it known to me that that鈥檚 something he鈥檇 like to have some say in. And I turned it completely over to him,鈥� Haley said. 鈥淪o in that 10-15 minutes, he鈥檚 communicating, talking. He鈥檚 got a plan every day, every week, every year that I think is a big part of us growing and getting better as a group, and I think that鈥檚 just on-field leadership.

鈥淎ll you鈥檝e got to do is look at these receivers, tight ends and backs. When he says a word, their ears are up. They鈥檙e like a German Shepherd at a drug bust. Their eyes are open wide, their ears are up. Any word that鈥檚 said by him, they鈥檙e listening, and I think that鈥檚 a great example of leadership that鈥檚 important in this game.鈥�

Haley has been around all types of quarterbacks and of course their leadership skills vary.

鈥淭he good ones all lead in different ways and it鈥檚 not all rah-rah and in the public,鈥� he said. 鈥淔or Ben, it鈥檚 a little more subtle. If you鈥檙e here and you鈥檙e watching, you see it. Like during run periods, he鈥檚 told to take off just to try to rest him. But he jumps in there and takes them all. Little things like that make a big difference to young guys.鈥�

And they鈥檝e made a big difference for Roethlisberger in his second life.

His 鈥渆xample鈥� has been quite the show, as Polamalu knew it would be.