Big Ben's Radio Buddy

We think you can probably tell a lot about an athlete by whom he/she chooses for their first post-big-career-moment interview. Which "reporter" shows them enough deference, respect and suck-up-itude to be handed that big scoop?

All kinds of examples of this, with the ultimate being Ahmad Rashad's daily backrubs for Michael Jordan. But Kobe Bryant has Jim Gray. Terrell Owens has Michael Irvin. LeBron James is clearly grooming Stephen A. Smith for this role. And yesterday, in his first public comments since his accident, Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger graced Jim Rome with this spot. (Sorry to "Good Morning, America," which is trumpeting a Roethlisberger scheduled for tomorrow as an "exclusive," even though, uh, we just saw him on ESPN.)

We suppose that it makes sense that Roethlisberger would choose Rome. They're clearly both rebels who buck the system; you can tell by the goatees! And if we had to guess who would be the chosen radio host of people who drive around fast on motorcycles without something to protect their brain, Rome would probably have to be our pick.

(UPDATE: Roethlisberger says he was making it up to Rome for missing his show because of the crash. Good thing Rome didn't call him "Chris.")