Ben Roethlisberger
No. 7 | |||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born: | Lima, Ohio, U.S. | March 2, 1982||||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||||||||||||||
Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school: | Findlay (Findlay, Ohio) | ||||||||||||||
College: | Miami (OH) (2000–2003) | ||||||||||||||
NFL draft: | 2004 / round: 1 / pick: 11 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
|
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (/ˈrɒθlɪsbɜːrɡər/; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football for the Miami RedHawks, and was selected by the Steelers in the first round (11th overall) of the 2004 NFL draft.
Roethlisberger earned the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2004 and his first Pro Bowl selection in 2007. In 2006, he became the youngest Super Bowl–winning quarterback in NFL history, winning Super Bowl XL 21–10 over the Seattle Seahawks in his second season at the age of 23. Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a second Super Bowl title in four seasons as they defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, 27–23, after completing a game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left in the game. He appeared in his third Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLV, but the team lost by a score of 31–25 to the Green Bay Packers.
Roethlisberger was one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. Upon retirement, he ranked 5th all-time in NFL career passing yards (64,088),[2] 8th all-time in touchdowns (418), and 5th in completions (5,440) among quarterbacks with a minimum of 1,500 career attempts. He also had the fourth-highest career winning percentage (.710) as a starter in the regular season among quarterbacks with a minimum of 100 starts and was one of six quarterbacks in NFL history to have beaten at least 31 of the current 32 NFL teams.[3]
Known for playing outside the passing pocket in what he calls "backyard football",[4] Roethlisberger grew up idolizing John Elway and has often been compared to him, wearing number 7 in his honor.[5][6]
Early life
At Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio, Roethlisberger was captain of the Trojans' football, basketball, and baseball teams. Roethlisberger did not play quarterback until his senior year, giving way to the coach's son, Ryan Hite. Instead, Roethlisberger played wide receiver. "I'm a nationally known knucklehead in many people's eyes," Hite conceded in a 2004 interview to the Toledo Blade but insisted his decision had not been an act of nepotism, or miscalculation.[7] "We did a bunch of drills and my son throwing to Ben was a better combination," he said.[7]
Ken Roethlisberger, a former Georgia Tech quarterback, never publicly criticized Hite for playing Ryan ahead of his son Ben. He has stated, "It was a coach's call. You make good ones, you make bad ones. And I'm not even saying this was a bad one. We can say it was now, but how do we know for sure?" Ryan Hite went on to Denison University where, as a wide receiver, set numerous career and single-season records by the time he graduated from college.[7]
College career
2000–2001
Roethlisberger played college quarterback at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. After arriving at Miami in 2000, he was redshirted his first season.[8] In the 2001 season, he made his collegiate debut against Michigan, completing 18 of 35 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the 31–13 loss.[9] Against Akron, he broke the school single-game passing record with 399 passing yards, with 70 of those yards coming on a Hail Mary to Eddie Tillitz to win the game by a score of 30–27 as time expired.[10] When Miami played Bowling Green, he had two touchdowns and 305 passing yards and broke the MAC freshman passing yardage record in the 24–21 victory.[11] Against Hawaii, he broke school records for attempts, completions, and yardage, when he went 40 of 53 for 452 yards and three touchdowns in the 52–51 loss.[12] He finished his first year with the Redhawks with 3,105 passing yards, 241 completions, and 25 touchdown completions while leading them to a 7–5 record.[13][14]
2002
Roethlisberger's second season as the RedHawks starter was marked with a 7–5 record once again.[15] He broke the MAC single-game record for passing yards in a 48–41 loss against Northern Illinois on October 12 when he threw for 525 yards and four touchdowns.[16] He won the MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week for three punts that landed inside the 20 in the 27–13 victory over Toledo.[17][18] He established the Miami single-season record with 3,238 passing yards and 271 completions in 2002.[13]
2003
After starting the season with a loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes, Roethlisberger led the Miami RedHawks to an unbeaten record in the MAC, 12 consecutive wins, a #10 ranking in the Associated Press poll, and a 49–28 victory over Louisville in the 2003 GMAC Bowl.[19][20] He finished his 2003 season with a conference-leading 343 completions, 4,486 passing yards, and 37 passing touchdowns, breaking school single-season records in all three categories.[13] He was named as the MAC Offensive Player of the Year for the 2003 season.[21]
His jersey number number 7 was retired by the RedHawks during homecoming on October 13, 2007; the festivities included the RedHawks football game against Bowling Green. Roethlisberger became the third athlete in Miami football history to have his number retired, joining John Pont and Bob Hitchens. Roethlisberger's number being retired was the first time in 34 years Miami retired a football jersey number.[22][23]
College statistics
Season | Games | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | TD | Int | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | |
2000 | 0 | — | Redshirt | ||||||||||
2001 | 12 | 7–5 | 241 | 381 | 63.3 | 3,105 | 8.1 | 21 | 2 | 120 | 189 | 1.6 | 3 |
2002 | 12 | 7–5 | 271 | 428 | 63.3 | 3,238 | 7.6 | 22 | 11 | 82 | 54 | 0.7 | 1 |
2003 | 14 | 13–1 | 342 | 495 | 69.1 | 4,486 | 9.1 | 37 | 10 | 67 | 111 | 1.7 | 3 |
Career | 38 | 27–11 | 854 | 1,304 | 65.5 | 10,829 | 8.3 | 80 | 23 | 269 | 354 | 1.3 | 7 |
Miami Redhawks records
All records are from the Miami University 2008 media guide.[24]
- Most games in a season w/200+ yards passing – 14 (2003; NCAA record)
- Consecutive games in a season w/200+ yards passing – 14 (2003; NCAA record)
- Most pass attempts, career – 1,304 (2001–03)
- Most pass attempts, season – 495 (2003)
- Most pass completions, career – 854 (2001–03)
- Most pass completions, season – 342 (2003)
- Most pass completions, game – 41[25]
- Most passing yards, career – 10,829 (2001–03)
- Most passing yards, season – 4,486 (2003)
- Most passing yards, game – 525
- Most passing touchdowns, career – 84 (2001–03)
- Most passing touchdowns, season – 37 (2003)
- Most passing touchdowns, game – 5
- Most total offense yards, career – 11,075 (2001–03)
- Most total offense yards, season – 4,597 (2003)
- Most total offense yards, game – 485
- Most 300+ yard passing games – 14
- Most 400+ yard passing games – 4
- Most games w/ 4+ touchdown passes – 7
- Highest completion %, career (Min. 300 attempts) – 65.5% (2001–03)
- Highest completion %, season (Min. 100 attempts) – 69.1% (2003)
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | Wonderlic | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
6 ft 4+7⁄8 in (1.95 m) |
241 lb (109 kg) |
31+1⁄2 in (0.80 m) |
9+3⁄8 in (0.24 m) |
4.75 s | 25 | |||||||
All values from NFL Combine[26][27][28][29] |
When ESPN began broadcasting MAC games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays—days without other football on television—in 2000, nationwide "MACtion" audiences watched Roethlisberger's teams.[30] The success of the 2003 Miami Redhawks led to the expectation that he would be drafted early. At the combine, Roethlisberger scored a 25 on the Wonderlic.[31] During the GMAC Bowl, commentators discussed some of his skills that would translate to success in the NFL. Roethlisberger was one of the players invited to attend the draft along with others in the "Green Room" and was featured on the show Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL.[32]
During the 2004 NFL draft, Roethlisberger was the second-highest touted quarterback behind Ole Miss' Eli Manning. He was projected to be taken by the New York Giants as the fourth overall pick, with the San Diego Chargers taking Manning first overall.[33] While the Chargers drafted Manning, the Giants instead selected NC State quarterback Philip Rivers as part of a trade deal that sent Manning to the Giants and Rivers to the Chargers. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Roethlisberger 11th overall, making him the highest-drafted quarterback to play for the team that picked him, and the highest draft pick the Steelers used on a quarterback since selecting Terry Bradshaw first overall in 1970.[34][35]
The Steelers almost didn't select Roethlisberger, as head coach Bill Cowher and director of football operations Kevin Colbert had planned to select Arkansas guard Shawn Andrews. However, Steelers owner Dan Rooney overrode both Cowher and Colbert upon seeing that Roethlisberger was still available and the Steelers not wanting a repeat of passing on a franchise quarterback, as they had done in the 1983 NFL draft when they drafted Gabriel Rivera while local product Dan Marino was still available.[36] Roethlisberger was being interviewed live on ESPN by Suzy Kolber when he received the phone call from Cowher, confirming his selection before it was officially announced by Paul Tagliabue.[37]
Roethlisberger was one of 17 quarterbacks taken in the 2004 NFL Draft, along with Manning and Rivers.[34] All three would enjoy lengthy and successful careers with the teams that signed them and have been compared favorably to the aforementioned 1983 Draft, which included Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Marino.[38] A two-time Super Bowl winner and six-time Pro Bowler, Roethlisberger leads the three in wins, winning percentage, and postseason appearances, and had the longest career among them.[27][39][40][34]
2004
On August 4, Roethlisberger signed a six-year contract to the Steelers worth $22.26 million in salaries and bonuses, with an additional $17.73 million available via incentives. He was touted by Steelers head coach Bill Cowher in a press conference as a franchise quarterback.[41]
