Bulls guard Jay Williams in 2003 should have been the last elite athlete ever to jeopardize his career by getting into a motorcycle accident.

If not Williams, then certainly Kellen Winslow Jr., the Cleveland Browns' promising tight end who tried a wheelie on his newly purchased bike last year.

But pro athletes, perhaps more so than the rest of us, think, "It cannot happen to me."

And so Super Bowl-winning quarterback Ben Roethlisberger lies in a Pittsburgh hospital bed, his immediate playing future in question after a motorcycle crash Monday.

Roethlisberger, who does not like to wear a helmet while riding and was not wearing one Monday, broke his jaw and nose and also suffered a significant cut on the back of his head.

Initial reports of a serious knee injury seemed to be false, or at least exaggerated. Jerome Bettis, the Steelers' retired running back, told the media his understanding is Roethlisberger should be OK in time to play this fall.

"It is minor enough that it shouldn't affect him on the field," Bettis said.

If that prognosis is true, it makes it easier to put aside the instinct to sympathize with Roethlisberger and instead call him out for being a dope.

Roethlisberger refused to listen to his coach, Bill Cowher, and his team owner, Art Rooney, who within the last year warned him of the dangers of riding motorcycles in general and riding without a helmet in particular.

He refused to listen to Terry Bradshaw, who told him to save the motorcycle-riding until retirement.

He refused to adhere to the NFL's standard player contract, which prohibits any off-the-field activity that includes "significant risk of personal injury." Motorcycle-riding has to qualify.

He was on top of his profession, on top of the world, and he probably thought nothing could strike him down. If he ever got into a tight spot on his motorcycle, his superior reflexes and agility would save him.

Most of us read that and know it is a bunch of nonsense. But athletes, many of them, are a different breed.

Williams, the Bulls' guard, reflected on his accident a couple of years ago. When he started riding his motorcycle – only a few weeks before crashing and without having acquired a license – he hardly thought about the risk involved.

"I thought about it and then immediately put it out of my mind," Williams said. "I guess it was just that natural feeling of inviciblity [from] being young and feeling confident in your physical skills."

The pro athlete might have a different mind-set from everyone else, but common sense has to enter the picture eventually. Williams, Winslow and Roethlisberger have nobody but themselves to blame.

Let's hope Roethlisberger turns out luckier than the others. Let's hope he does not have to miss significant time.

Let's hope, too, his misfortune finally serves as a lesson for athletes and all other people who need some sort of outlet for pent-up adrenaline.

Probably, that last part is not realistic.

Somewhere, maybe even today, a top athlete will crank up his motorcycle and toss common sense to the wind.

– Nick Hut is a sportswriter for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached via e-mail at nhut@nwherald.com.