Maybe those cleats are that good

Watching SportsCenter last night a short piece on Ben Roethlisberger aired. It was part of his press conference were he read from a prepared statement.

"The allegations against me are reckless and false," Roethlisberger said. "I am going to fight to protect my family and my reputation."

Roethlisberger is taking aim against allegations from a civil suit brought on by Andrea McNulty, a woman who worked at Harrah's, a Nevada casino. In the suit she alleges the Steelers star raped her. She is seeking more than $440,000 from Roethlisberger and $50,000 from the casino.

A few minutes later the show is at a commercial break. And who is there hawking their special Nike shoes sold exclusively at Dick's sporting goods... Big Ben.



I am sitting in front of the television chipping in lines to the advertisement... he is dodging tacklers, holding a pair of these special shoes. I am watching and liberally updating some of the lines to keep up with the news.

"Do you want to be able to evade a sexual assault complaint for more than a year?"

"Buy my shoe."

The shoe is called the "Air Maruader." Synonym; freebooter, looter, outlaw, plunderer, ravager.

Of course there is some other controversy over the story. At what seemed like reluctance on ESPN's part to cover it initially.

Additionally, ESPN parent, ABC, still plans on airing a reality show with Roethlisberger this fall. The show Shaq vs. pits the athlete against other players in their own sports. He plays football against Roethlisberger in an episode.

Maybe not a good time to launch the "Air Marauder." Maybe those cleats are that good.