He started his rookie season as the third quarterback on the depth chart behind veterans Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch. When Batch was injured in the preseason, however, Roethlisberger took over the backup quarterback role. Maddox started, and won, the season opener against the Oakland Raiders and started versus the Baltimore Ravens, but after an ineffective outing and third-quarter injury to Maddox, Roethlisberger stepped in for his first NFL action.[42] Despite spurring a mild comeback, the Steelers lost to the Ravens by a score of 30–13. In his regular season debut against the Ravens, Roethlisberger completed 12 of 20 passes for 176-yards and two touchdowns, and two interceptions. During the game, he threw his first career touchdown, on a three-yard pass to Antwaan Randle El and also threw his first career interception to Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas.[43] Maddox's injury changed the Steelers' original plan for Roethlisberger, which was for him to sit on the bench or play sparingly during the first season or two in order to learn the team's system. Instead, he started the third game of the season against the Miami Dolphins, finishing the 13–3 victory with 12 of 22 completions, 163 passing yards, one touchdown, and an interception.[44] In Week 6, in a 24–20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he was 21 of 25 for 193 passing yards and two touchdowns to earn his first AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor.[45][46]
As a rookie, he went 13–0 in the regular season (14–1 including playoffs) as a starting quarterback, helping the Steelers become the first AFC team to have 15 wins (2–1 under Maddox [first two and last game], 13–0 under Roethlisberger) in a single regular season, surpassing former Steeler Mike Kruczek for the record for the best start by a rookie (6–0) and exceeding the mark for total wins as a rookie, set by Chris Chandler and Joe Ferguson.[47] On January 5, Roethlisberger was unanimously selected as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press, the first quarterback in 34 years to be so honored.[48] In addition, he was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.[49]
On October 31, he had one of his biggest games, leading the Steelers to a 34–20 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion and previously undefeated New England Patriots, ending their NFL-record 21-game winning streak. He completed 18 of 24 pass attempts for 196 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers.[50] The next game, the Steelers defeated the also previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles 27–3, with Roethlisberger going 11 of 18 for 183 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.[51]
On December 5, he led the Steelers to a 17–16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was near-perfect on the night, completing 14 of 17 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Jeff Reed's 37-yard field goal in the final minute gave the Steelers and Roethlisberger their tenth straight win.[52]
Two weeks later, Roethlisberger faced off against the New York Giants and the first overall pick of the 2004 draft, Eli Manning. Roethlisberger posted his first career 300-yard passing game, with 18 of 28 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown. He led his fifth game-winning drive of the season, capping a drive with a Jerome Bettis touchdown run for a 33–30 victory.[53]
In the Divisional Round of the playoffs against the New York Jets, Roethlisberger threw two interceptions. One interception was returned for a touchdown, and the other was thrown with 2:03 left in the fourth quarter, which set up a potential game-winning field goal by Jets kicker Doug Brien. Brien missed the kick as time expired (his second missed kick in the last two minutes of the game), forcing the game into overtime. In overtime, Roethlisberger led the Steelers down the field and put them in position for the game-winning field goal, a 33-yard attempt that was made by Jeff Reed, sending the Steelers into the AFC Championship for the fourth time in 10 years.[54]
On January 23 in the AFC Championship Game in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger completed 14 of 24 pass attempts for 226 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw three costly interceptions, one of which was returned 87 yards for a touchdown by Rodney Harrison.[55] The Steelers lost the game to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, by a score of 41–27.[56]
2005: First Super Bowl championship
In the 2005 regular season, the Steelers finished with an 11–5 record. After securing an AFC Wild Card spot en route to victory in the Super Bowl, the Steelers pulled off upsets at Indianapolis and Denver in the AFC playoffs in addition to wins over the higher seed Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks.[57]
During the course of the regular 2005 season, Roethlisberger missed four games due to various knee injuries.[58] The Steelers went 9–3 with Roethlisberger at quarterback and 2–2 without him. He led the league in yards per attempt, with an 8.90, and finished third in passer rating behind Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer with a 98.6.[59]
The Super Bowl run began on January 8 as Roethlisberger helped lead the Steelers to a Divisional Round playoff win over the Cincinnati Bengals—an AFC North rival that had beaten the Steelers by seven points in the regular season to win the division championship. The rematch featured two teams with identical records, having split their regular season series since each team won on the road. Early in the game on Carson Palmer's first throw, a tackle by former Bengal Kimo von Oelhoffen resulted in Palmer's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) being completely torn.[60] The Bengals' backup quarterback, Jon Kitna, came in and led the Bengals to leads of 10–0 and 17–7. However, the 17–7 lead midway through the second quarter was the last time in the 2005 postseason that the Steelers trailed an opponent by more than three points. After Kitna failed to produce, the Steelers took advantage by taking the next 24 straight points, and the win, in a 31–17 victory in Cincinnati.[61]
Their second road win came on January 15 when Roethlisberger led the Steelers against the Indianapolis Colts in the Divisional Round, the NFL's top team throughout the season and a heavy favorite to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XL. Roethlisberger threw for 197 yards and recorded a game-saving tackle on Colts' defensive back Nick Harper, who had just recovered a Jerome Bettis fumble with less than two minutes left in the game. Pittsburgh led early but had to survive a Colts comeback to win 21–18, after an errant call that the NFL later admitted was a mistake,[62] which overturned a Troy Polamalu interception that would have secured the game for the Steelers. Roethlisberger's tackle on Harper, dubbed by many as The Tackle II or The Immaculate Redemption, was compared by many to "The Immaculate Reception" in 1972, when Franco Harris made a miraculous reception and scored the game-winning touchdown against the Oakland Raiders. The victory marked the first time in playoff history that a sixth-seeded NFL playoff team defeated the top-seeded team.[63]
On January 22, 2006, the Steelers defeated the Denver Broncos by a score of 34–17 in Denver to win the AFC Championship and advance to Super Bowl XL. Roethlisberger completed 21 of 29 passes for 275 yards and threw two touchdown passes and scored one touchdown himself on a four-yard play-action bootleg. His run was the last touchdown of the game, sealing the win for the Steelers.[64]
The Steelers won Super Bowl XL 21–10 over the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit on February 5.[65] Roethlisberger had one of the worst passing games of his career, completing just nine of 21 passes for 123 yards and two interceptions; his passer rating of 22.6 was the lowest in Super Bowl history by a winning quarterback. Though he did convert eight third-down situations in the game to help the Steelers win, none of them was bigger than his 37-yard pass to Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward on a third-and-28 that set up the Steelers' first touchdown (a one-yard quarterback sneak by Roethlisberger on third and goal). With the victory, Roethlisberger, at 23 years old, became the youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl, a record previously held by Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.[66][67]
2006
After an off-season motorcycle crash in which he was seriously injured, Roethlisberger missed the opening game of the 2006 season after having an emergency appendectomy on September 3.[68] Backup Charlie Batch started and led the Steelers to a victory over the Miami Dolphins. Roethlisberger played the following game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His return resulted in a sub-par performance as he threw two interceptions with no touchdowns in a 9–0 loss.[69] In Week 3, Roethlisberger completed fewer than half of his passes for three interceptions and no touchdowns in a 28–20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The final interception came in the final seconds of the game, in the end zone, ending Pittsburgh's comeback attempt.[70]
In Week 5 against the San Diego Chargers, Roethlisberger looked sharp throughout the first half, leading three scoring drives. However, in the second half, he threw two interceptions, both of which shifted momentum away from the Steelers and led to the Chargers' 23–13 win.[71] In Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger had his first big game of the season, completing 16 of 19 passes for 238 yards with two touchdowns (his first of the year) and no interceptions during a 45–7 rout of the Chiefs.[72] During Week 7 in Atlanta, Roethlisberger continued his success, going 16 of 22 for 237 yards and three touchdowns.[73] However, during the third quarter, Roethlisberger was helped off the field after sustaining a concussion following a controversial hit by Falcons defensive end Patrick Kerney. Roethlisberger was replaced by Charlie Batch, and the Steelers went on to lose 41–38 in overtime.[74]
