One of Momma Rollett's Posts made me think and I wanted to share this with everyone.

The Post Gazette has recently mentioned that BB is to have a neuropsychology evaluation. 

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10113/1052700-66.stm

 

As a physical therapist, I know this is something that is routinely done with people that have traumatic brain injury.  I also know that sexually explicit comments and inappropriate behavior are not uncommon in head injury patients.  Traumatic Brain Injury interferes with the higher levels of the brain which in turn limit inhibitions.  Add alcohol to the mix and I believe this is a recipe for disaster.

Thus I googled BB and traumatic brain injury and got:

http://open.salon.com/blog/catherine_forsythe/2010/04/21/dr_ann_mckee_may_be_able_to_explain_ben_roethlisberger

I have to admit, I was one of those woman who was ready to throttle BB over the last few weeks.  I look at him as one of West PA's, land of my birth's, football heroes.  He is part of the precious Steelers, something I have taken pride in since about 1973.  After finally calming down, I came to look at it from my own, physical therapist's point of view.  In fact, if he were just another head injury patient at our hospital, I would have written some of his behavior off. 

I am not excusing his behavior, some of which is deplorable.  People have gotten hurt, not just physically, but the disappointment has been painful as well.  However most of our traumatic brain injury patients (TBI's for short) have the privilege of learning consequences for bad behavior.  BB, being who he is, probably did not.  In fact I am guessing people just let him do anything he wants due to his celebrity status.  Sometimes with fame, your friends are not your friends or maybe they would have said something earlier?  Hello, police officers on site at the time?

I now also keep in mind some of the crazy things I have seen in my clinical career and experience with TBI patients.  Such as people who appear perfectly normal, but due to a TBI have gotten into bad situations in which they have ended up raped or have had to stop a scientific career in medicine due to their now limited ability at higher level thinking. 

Additionally, in my 20+ year career, I don't know how many times I have seen athletes pushed back on the field with insufficient care with a number of different injuries.  As a clinician, who sometimes works with college athletes, I am told to keep my opinions to myself and patch them up.  "Just get them back out on the field."  I am able to do this, except I will say something if the patient is under 18.  I usually get grief from the parents over this, but I can go home and sleep at night.

So at this point, I would like to give BB a chance at rehabilitation and not lump him into the same category with Tiger Woods, who was not to my knowledge ever hit over the head with a golf club.

I was looking at a Ravens website, because one of my co-workers loves them (just because she went to school with Joe Flacco is no excuse) and I noticed this.  

ravens fight link

I couldn't help but laugh.  I guess since we aren't playing them until November they have to beat each other up.  On the other hand maybe it gives us more to look forward to.

Also, note the lovely comment above the post about "trolling squeeler fans".