For anyone that hasn't heard, Ben Roethlisberger is in the hospital because of a serious motorcycle accident, in which he wasn't wearing a helmet and collided with a car.

Not just any bike. He was riding the fastest street-legal motorcycle you can buy. Without a helmet. Not the brightest thing to do. So dumb, in fact, that even fellow Suzuki Hayabusa riders were shaking their heads. "Wear a helmet on the field, but not on a bike?? Makes no sense to me," one wrote on a `Busa message board.

Doesn't make much sense to anyone, especially the Pittsburgh Steelers, who lectured their young quarterback to no avail about his motorcycle habits. Of course, had the Steelers shown some backbone and put a clause in Roethlisberger's contract prohibiting motorcycle riding, he might not be in the hospital today.

Joey Porter had it right last year when asked about his quarterback riding motorcycles. "What I say about motorcycles is that concrete is undefeated," Porter said.

Unfortunately, there's a lot of athletes who can't seem to figure that out. Roethlisberger was one of those, insisting on riding his bike even after Winslow crashed his last year and was hurt so bad that his young career was in jeopardy.

At the age of 24, Roethlisberger seemed to have everything. He was rich, loved by Steelers fans and already had one Super Bowl ring on his finger. He risked it all because he couldn't stay off a motorcycle, and wouldn't put on a helmet. The urge to ride and the feeling that you're indestructible is a bad combination.

Roethlisberger was lucky to escape with his life. Steelers fans will consider themselves lucky if he makes it back on the field. If he had only listened when former Steelers great Terry Bradshaw gave him the simplest advice last season. "Ride it when you retire," Bradshaw said.

Who knew listening to Terry Bradshaw would have been a good idea?