On October 29 against the Oakland Raiders, Roethlisberger threw four interceptions in a 20–13 upset loss.[75] The loss was his fifth of the season—two more than he had in his first two seasons combined as a starter—and gave him a total of 11 interceptions, versus just six touchdowns, on the season. In a Week 9 rematch of the 2005 AFC Championship against the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 433 yards but had three of the six Steelers turnovers in a 31–20 loss.[76] Roethlisberger and the Steelers got back on a winning track in a home game a week later against the New Orleans Saints. He passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns in a 38–31 win.[77]
In Week 11, Roethlisberger overcame three first-half interceptions by throwing for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, leading the Steelers to score 21 points and come back to beat the Cleveland Browns, 24–20.[78] The following week, Roethlisberger and the Steelers were held scoreless in a 27–0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Roethlisberger finished 21 of 41 for 214 yards and two interceptions. He was sacked nine times, including once by Ravens linebacker Bart Scott, which sent him to the sidelines briefly. He also fumbled once, which the Ravens returned for a touchdown in the second half.[79] Roethlisberger bounced back the following game, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns in a 20–3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.[80]
Pittsburgh kept their playoff hopes alive in Week 14 with a 27–7 victory against the Browns. Roethlisberger went 11 of 21 for 225 yards with one touchdown, and rushed for one more.[81] In Week 15, Roethlisberger threw for 140 yards and a touchdown in a 37–3 rout of the Carolina Panthers.[82] The following week, Baltimore eliminated Pittsburgh from the playoffs. In the 31–7 defeat, Roethlisberger was intercepted twice and threw for 156 yards.[83]
Roethlisberger ended the season on a good note by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 23–17 in overtime and eliminating them from playoff contention in what was Bill Cowher's final game as the Steelers' head coach. He was 19 for 28 passing with 280 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In overtime, Roethlisberger completed a slant pass to rookie Santonio Holmes, who went 67 yards for the game-winning touchdown.[84]
2007
In Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, Roethlisberger threw four touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his NFL career as he led the Steelers to a win in the debut of new Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.[85] Against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, Roethlisberger looked to get a win over his former offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who was then the head coach of the Cardinals. However, Roethlisberger had his first loss of the season as he was intercepted twice; once in the red zone, and then on a desperation pass with six seconds left in the game.[86]
In Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger passed for a career-high five touchdown passes, which tied the team record held by Terry Bradshaw and Mark Malone. All five touchdowns were thrown in the first half, making Roethlisberger one of two quarterbacks in the 2007 season (the other being Tom Brady), and only the fifth quarterback since the 1970 merger, to accomplish such a feat. He also posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating.[87] Against the Browns in Week 10, Roethlisberger helped the Steelers erase a 15-point deficit against the rival Browns in a 31–28 victory. He passed for 278 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[88][89]
In Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins, Roethlisberger set a Steelers record, completing 85.7% of his passes (18 of 21) as the Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins, 3–0—a feat made all the more remarkable given the weather conditions.[90] Pittsburgh was hit with a torrential storm, delaying the Monday night game 30 minutes due to lightning, while turning the new sod on the field, laid earlier that week, into a soggy mess. In many parts of the field, players sunk several inches with each step. After one of the game's punts, the ball infamously stood straight up, stuck in the ground upon impact. With the game scoreless in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger led a game-winning field goal drive for the only points of the night.[91]
Roethlisberger threw his 29th touchdown pass of the season in Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, breaking the team single-season touchdown pass record previously held by Bradshaw.[92] In Week 16 against the St. Louis Rams, Roethlisberger became the first quarterback in NFL history to have two perfect passer rating (158.3) games in the same regular season, completing 16 of 20 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns. It was his third career-perfect passer rating game, tying Peyton Manning for the most such regular-season games in NFL history.[93] He earned his second AFC Offensive Player of the Week nod for the 2007 season.[94]
To cap his comeback season, Roethlisberger was selected to his first Pro Bowl, joining five other Steelers teammates on the AFC squad.[95] Roethlisberger's 32 touchdown passes ranked third in the NFL, behind Tony Romo and Tom Brady, while his 104.1 passer rating was second only to Brady.[96] Roethlisberger also set a new Steelers single-season record with 32 touchdown passes.[97]
In a rematch of the Week 15 game, the Steelers were defeated by the Jaguars in the AFC Wild Card Round, 31–29. In the loss, Roethlisberger passed for 337 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.[98] Roethlisberger finished third in Comeback Player of the Year voting, behind the Patriots' Randy Moss and the Dallas Cowboys' Greg Ellis, who won the award.[99] Roethlisberger played in his first Pro Bowl in Hawaii.[100]
2008: Second Super Bowl championship
On March 4, 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Roethlisberger agreed to an eight-year, $102 million contract.[101] Roethlisberger had two years left on his original that he signed after the draft. He stated at the time that he wanted to retire as a Steeler.[102]
In Week 1 against the Houston Texans, Roethlisberger completed 13 of 14 passes for a career-high 92.9 completion percentage (minimum 10 attempts), and finished with 137 yards passing and two touchdown passes in the 38–17 win. Byron Leftwich took over in the fourth quarter when Roethlisberger was on the sideline with a shoulder injury.[103] The next week against the Cleveland Browns, he had the first pass reception of his career: a negative-seven-yard completion to himself after a deflected pass in the second quarter.[104] In a 15–6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, Roethlisberger was sacked eight times, fumbled twice, threw one interception, and was called for a safety in the fourth quarter. He did not finish the game, as his throwing hand was injured.[105][106]
In Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers trailed 13–3 at halftime. Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in the third quarter to start a comeback. He completed two passes to Mewelde Moore for 31 yards in overtime, setting up Jeff Reed for the winning 46-yard field goal.[107] The next week, Roethlisberger threw for 239 yards in the first half—a career-high for one half—and directed the game-winning drive, passing for an eight-yard touchdown to Hines Ward to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 26–21.[108] He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air Player of the Week for his performance.[109]
Roethlisberger had one of the worst performances of his career in a Week 9 23–6 win over the Washington Redskins, posting career lows in passer rating (15.1), completions (5), passing yards (50), yards per attempt (2.94) and completion percentage (29.4%).[110] In Week 13 at New England, in consistent rain, Roethlisberger completed 17 of 33 passes for 179 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. After falling behind, 10–3, in the second quarter, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to 30 unanswered points in a 33–10 victory.[111]
Against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, Roethlisberger had his 49th victory as a starting quarterback, breaking the record for the most wins by a quarterback in their first five NFL seasons.[112] The Steelers clinched the AFC North in Week 15 with a win over the Baltimore Ravens,[113] and with a loss to the Tennessee Titans the following week clinched the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The Steelers defeated the San Diego Chargers in the Divisional Round and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship en route to the Super Bowl.[114][115]
In Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to one of the most dramatic victories in Super Bowl history. On the first two offensive drives, Roethlisberger passed for 122 yards on seven of eight passing attempts, which was one yard shy of his total amount from his first Super Bowl start. The Steelers led, 10–0, and went into halftime up, 17–7. The lead grew to 20–7 before Arizona mounted a comeback. Trailing for the first time in the game, 23–20, with 2:30 remaining in the game, Roethlisberger took the field to start the winning drive. After a holding penalty on the first play, Roethlisberger marched the Steelers 88 yards in eight plays, hooking up with game MVP Santonio Holmes four times for 73 yards on the drive, including the six-yard touchdown pass that put the Steelers ahead with 0:35 remaining.[116] Overall, Roethlisberger finished 21 of 30 for 256 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He had a passer rating of 93.2.[117]
2009
In Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers were dominant in the first half and led, 20–9, in the fourth quarter, but the defense surrendered the lead with 14 seconds left. Roethlisberger got the ball back with two seconds remaining and his Hail Mary attempt was incomplete. It is his first NFL loss in the state of Ohio, snapping an 11–0 record.[118] He improved his record of 10–0 against the Cleveland Browns by throwing for 417 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 6.[119] In Week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had thrown for 398 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the game in overtime after taking a knee to the helmet on a scramble attempt.[120][121] He suffered the fourth concussion of his NFL career.[122] After sitting out the overtime loss in Week 12 at Baltimore, Roethlisberger started against the Oakland Raiders in Week 13 and passed for 278 yards and two touchdown passes. He threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Hines Ward with 1:56 remaining, only to have the Raiders answer back with a winning touchdown with nine seconds left. The Steelers could not hold three leads in the fourth quarter. They led 10–6, 17–13 and 24–20. It was the fifth loss of the season in which they surrendered the lead in the final quarter.[123]
