High-level athletes know not to put themselves at risk away from the playing arena.

Knowing it and doing it can be two different things, some prominent Butler County athletes admit in the wake of Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's motorcycle accident last week.

"We've had a couple of girls on our team get hurt riding skateboards,"said Butler graduate Meghan Schnur, one of the top players on the University of Connecticut women's soccer team.

"There's a fine line between what you should and shouldn't do. It comes down to common sense, I guess."

Fellow Butler graduate Tyrell Sales, a linebacker at Penn State University, plays basketball during the offseason, but doesn't consider it a risk.

Sales scored more than 1,000 points as a varsity basketball player at Butler.

"I've been playing basketball all my life," Sales said. "I know how to play the game smartly and safely. To me, there's no risk there. What may be a risk to one person isn't necessarily a risk to another."

Seneca Valley graduate and rookie Milwaukee Brewers pitcher Zach Jackson says his contract states that "you cannot participate in any activity that can be hazardous to your health."

Jackson recognizes the fine line in that statement as well.

"Absolutely, just because a lot of things can be competitive like basketball," he said. "You always want the action and you'll do some stuff. It's something you'll run into socially.

"In the offseason, I like basketball. I'm not exactly supposed to do it, but you want to stay in condition. I've always enjoyed water skiing and jet skiing.

"I'm a big water person, but anything can happen,"Jackson added.

Professional heavyweight boxer Brian Minto prefers to err on the side of caution.

"The most physical thing I do outside of my sport is yard work,"he said. "Motorcycles look like fun to me, but I'm not going anywhere near one.

"Boxing is what I do for a living. It's how I provide for my family. Everyday life is risky enough. I'm not gonna go out of my way to screw things up."

Minto, 31, is a former football player at Butler High School and Slippery Rock University who admittedly lived a wilder lifestyle when he was younger.

"Yeah, I used to get in fights and do crazy things," he said. "Eventually, you grow up and mature a little bit. Roethlisberger is still a young athlete who maybe hasn't matured yet.

"Ihave to stay ready for that phone to ring with my next fight. Taking care of my body meant changing my lifestyle, because my body is my livelihood."

Butler graduate Jake Cuffman, a pitcher for Class AHickory in the Pittsburgh Pirates' minor league system, is a young athlete as well. He is not afraid to criticize Roethlisberger.

"I'm glad he's OK, but what was he thinking?"Cuffman said. "That guy's got the world by his fingertips right now. There's a billion people in the world who would have loved to be in Ben Roethlisberger's shoes.

"You only have so many years to make your money in sports. I don't want to do anything that may jeopardize my getting on the field. When you make your living in athletics, it's your responsibility to do everything you can to keep yourself healthy."

Then again, why stop at athletics?

"It's a little different in sports because there's a contract involved,"Schnur said. "Ben is being paid a lot of money to play football. I'm receiving a college education in exchange for playing soccer for the school.

"We have to uphold our end of those deals and maintain our ability to play our sports. But if a factory worker did something risky and got hurt outside of the job and couldn't go to work anymore, he's not getting paid. So, really, it's the same for everybody."

Sales' goal since he was a small child has been to play in the NFL.

"That's why I came to Penn State, because they send a lot of players there,"he said. "I can't give myself the best opportunity to reach the next level if I'm out there doing crazy stuff.

"(Penn State coach)Joe Paterno has our last meeting of the spring in the morning because he doesn't want his players driving home at night. To me, the riskiest thing I do is get in my car and drive home."