Richard Seymour makes America's dream come true, socks Ben Roethlisberger in face (VIDEO)

As a Broncos fan, I have a preternatural aversion for praising a member of the Oakland Raiders for doing anything -- especially attacking someone on the opposing team after the whistle had blown. But his punch to the face of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, while undeniably a cheap shot,...

By Michael Roberts

November 22, 2010

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As a Broncos fan, I have a preternatural aversion for praising a member of the Oakland Raiders for doing anything -- especially attacking someone on the opposing team after the whistle had blown. But his punch to the face of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, while undeniably a cheap shot, just happened to target an NFL player who richly deserved that kind of treatment. And he's not the only one.

As marijuana advocate Mason Tvert noted in a March post, Roethlisberger was "accused of alcohol-fueled sexual assault for the second time" during the off-season -- and although no charges were filed against him, he richly deserved the multi-game suspension he received to start the season. Since then, however, the media has generally ignored his bad behavior in lieu of focusing on his play, even though at least one Steelers fan I know refers to him now as "Rapelisberger."

Pretty much the same scenario has played out in regard to Philadelphia's Michael Vick, whose dog-fighting conviction is treated like ancient history now that he's slaying defenses instead of canines. Indeed, hardly an eyebrow was raised when the Eagles' DeSean Jackson said his teammates were "like pit bulls, ready to get out of the cage" in describing their domination of the Washington Redskins last week.

This season, some of the biggest stars appear to be some of the worst people -- which makes the death of an all-around good guy like former Bronco Rob Lytle sting that much more. Seymour deserved to be tossed from yesterday's game -- but some of us quietly enjoyed the reason for his objection.

Below, watch a video of the incident:

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Michael Roberts began his career with Westword in 1990 as music editor. In 1999, he took on a new role, full-time media reporter, as author of a column called The Message. In 2008, he became the lead writer for Westword's news blog, The Latest Word, a position he held until January 2023. Michael continues to freelance for Westword, covering everything from business to sports and the media; he also contributes to Jazziz, a national music magazine. He holds a bachelor's degree from what is now Colorado Mesa University and master's degrees from the University of California, Los Angeles, and Northwestern University.

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