On a frigid Thursday night in Cleveland in Week 14, Roethlisberger was sacked 8 times and did not lead a touchdown drive in his first career loss to Cleveland, ending a perfect 10–0 record against the rival Browns. It is the first time he lost four straight starts.[124]
In Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers, Roethlisberger broke several franchise passing records in ending the five-game losing streak for the Steelers with the biggest passing day in franchise history. His first pass of the day was a 60-yard touchdown to Mike Wallace, and his last pass was a game-winning 19-yard touchdown to Wallace on the final play of the game. He passed for 503 yards, three touchdowns, and had no turnovers.[125] He broke Terry Bradshaw's single-season record of 3,724 passing yards, and set a new mark for single-season completions (302). After leading a FG drive to take a 30–28 lead, the defense again surrendered the lead and the Steelers trailed, 36–30. Roethlisberger used all 2:01 he had left to drive the team 86 yards for the winning touchdown with no time remaining.[126] Roethlisberger was named AFC Player of the Week for his effort; the fifth time he has won that award in his career.[127]
In Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger's 259-yard effort helped him become the first quarterback in franchise history to pass for over 4,000 yards in a single season. With the game tied at 20 in the final quarter, he led the Steelers on the game-winning field goal drive as they improved to 8–7.[128]
Roethlisberger finished the season with 4,328 yards and 26 touchdown passes.[129] He was 9–6 as a starter and his 100.5 passer rating was the second time in his career he had a season with a rating over 100. He was sacked 50 times in 2009. Despite the three game win streak to end the season, the Steelers did not make the playoffs after tie-breakers eliminated them. Roethlisberger was voted as team MVP by the Steelers for the first time in his career.[130] He was selected as the first alternate to the Pro Bowl, but declined the invitation to rest his right shoulder which was injured in the Miami game.[131]
2010: Third Super Bowl appearance
In Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, after being suspended for the first four games of the season under the NFL player conduct policy, Roethlisberger returned to the Steelers. In his first game of the season he completed 16 of 27 passes for 258 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.[132]
In Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins, with the Steelers trailing, 22–20, with 2:37 remaining in the game, Roethlisberger was at the center of controversy when he ran a QB draw and dove for the end zone, appearing to score a touchdown in the process. The play was ruled a touchdown on the field, but reviews showed Roethlisberger had fumbled short of the end zone. However, the review failed to provide conclusive evidence as to who recovered the ball after the fumble. By rule, possession was given to Pittsburgh, resulting in the game-winning field goal. Roethlisberger passed for 302 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. "Just a bizarre kind of play. You hate to win it that way, but you'll take a win," Roethlisberger said.[133][134]
In Week 8 against the New Orleans Saints, Roethlisberger, playing in his 90th regular season game, reached the 20,000-yard passing mark, but failed to throw a touchdown pass as the Steelers lost on Halloween night in the Superdome.[135][136] Roethlisberger improved to 8–2 as a starter on Monday Night Football in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and 63–27 over his first 90 regular season starts (tied with Jim McMahon for third-highest win percentage through a player's first 90 starts).[137] Roethlisberger passed for a season-high 387 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Week 10, 39–26 loss, to the New England Patriots, but also had an interception returned for a score and was sacked five times as he tried to rally the Steelers from a 23–3 deficit in the second half.[138]
In his first win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 11, Roethlisberger passed for 275 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for a career-high 55 yards and a[139] touchdown. Celebrating a second-quarter touchdown pass, Roethlisberger was punched in the face by Raiders' defensive lineman Richard Seymour, who was then ejected.[140] Roethlisberger was questionable to start the Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens with a foot injury, but did start the game and suffered a broken nose on the first series after a hit to the face from Haloti Ngata. Trailing 10–6 in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Isaac Redman with 2:51 remaining and the Steelers held on for the 13–10 win as he finished with 253 yards passing.[141]
In Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers clinched the AFC North and the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs. In the 41–9 victory, he finished with 280 passing yards and two touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[142][143] He finished the season with a 9–3 record in 12 starts, passing for 3,200 yards, 17 touchdowns and a career-low five interceptions.[144]
Late in the first quarter of the AFC Divisional Round against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger was sacked and fumbled the ball, and after both teams thought the pass was incomplete, it was eventually picked up by Cory Redding for a Baltimore touchdown. The Steelers trailed, 21–7, in the third quarter before Roethlisberger completed touchdown passes to Heath Miller and Hines Ward to tie the game at 21. With just over two minutes left, the game was tied, 24–24, and the Steelers faced a 3rd and 19. Roethlisberger completed a deep pass to rookie wide receiver Antonio Brown for 58 yards and Rashard Mendenhall's rushing touchdown put the Steelers ahead for good, 31–24, with 1:33 left. It was Roethlisberger's third game-winning drive in a playoff game. He finished with 19 completions on 32 attempts for 226 yards and 2 touchdown passes.[145]
In the AFC Championship against the New York Jets, Roethlisberger rushed for a touchdown in the first half as the Steelers built a 24–0 lead, before the Jets scored 19 unanswered points. With two minutes remaining in the game, Roethlsiberger faced a 3rd and 6. He scrambled right and completed a 14-yard pass to Antonio Brown to seal the victory for Pittsburgh, sending them to their third Super Bowl appearance in the last six seasons. Roethlisberger completed 10 of 19 passes for a season-low 133 yards and two interceptions in the 28–21 victory.[146]
In Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers, Roethlisberger was hit as he attempted a pass to Mike Wallace in the first quarter, and it was intercepted for a touchdown by Nick Collins. The Steelers trailed, 21–3, in the second quarter before Roethlisberger completed a touchdown pass to Hines Ward to make it 21–10 at halftime. The Steelers closed to within 21–17 in the third quarter, but were unable to score on their next three drives. After falling behind, 28–17, in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace, and then pitched the ball to Antwaan Randle El on an option run for the two-point conversion to make it 28–25. Taking over at his own 13 with 1:59 left and down 31–25, Roethlisberger was unable to lead the game-winning drive against Green Bay this time after his pass fell incomplete to Wallace on 4th and 5 at his own 33-yard line, ensuring the first Super Bowl loss of his career. Roethlisberger finished the 31–25 loss 25 of 40 for 263 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. "I feel like I let the city of Pittsburgh down, the fans, my coaches and my teammates," Roethlisberger said, "and it's not a good feeling."[147] In the off-season, he was ranked 41st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.[148]
2011
In Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger set career-worsts for turnovers (5) and largest margin of defeat (28) in his first loss against the Ravens since 2006.[149] In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, he became the fourth quarterback to reach 70 wins in his first 100 starts, as he threw for 298 yards and did not turn the ball over. He took a shot to his right knee in the second quarter, but returned after missing two plays to finish the game.[150]
In a 23–20 Week 3 win against the Indianapolis Colts, Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 171 yards in the first quarter, turned the ball over three times in the second quarter, then led the Steelers to the 20th fourth quarter comeback of his career, passing Terry Bradshaw for the most in Steelers' history.[151] In Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes for the second time in his career. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the seventh time in his career.[152] In Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals, Roethlisberger set the franchise record for longest pass with a 95-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace. He finished with 361 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first regular season win over the Cardinals.[153] Roethlisberger beat the Tom Brady-led Patriots for the first time in seven years in Week 8, completing 36 of 50 passes for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns.[154][155] He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the eighth time in his career.[156] In Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger's career-best streak of 18 consecutive games with 200+ yards passing came to an end as he finished with 193.[157] In Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Roethlisberger moved past Terry Bradshaw in the Steelers' record books; first for most times sacked, then for most pass completions in team history.[158]
