National Football League

The truth behind Big Ben, McNabb, Tebow

Published Mar. 25, 2010 4:41 p.m. ET

Jason Whitlock

Today's NFL Truths will focus on Big Ben Roethlisberger, Donovan McNabb and Tim Tebow.

My e-mail box keeps receiving complaints about the way we in the media have covered PacBen Roethlisberger, the fair-skinned Pacman Jones.

The gripe is we've been reluctant to excoriate the Pittsburgh quarterback the way we would Michael Vick, Plaxico Burress or Pacman Jones had they been accused a second time of sexual assault.

The whining further states that we have ignored NFL commissioner Roger Goodell's hypocritical, wait-and-see approach in dealing with PacBen.

Some people, it seems, want Big Ben burned at the media stake, lynched in the court of public opinion and suspended from the NFL long before we know what really happened inside a Georgia bathroom.

Despite my comparison of Big Ben to Pacman, I'm not one of those people.

I think the media and commissioner Goodell have handled the Roethlisberger situation in the fairest manner possible. Yes, we can complain about ESPN's initial reluctance to report the allegations thrown at Roethlisberger. But beyond that, I can't see any real media failure.

I've read numerous columns bashing Roethlisberger for poor judgment. A millionaire athlete having any kind of sexual contact at a college bar is a recipe for disaster. A millionaire quarterback already involved in a civil lawsuit involving sexual assault having any kind of sexual contact with a 20-year-old woman at a college bar has earned his comparisons to Pacman Jones.

PacBen is every bit as stupid as Pacman. That's the only provable fact at this moment. And it will remain a fact regardless of how the criminal investigation shakes out in Roethlisberger's latest sexcapade.

Goodell won't exonerate Roethlisberger on charges of stupidity. However, Goodell is correct for waiting to hold his stupidity trial until after police in Georgia complete their investigation.

This is a he-said, she-said involving alcohol. Everyone learned a lesson from the Duke lacrosse case.

No good deed will go unpunished: That's the best explanation for what is happening to Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.

McNabb embraced Philly's acquisition of Michael Vick, and now Philly's inability to trade/unload Vick is causing Andy Reid to strongly consider trading McNabb. If Vick isn't on the Philly roster, Reid would keep McNabb and Kevin Kolb for one more season.

But Reid can't justify keeping three quarterbacks. Vick would be disruptive as a third QB next season. Vick sees himself as a starter. Plus, Vick's wildcat role with McNabb as the starter doesn't work because McNabb is a quarterback who has to stay in rhythm.

The Eagles are going to get rid of their best quarterback to make room for their worst.

Oh how I hope this blows up and ruins the Eagles organization. Is Kevin Kolb the next Aaron Rodgers, the Favre replacement who revealed himself as a more-than-capable starter? Or is Kolb the classic, popular backup quarterback who can't cut it when he's the man?

I can't answer that question. I'm a McNabb homer, and I haven't seen enough of Kolb to know.

It's a damn shame McNabb may not get one more year with DeSean Jackson, Jeremy Maclin, Brent Celek and LeSean McCoy. McNabb spent most of his career working with a second-rate supporting cast. The one time McNabb had proper support he had a career year and the Eagles played in the Super Bowl.

Saving face on the Vick pickup is worth damaging a Super Bowl run?

I'd hate to see McNabb sentenced to St. Louis. The Rams are allegedly considering parting with the first pick in the second round to acquire McNabb.

The Arizona Cardinals are making a mistake by not making a strong play for McNabb.

If I'm a head coach, I don't want the responsibility of dealing with Tim Tebow's media paparazzi.

The media create more headaches for Tebow than his awkward throwing motion. This week we've learned: 1. Another player may or may not have told Tebow to "shut the (F-bomb) up" before taking the Wonderlic test; 2. One of Tebow's former Florida receivers is happy the Gators will have a "real quarterback" this season.

Allegedly, Tebow wanted to try to have a group prayer ahead of the Wonderlic test. And Urban Meyer melted down on an Orlando reporter after the Orlando Sentinel took a relatively harmless quote and turned it into a negative headline about Tebow.

Tebow denies the Wonderlic story, and he probably doesn't care about the Orlando story.

But this kid is under an unfair microscope. He's getting a different version of the Tiger Woods treatment. We're fascinated by Tebow's perceived image perfection, and we're intent on closely examining how that perception impacts his interactions with everyone, especially his hedonistic peers.

Tebow has a better chance of succeeding as a reality TV show than as an NFL quarterback. And that's not his fault.

E-mail Jason or follow him on Twitter. Media requests for Mr. Whitlock should be directed to Fox Sports PR.