Let it be brain damage

How much of a douchebag do you have to be before people speculate you have brain damage? That’s the diagnosis ^[1] one writer made of Steeler QB Ben Roethlisberger. The theory is someone with frontal lobe damage is less likely to pick up on social cues (like a woman screaming, “No!”) and doesn’t consider future consequences of an act (such as police investigations and lawsuits). Big Ben’s had four documented concussions and apparently has little understanding of social mores in general — the articles notes his surprise to discover married men dislike it when you hit on their wives right in front of them — so it seems entirely possible, and with years of football and head trauma still to come will only get worse. If so, it adds a rather tragic twist to the case of Mr. Roethlisberger, and the only thing that would make it sadder is if he’s actually fine and this is just who he is.