In the second quarter of the Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns, Roethlisberger's leg was injured on a sack and he left the game. He returned for the second half and played the rest of the game, despite limping on his high-ankle sprain. He threw a game-clinching 79-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown late in the fourth quarter as the Steelers won 14–3. Roethlisberger finished with 280 yards passing on just 21 attempts for a career-high 13.33 YPA (min. 15 attempts).[159] On the injury, Roethlisberger said, "It was one of the most painful things I ever felt. It felt like the middle of my leg was just, cracked ... it felt like my foot was outside of my leg."[160] In Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers, Roethlisberger started the game while suffering through a high-ankle sprain. During the game, it was clear that Roethlisberger was still showing signs of the injury due to him limping between plays. He finished the game without any touchdowns but had 330 yards passing while throwing three interceptions.[161]
Because of Roethlisberger's leg injury from Week 14, the team opted to sit him and start Charlie Batch in the Week 16 game against the St. Louis Rams, giving Roethlisberger more time to recover.[162]
In Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns, just three weeks after the Browns injured Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger once again took the field to face the same opponents in their home stadium. The Steelers opted to start Roethlisberger over Batch because of the possibility that Baltimore could drop its final game, and a win by the Steelers would take back the division title. Despite his injury, Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff believed Roethlisberger gave them their best chance at victory. Big Ben completed 23 of 40 passes for 221 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Baltimore went on to win their final game and secured the division title, leaving Steelers with the number 5 seed to face Denver in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.[163]
In the Wild Card Round against the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense battled a tough Denver defense, trailing 20–6 at the half but tying it at 23–23 before the end of regulation. The game-tying touchdown came on a 2nd and 10 with 3:47 remaining in regulation, in which Big Ben made a vintage play eluding pass rushers before connecting with Jerricho Cotchery on a 31-yard pass. Despite the heroic efforts of Roethlisberger and company, Tim Tebow's magical season continued with his best single-game performance to date, capped off with an 80-yard completion to Demaryius Thomas to end overtime after one play. Roethlisberger completed 22 of 40 passes for 289 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the 29–23 overtime loss to end the 2011 season.[164] He was named to the Pro Bowl for the 2011 season.[165] He finished ranked 30th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.[166]
2012
Roethlisberger threw for 3,265 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in thirteen games as the Steelers finished the 2012 season with an 8–8 record.[167] One of his best individual games in the 2012 season came against the Oakland Raiders in Week 3. He had 384 passing yards and four touchdowns in the 34–31 loss.[168] He missed three games due to injury, being replaced by Byron Leftwich, who went 0–1, and Charlie Batch, who went 1–1. It was the Steelers first season missing the playoffs since 2009 and their first with a non-winning record since 2006.[169] He finished ranked 61st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.[170]
In 2012, Roethlisberger returned to Miami University to complete his college degree, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education on May 6, 2012. Roethlisberger walked with the other graduates at the commencement ceremony, with his parents, grandmother, and wife Ashley in attendance.[171] He had planned on finishing his degree sooner, but the Steelers having deep playoff runs earlier in his career prevented him from registering for classes in time for the winter term, only being able to do it after the Steelers were eliminated in the Wild Card round against the Denver Broncos the previous season.[171] Roethlisberger became the second member of the Steelers in less than a year to return to college and complete his degree, with teammate Polamalu doing the same thing the previous off-season during the 2011 NFL lockout.[172]
2013
Roethlisberger threw for 4,261 yards and 28 touchdowns in 16 games in 2013 as the Steelers finished the season with an 8–8 record.[173][174] In Week 11, in a 37–27 victory over the Detroit Lions, he had 367 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[175][176] The Steelers would go on to miss the playoffs after the San Diego Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27–24 in overtime in Week 17.[177] This would also be the first time they missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since 1999 and the first time under Mike Tomlin.[178] Roethlisberger was ranked 31st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.[179]
2014
Roesthilsberger started the 2014 season with a 4–3 record in the first seven games.[180] On October 26, 2014, against the Indianapolis Colts, Roethlisberger completed 40 of 49 passes for a career-high 522 yards and six touchdowns as the Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 51–34.[181] With the win, Roethlisberger became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to get 100 wins in his first 150 starts.[182] He also became the first NFL quarterback to pass for over 500 yards twice in a career. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Colts.[183] In the next game, a 43–23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, he had 340 passing yards and six passing touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.[184][185]
In the Steelers Week 15 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, Roethlisberger completed 27 of 35 passes for 360 yards in a 27–20 victory.[186] The victory made Roethlisberger only the sixth quarterback in NFL history to have defeated at least 31 different teams, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Kerry Collins, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning; Roethlisberger has only played with one team and thus has not played against the Steelers. The Steelers lost 41–38 in Roethlisberger's only other matchup against Atlanta in 2006, and he was suspended for the Steelers 15–9 overtime victory against the Falcons in 2010.[3]
During 2014, Roethlisberger passed for career highs in yards with 4,952, completion percentage with 67.1, completions with 408, and attempts with 608. Roethlisberger also matched his career high in passing touchdowns with 32, as well as posting a passer rating of 103.3, the second highest of his career. His 4,952 yards were tied for most on the season with Drew Brees, but Roethlisberger reached the mark with fewer completions.[187][188]
The Steelers had an 11–5 record and finished first in the AFC North.[189] They lost in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 30–17.[190] He was named to his third career Pro Bowl for the 2014 season.[191] He was ranked 26th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.[192]
2015
On March 13, Roethlisberger signed a five-year contract extension with the Steelers.[193] Roethlisberger went 26 for 38 for 351 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception during a 28–21 loss against the New England Patriots to kick off the 2015 NFL season.[194] However, Roethlisberger and the Steelers won their next two games against the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams.[195][196] In the 43–18 victory over the 49ers, he had 369 passing yards and three touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[197]
During the September 27 game against the St. Louis Rams, Roethlisberger suffered a sprained MCL and a bone bruise.[198] Roethlisberger missed the Steelers' next four games, during which Michael Vick and Landry Jones combined to go 2–2.[199][200]
Roethlisberger sustained another injury against the Oakland Raiders on November 8, 2015, suffering a left mid-foot sprain.[201] Due to this injury, he did not start the following week against the Cleveland Browns, although he was listed as active for the game.[202] However, early in the first quarter, Landry Jones sprained his left ankle, resulting in Roethlisberger entering the game in relief for only the second time in his career. Roethlisberger threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a Steelers win and an AFC Offensive Player of the Week award;[203] his 379 passing yards were the most by a quarterback in relief since Don Strock threw for 403 yards for the Miami Dolphins against the San Diego Chargers in the Epic in Miami playoff game in 1982.[204] On November 29, Roethlisberger threw for 456 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, but he also threw two interceptions, and the Seahawks took a 39–30 win.[205]
The Steelers clinched a playoff spot with a 10–6 record, finishing second in the AFC North behind the Cincinnati Bengals. They defeated the Bengals by a score of 18–16 in the Wild Card Round, but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the Divisional Round by a score of 23–16.[206][207] Roethlisberger was named to his fourth career Pro Bowl and was ranked 21st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.[208][209]
2016
Roethlisberger started off the 2016 season with a 2–1 record in the first three games.[210] He had back-to-back 300-yard passing performances against the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets in Weeks 4–5, and combined for nine touchdowns in that span.[211][212] For his effort against the Chiefs, he earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[213] However, the following week on the road against the Miami Dolphins, Roethlisberger left the game after suffering a knee injury. He underwent surgery on October 17 for a torn meniscus and missed the following week against the New England Patriots.[214] The Steelers made the playoffs, winning the AFC North with an 11–5 record.[215] They defeated the Miami Dolphins by a score of 30–12 in the Wild Card Round and beat the Chiefs 18–16 in the Divisional Round.[216][217] However, the Steelers lost 36–17 to the Patriots in the AFC Championship. He passed for 314 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception.[218]
