Like many Steelers fans, a Washington Post editor publicly took issue with columnist Drew Magary's piece last week that ripped Ben Roethlisberger and derided his accomplishments.
And now, she's in hot water with her own newspaper.
Last Friday, WaPo business editor Lori Montgomery quote-tweeted Magary's column, expressing her displeasure with the article's thesis about Roethlisberger being a horrible person who doesn't deserve to receive accolades at the end of his Hall of Fame career. "The only thing interesting about this column is how easily disprovable and completely FOS it is," she wrote.
While Magary takes numerous shots at Roethlisberger — he calls the Steelers' QB a "real jack---" — the article focuses on the two sexual misconduct allegations levied against him early in his career. Roethlisberger was accused of rape twice in 2010, with the NFL suspending him six games for violating the league's personal conduct policy. (He ultimately wasn't charged in one of the cases, and settled with his accuser in the other.)
Montgomery's tweet quickly drew the ire of one of her Post colleagues, Felicia Sonmez, who posted a screenshot of the now-deleted tweet with her own commentary.
Sonmez's involvement is notable, considering she was suspended in 2020 for tweeting about Kobe Bryant's rape case following his death. Sonmez is suing her newspaper for blocking her from covering stories involving sexual assault. She's publicly said she was sexually assaulted earlier in her life.
Montgomery is named as one of the defendants in the suit. Per Sonmez's complaint, the business editor told her she was "always taught that a woman should 'just say no' if a man tries to assault her."
While the WaPo's union defended Sonmez in 2020, it's reportedly voiced its opposition to Montgomery's stance. The union emailed members this week saying Montgomery's tweet was "unacceptable, irresponsible and harmful," according to Politico's Max Tani.
In a subsequent tweet, Montgomery, whose Twitter account is now private, acknowledged Roethlisberger was "credibly accused twice of sexual assault."
While it's perfectly reasonable for a Steelers fan to defend Roethlisberger, this episode is a reminder that it's best to keep some views private, especially if they pertain to the serious issue of sexual assault.