Roethlisberger was named to his third consecutive and fifth career Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016,[219] and was ranked 22nd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017, just one spot below his ranking from the previous year.[220]
2017
Roethlisberger helped lead the Steelers to a 3–1 record to start to the 2017 season.[221] In Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Roethlisberger threw a career-high five interceptions as the Steelers lost by a score of 30–9.[222] In Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans, he completed 30 of 45 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns as the Steelers won 40–17.[223] In that game, Roethlisberger recorded his 4,000th career completion on a three-yard pass to tight end Jesse James.[224] On December 4, Roethlisberger became the eighth quarterback to reach 50,000 career passing yards in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals.[225] In Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens, he completed 44 of 66 passes (both single-game career highs) for 506 yards and two touchdowns in a 39–38 win, becoming the first player in NFL history with three career 500-yard passing games. With the win, the Steelers clinched a playoff berth and the AFC North title.[226] His 44 completions set an NFL record for the most completions in a non-overtime game and were the second most in NFL history behind Drew Bledsoe's 45 completions in 1994.[227] His performance in Week 14 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[228]
During Week 15 against the New England Patriots, Roethlisberger finished with 281 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception.[229] In the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, two controversial moments occurred; Roethlisberger threw a potential game-winning touchdown to tight end Jesse James, but was overturned after James seemingly lost control when the ball touched the ground. Two plays later, Roethlisberger faked a spike to pass, which was intercepted by Duron Harmon, resulting in the Steelers losing 24–27.[230]
On December 19, 2017, Roethlisberger was named to his fourth consecutive and sixth career Pro Bowl along with his star receiver Antonio Brown and three of his starting offensive lineman among others.[231]
The Steelers finished the 2017 season with a 13–3 record, clinching the AFC North division.[232] In the AFC Divisional Round, the Steelers faced the Jaguars. Although the Jaguars had the #1 passing defense in 2017, Roethlisberger finished with a playoff career-high 469 passing yards, five touchdowns, and an interception, but the Steelers lost 42–45.[233] He was ranked 18th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.[234]
2018
Roethlisberger started the 2018 season with 335 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in a 21–21 tie against the Cleveland Browns.[235] In Week 2, in a 42–37 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger passed for 452 yards, three touchdowns, and had a rushing touchdown.[236] He became the third player since 1950 with at least 450 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown in the same game.[237] He passed John Elway for seventh-most passing yards in NFL history.[238] In Week 3, Roethlisberger completed 79% of his passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns in a 30–27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.[239] In Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers, Roethlisberger had more touchdowns than incompletions on a statline of 22-of-25 for 328 yards and five touchdowns in his NFL-record fourth game with a perfect quarterback rating.[240] His performance in Week 10 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in 2018.[241] In a Week 12 loss to the Denver Broncos, he passed for a season-high 462 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions.[242] In Week 16, a 31–28 loss to the New Orleans Saints, he passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns in a loss that hurt their playoff chances.[243] Despite a win in Week 17, the Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013, finishing second in the AFC North with a 9–6–1 record.[244]
Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards (5,129) for the second time in his career.[245] He led the league in completions (452), attempts (675) and interceptions (16). His 5,129 passing yards and 34 touchdown passes set franchise records, both of which were held by Roethlisberger in his 2014 season.[246]
2019
On April 24, 2019, Roethlisberger signed a two-year contract extension with the Steelers worth $68 million with a $37.5 million signing bonus, keeping him under contract through the 2021 season.[247] In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Roethlisberger injured his right elbow and was unable to play in the second half of the game. His backup Mason Rudolph relieved him as the Steelers lost 28–26.[248] Subsequently, the team announced the following day that Roethlisberger would be placed on the season ending injured-reserve list after undergoing surgery on his injured elbow.[249][250] After the season, it was revealed that Roethlisberger's injury was much more serious than originally anticipated, as he tore off three flexor tendons from his throwing arm, and he is believed to be the first quarterback to attempt a comeback from such an injury.[251]
2020
Roethlisberger made his return from injury in the Week 1 game against the New York Giants, where he threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns in the 26–16 win.[252] In Week 3 against the Houston Texans, Roethlisberger threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns during the 28–21 win. During the game, Roethlisberger broke Mike Webster's record for the most games played with the Steelers with 221 games.[253][254] In Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Roethlisberger threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns, all to Chase Claypool, during the 38–29 win.[255] With the victory, he helped lead the Steelers to their first 4–0 start since 1979.[256] In Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys, Roethlisberger threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns during the 24–19 win.[257] The victory over the Cowboys marked an 8–0 start to the season for the Steelers, the best in franchise history.[258] On November 10, 2020, Roethlisberger was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 after being deemed high risk due to Vance McDonald contracting COVID-19[259] but was activated four days later.[260][261] In Week 10, against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 333 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in the 36–10 victory.[262] Roethlisberger was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.[263] In Week 13 against the Washington Football Team, Roethlisberger threw for 305 yards, two touchdowns and an interception during the 23–17 loss. This was the Steelers' first loss of the season.[264]
Roethlisberger finished the 2020 season with 3,803 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and ten interceptions as the Steelers finished 12–4 with an AFC North title.[265][266] Against the Cleveland Browns in the Wild Card Round, Roethlisberger completed 47 out of 68 pass attempts for 501 yards and four touchdowns, but threw four interceptions in a 48–37 loss.[267] Roethlisberger's 47 pass competitions set an NFL record for most completions in a game (passing Drew Bledsoe and Jared Goff's record of 45 passes)[268] while also throwing for the second most passing yards ever in a playoff game.[269]
2021
Roethlisberger signed a renegotiated contract with the Steelers on March 4, 2021, that saw him take a $5 million pay cut.[270][271] A day before the Week 10 game against the Detroit Lions, the Steelers placed Roethlisberger on Reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus.[272][273]
Roethlisberger finished the 2021 regular season with 3,740 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and ten interceptions, and also had an additional rushing touchdown as the Steelers finished with a 9–7–1 record.[274] In the Wild Card Round against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–21 loss.[275]
Retirement
On January 27, 2022, Roethlisberger announced his retirement from the NFL.[276]
After Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady unretired in March of that year, some wondered if Roethlisberger would also come back for another season. Roethlisberger was quick to silence those questions when he told WDVE in Pittsburgh, "First off, my coach and GM don't want me back. Second off, I'm pretty content with where I'm at."[277] In March 2023, Roethlisberger revealed to Mark Madden however that the San Francisco 49ers did show some interest after suffering injuries with Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo left Brock Purdy as the starting quarterback, but Roethlisberger declined.[278]
Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger
On September 2, 2022, Roethlisberger began the podcast Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger on his Channel 7 YouTube channel.[279] Co-hosted by Pittsburgh-based musician and producer Spencer Te'o,[280] Roethlisberger and Te'o started the first several episodes mainly discussing Roethlisberger's life after retirement, stories from his tenure with the Steelers and beer tasting. The show eventually evolved into having guest interviews with current and former players and coaches such as Kenny Pickett, Jerome Bettis, Bill Cowher and Mike Tomlin.[281][282][283][284] During the 2023 season, the show began to incorporate Roethlisberger and Te'o watching various Steeler games and providing commentary.
The final episode was uploaded on December 25, 2023, with an episode about the Steelers' victory over the Cincinnati Bengals on Christmas Eve.[285] In an interview with WDVE in 2024, Roethlisberger claimed that the podcast would not continue. Despite this announcement, Roethlisberger uploaded a surprise teaser for another season of the podcast on August 29, 2024, to begin the following week.
NFL career statistics
Legend | |
---|---|
Won the Super Bowl | |
Led the league | |
Bold | Career high |
Regular season
Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | YdsL | Fum | Lost | ||
2004 | PIT | 14 | 13 | 13–0 | 196 | 295 | 66.4 | 2,621 | 8.9 | 58 | 17 | 11 | 98.1 | 56 | 144 | 2.6 | 20 | 1 | 30 | 213 | 2 | 2 |
2005 | PIT | 12 | 12 | 9–3 | 168 | 268 | 62.7 | 2,385 | 8.9 | 85 | 17 | 9 | 98.6 | 31 | 69 | 2.2 | 13 | 3 | 23 | 129 | 2 | 1 |
2006 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 7–8 | 280 | 469 | 59.7 | 3,513 | 7.5 | 67 | 18 | 23 | 75.4 | 32 | 98 | 3.1 | 20 | 2 | 46 | 280 | 5 | 2 |
2007 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 10–5 | 264 | 404 | 65.3 | 3,154 | 7.8 | 83 | 32 | 11 | 104.1 | 35 | 204 | 5.8 | 30T | 2 | 47 | 347 | 9 | 3 |
2008 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 12–4 | 281 | 469 | 59.9 | 3,301 | 7.0 | 65 | 17 | 15 | 80.1 | 34 | 101 | 3.0 | 17 | 2 | 46 | 284 | 14 | 7 |
2009 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 9–6 | 337 | 506 | 66.6 | 4,328 | 8.6 | 60 | 26 | 12 | 100.5 | 40 | 82 | 2.1 | 15 | 2 | 50 | 348 | 7 | 3 |
2010 | PIT | 12 | 12 | 9–3 | 240 | 389 | 61.7 | 3,200 | 8.2 | 56 | 17 | 5 | 97.0 | 34 | 176 | 5.2 | 31 | 2 | 32 | 220 | 7 | 3 |
2011 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 11–4 | 324 | 513 | 63.2 | 4,077 | 7.9 | 95 | 21 | 14 | 90.1 | 31 | 70 | 2.3 | 11 | 0 | 40 | 269 | 8 | 5 |
2012 | PIT | 13 | 13 | 7–6 | 284 | 449 | 63.3 | 3,265 | 7.3 | 82 | 26 | 8 | 97.0 | 26 | 92 | 3.5 | 14 | 0 | 30 | 182 | 6 | 3 |
2013 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 8–8 | 375 | 584 | 64.2 | 4,261 | 7.3 | 67 | 28 | 14 | 92.0 | 27 | 99 | 3.7 | 19 | 1 | 42 | 282 | 9 | 6 |
2014 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 11–5 | 408 | 608 | 67.1 | 4,952 | 8.1 | 94 | 32 | 9 | 103.3 | 33 | 27 | 0.8 | 8 | 0 | 33 | 172 | 9 | 5 |
2015 | PIT | 12 | 11 | 7–4 | 319 | 469 | 68.0 | 3,938 | 8.4 | 69 | 21 | 16 | 94.5 | 15 | 29 | 1.9 | 13 | 0 | 20 | 141 | 2 | 0 |
2016 | PIT | 14 | 14 | 10–4 | 328 | 509 | 64.4 | 3,819 | 7.5 | 72 | 29 | 13 | 95.4 | 16 | 14 | 0.9 | 14 | 1 | 17 | 141 | 8 | 2 |
2017 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 12–3 | 360 | 561 | 64.2 | 4,251 | 7.6 | 97 | 28 | 14 | 93.4 | 28 | 47 | 1.7 | 14 | 0 | 21 | 139 | 3 | 1 |
2018 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 9–6–1 | 452 | 675 | 67.0 | 5,129 | 7.6 | 97 | 34 | 16 | 96.5 | 31 | 98 | 3.2 | 18 | 3 | 24 | 166 | 7 | 2 |
2019 | PIT | 2 | 2 | 0–2 | 35 | 62 | 56.5 | 351 | 5.7 | 45 | 0 | 1 | 66.0 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
2020 | PIT | 15 | 15 | 12–3 | 399 | 608 | 65.6 | 3,803 | 6.3 | 84 | 33 | 10 | 94.1 | 25 | 11 | 0.4 | 11 | 0 | 13 | 118 | 5 | 1 |
2021 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 9–7 | 390 | 605 | 64.5 | 3,740 | 6.2 | 59 | 22 | 10 | 86.8 | 20 | 5 | 0.3 | 8 | 1 | 38 | 239 | 11 | 5 |
Career | 249 | 247 | 165–81–1 | 5,440 | 8,443 | 64.4 | 64,088 | 7.6 | 97 | 418 | 211 | 93.5 | 515 | 1,373 | 2.7 | 31 | 20 | 554 | 3,677 | 115 | 51 |
Postseason
Year | Team | Games | Passing | Rushing | Sacked | Fumbles | ||||||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Record | Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Y/A | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Sck | YdsL | Fum | Lost | ||
2004 | PIT | 2 | 2 | 1–1 | 31 | 54 | 57.4 | 407 | 7.5 | 34 | 3 | 5 | 61.3 | 9 | 75 | 8.3 | 20 | 0 | 2 | 11 | 1 | 0 |
2005 | PIT | 4 | 4 | 4–0 | 58 | 93 | 62.4 | 803 | 8.6 | 54 | 7 | 3 | 101.7 | 19 | 37 | 1.9 | 10 | 2 | 6 | 35 | 0 | 0 |
2007 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 29 | 42 | 69.0 | 337 | 8.0 | 37 | 2 | 3 | 79.2 | 4 | 13 | 3.3 | 6 | 0 | 6 | 40 | 1 | 1 |
2008 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 3–0 | 54 | 89 | 60.7 | 692 | 7.8 | 65 | 3 | 1 | 91.6 | 5 | 0 | 0.0 | 4 | 0 | 8 | 58 | 0 | 0 |
2010 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 2–1 | 54 | 91 | 59.3 | 622 | 6.8 | 58 | 4 | 4 | 76.4 | 21 | 63 | 3.0 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 48 | 3 | 1 |
2011 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 22 | 40 | 55.0 | 289 | 7.2 | 33 | 1 | 1 | 75.9 | 3 | 15 | 5.0 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 45 | 1 | 0 |
2014 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 31 | 45 | 68.9 | 334 | 7.4 | 44 | 1 | 2 | 79.3 | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 37 | 0 | 0 |
2015 | PIT | 2 | 2 | 1–1 | 42 | 68 | 61.8 | 568 | 8.4 | 60 | 1 | 0 | 93.3 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 55 | 0 | 0 |
2016 | PIT | 3 | 3 | 2–1 | 64 | 96 | 66.7 | 735 | 7.7 | 62 | 3 | 4 | 82.6 | 8 | 11 | 1.4 | 8 | 0 | 2 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
2017 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 37 | 58 | 63.8 | 469 | 8.1 | 43 | 5 | 1 | 110.5 | 2 | 16 | 8.0 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 7 | 1 | 1 |
2020 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 47 | 68 | 69.1 | 501 | 7.4 | 33 | 4 | 4 | 85.5 | 1 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
2021 | PIT | 1 | 1 | 0–1 | 29 | 44 | 65.9 | 215 | 4.9 | 22 | 2 | 0 | 92.5 | 2 | −1 | −0.5 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 14 | 1 | 0 |
Career | 23 | 23 | 13–10 | 498 | 788 | 63.2 | 5,972 | 7.6 | 65 | 36 | 28 | 86.7 | 76 | 245 | 3.2 | 20 | 3 | 53 | 365 | 8 | 3 |
Comebacks/game-winning drives
Roethlisberger set an NFL rookie record in 2004 with five comeback wins in the fourth quarter, and six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter/overtime (including one playoff game).[286][287] Roethlisberger has the most comeback wins (19) and game-winning drives (25) through the first seven seasons of a player's career.[288][289] He is the only quarterback in NFL history to reach 20 comeback wins before the age of 30.[290] Upon his retirement following the 2021 season, Roethlisberger was tied for the 2nd most game-winning drives of all time (53), and in sole possession of 2nd most game-winning drives including the playoffs (57).[291]
NFL records
- Regular season wins in a season, rookie quarterback – 13 (2004)[292]
- Longest regular season win streak to start a career for an NFL quarterback – 15 games (won all 13 starts in the 2004 season, won first 2 games of the 2005 season)[293]
- Wins as a starting quarterback in first five NFL seasons (reg. season only) – 51 (from 2004 to 2008)[112]
- Youngest starting quarterback to win the Super Bowl (2005; second-youngest QB to play in the Super Bowl, behind Dan Marino)[294]
- Most career 500+ yard passing games (4)[295]
- Most career games with a perfect passer rating: 4 (tied with Peyton Manning and Lamar Jackson)[296]
- Most games with a perfect passer rating in the same season: 2 (2007; tied)[a]
- Most touchdown passes in consecutive games (12)[297]
- Most completions in a playoff or regular season game (47)[298]
Pittsburgh Steelers franchise records
- Career passing yards – 64,088[299]
- Career passing touchdowns – 418[299]
- Career interceptions thrown – 211[299]
- Career passer rating (Min. 20 attempts) – 93.5[299]
- Career completion percentage (Min. 20 attempts)— 64.4%[299]
- Longest completion – 97 (October 29, 2017, and November 25, 2018)[300]
- Career pass attempts – 8,443[299]
- Career pass completions – 5,440[299]
- Career 400+ yard passing games – 12[301]
- Career 500+ yard passing games – 4[302]
- Completion percentage, single season – 67.1% (2014)[303]
- Touchdown passes, single season – 34 (2018)[303]
- Single season passer rating – 104.1 (2007)[303]
- Passing yards in a season – 5,129 (2018)[303]
- Pass completions in a season – 452 (2018)[303]
- Passing yards in a game – 522 (October 26, 2014)[304]
- Pass completions in a game – 44 (December 10, 2017)[305]
- Touchdown passes, game – 6 (October 26, 2014, and November 2, 2014)[306]
Charitable works
Roethlisberger started a foundation with the following mission statement: "The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation seeks to (a): provide support for police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on service dogs and (b): to enhance the quality of life for residents of Findlay, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."[307]
In 2005, Roethlisberger donated one game check to aid the tsunami relief fund.[308] He has also donated over $100,000 to fund police dogs in Pittsburgh.[309]
In October 2014, Roethlisberger and his wife donated $1 million to his alma mater, Miami University, for an indoor sports center.[310]
Personal life
Roethlisberger was born in Lima, Ohio,[311] the son of Ida Jane (née Foust) and Kenneth Todd "Ken" Roethlisberger. His father is a former pitcher and quarterback at Georgia Tech.[312][313] He is of part Swiss descent; his surname, Roethlisberger (Swiss-German spelling: Röthlisberger), is of Swiss origin, with roots in Geissbühl, a farming hamlet in the municipality of Lauperswil, Switzerland.[314][315] His younger sister, Carlee Roethlisberger, played basketball for the University of Oklahoma.[316]
On July 23, 2011, Roethlisberger married Ashley Harlan, a physician assistant from New Castle, Pennsylvania.[317] He and his wife have three children, Ben Jr., Baylee, and Bodie.[318][319]
Roethlisberger is a Christian. Roethlisberger grew up as a Christian but recommitted to his faith in 2017. Roethlisberger has said "Go ahead and be the best athlete you can possibly be, and see if you can be a better Christian. That's what I'm trying to do now. I'm trying to be a better Christian than I am athlete and football player."[320]
Roethlisberger is a spokesman for Swiss Roots, a campaign intended to help Americans of Swiss origin reconnect with their Swiss ancestral heritage.[321] In May 2006, Roethlisberger and his family traveled to Switzerland for a week.[321][322]
He has his own line of barbecue sauce, Big Ben's BBQ, and is an investor in tech startups, including neonatal care company, NeoLight.[323][324]
Controversy
Motorcycle accident
On June 12, 2006, Roethlisberger was in a motorcycle accident near downtown Pittsburgh, in which he was not wearing his helmet. Roethlisberger did not have a valid Pennsylvania motorcycle license at the time of the accident, only a temporary permit that he had obtained after moving to Pittsburgh that had expired in March.[325]
Roethlisberger was traveling east on Second Avenue when a 1996 Chrysler New Yorker made a left turn in front of the motorcycle on the South Tenth Street Bridge[326] when the accident occurred. According to an eyewitness, Roethlisberger went over the handlebars of his bike, shattering the windshield of the car with his head.[327][328] Reports from the scene and news media indicated that the accident was serious but "not life- or career-threatening," though Roethlisberger related in interviews that paramedics on the scene stopped bleeding in his throat just in time to save his life.[329] Roethlisberger was transported to Mercy Hospital and was described as being in "serious but stable" condition in the operating room.[330]
Police sources indicated that Roethlisberger suffered fractures to the jaw and right sinus cavity, as well as a nine-inch laceration to the back of the head, the loss of two teeth, and several chipped teeth.[331]
At Mercy Hospital, he went immediately into surgery to repair the broken bones in his face. A subsequent news conference with the hospital staff was brief but confirmed early reports that the most serious injuries were to the head and face. After surgery on June 13, 2006, Roethlisberger was upgraded to fair condition.[329][332]
The most serious injuries to Roethlisberger were a broken upper and lower jaw and a broken nose.[333]
Roethlisberger was released from the hospital on June 14, 2006. The next day, he released a statement apologizing for concerning friends, family, all his fans, and the Steelers organization, and in which he also stated, "If I ever ride again, it certainly will be with a helmet."[334] Roethlisberger was subsequently videotaped by KDKA-TV staff riding without a helmet on a Pittsburgh freeway.[335]
On June 19, the Pittsburgh police announced that Roethlisberger was to be cited for failure to wear a helmet and failure to operate in his license class. Wearing a helmet is optional in Pennsylvania only for operators who possess and have had a motorcycle license for at least two years. The driver of the car was cited for failure to yield the right of way.[336]
Roethlisberger gave his first television interview after the accident on July 13, with ABC's Good Morning America. Despite the seriousness of the accident, his recovery went so well that he started the first three Steelers preseason games in 2006.[337]
Sexual assault allegations
Lake Tahoe
In July 2009, Andrea McNulty, 31, filed a civil claim in Washoe County, Nevada District Court accusing Roethlisberger of sexual assault in June 2008 in his hotel room while he was in Stateline, Nevada for a celebrity golf tournament.[338] Roethlisberger was one of nine defendants listed in the docket report and Roethlisberger's attorney denied the claim.[339]
The Lake Tahoe suit sought damages from the quarterback and additional damages from Harrah's Lake Tahoe officials, alleging that they covered up the incident.[340] According to McNulty, she was working as an executive casino host in July 2008 when she said Roethlisberger struck up a friendly conversation at her desk during the tournament. The next night she claimed Roethlisberger telephoned her to tell her that the television sound system in his room was not working and asked her to look at it. McNulty said she determined that the TV was functioning properly, but as she turned to leave, he stood in front of the door and blocked her, then grabbed her and started to kiss her.[341] According to the lawsuit, the woman obtained hospital treatment after the incident. A second lawsuit filed by a Harrah's employee related to an incident involving Roethlisberger four days earlier showed that Roethlisberger was friends with a Harrah's executive overseeing northern Nevada.[335] McNulty's suit alleges that her boss told her "That guy [Roethlisberger] can have anyone he wants."[335]
In August 2009, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published details of an affidavit filed as part of a motion by two of the other defendants named in the suit to relocate the case from Washoe County to Douglas County. In the affidavit, Angela Antonetti, McNulty's former co-worker, delivered a sworn statement that McNulty had bragged to her about having consensual sex with Roethlisberger.[335] As part of the affidavit, Antonetti said she was "absolutely shocked" upon hearing of the case on the radio on July 21. Antonetti explained, "I knew that [her] lawsuit and false allegations would unfairly and unjustly hurt Mr. Roethlisberger".[342]
According to the affidavit, defendant Antonetti claimed that McNulty had revealed she was hoping she had gotten pregnant with a "little Roethlisberger". Antonetti also claimed that she had been asked to travel to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in August 2008 in an attempt to "run into" the quarterback. In response, Antonetti advised McNulty she "shouldn't try to chase Mr. Roethlisberger".[342]
In December 2011, the suit was ended when the parties settled.[343]
Milledgeville, Georgia
On March 5, 2010, it was revealed that police in Milledgeville, Georgia investigated Roethlisberger for assault inside the women's restroom of the Capital City nightclub. The accuser, a then-20-year-old student at nearby Georgia College & State University, was seen at several establishments with Roethlisberger leading up to the incident, including posing for a photograph with him.[344] Roethlisberger spoke with police the night of the incident and stated that he did have contact with the woman that was not "consummated" and afterward the accuser slipped and injured herself.
Roethlisberger hired lawyer Ed Garland, who previously defended Baltimore Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis in his murder trial. Head coach Mike Tomlin stated at the time that he was "highly concerned" for the franchise and Roethlisberger.[345]
The accuser was treated at Oconee Regional Medical Center. An emergency-room doctor and two nurses examined her and noted in their report a "superficial laceration and bruising and slight bleeding in the genital area", but could not say if trauma or assault was the cause. The remaining examination was "normal". A rape kit was collected, but no semen was recovered. The doctor's report also quoted the alleged victim telling them that, "A boy kind of raped me."[346]
In interviews with the police on the night of the incident, the woman alleged that Roethlisberger, after inviting her and her friends to the V.I.P. area of the nightclub, encouraged them to take shots of alcohol before Anthony Barravecchio – an off-duty Coraopolis, Pennsylvania policeman, undercover DEA narcotics officer at Pittsburgh International Airport, and one of Roethlisberger's bodyguards[347][348] – claimed he led her down a hallway and left. Witnesses, however, stated that Barravecchio "placed his hand" on the accuser's shoulder and applied "a little bit of pressure to guide her" to the restroom where she claims the assault took place, something Barravecchio's lawyer denied.[349][350]
After Barravecchio's purported departure, Roethlisberger allegedly approached, exposed himself, and despite the woman's protests, followed her into what turned out to be a bathroom when she tried to leave through the first door she saw. The woman claims Roethlisberger raped her and further alleged that friends of the woman attempted to intervene out of worry, but the second of Roethlisberger's bodyguards, Edward Joyner—an off-duty Pennsylvania State Trooper—avoided eye contact and said he did not know what they were talking about.[351] The policemen claimed to "have no memory" of meeting the woman.[352]
Milledgeville Police Sergeant Jerry Blash, who had posed for a photograph with Roethlisberger earlier in the evening, was the first officer to respond.[353] Blash later admitted denigrating the accuser and never formally questioning Roethlisberger; he did speak to the NFL player and his off-duty police bodyguards at the Capital City club.[347]
In April 2010, district attorney Fred Bright announced that Roethlisberger would not be charged.[346] Further, the accuser wrote to the D.A. through her lawyer expressing she no longer wanted to pursue criminal charges because the level of media attention would make a criminal trial too "intrusive" of a personal experience but stressed that she was not recanting her accusation.[354][355]
As a result of the unabridged details revealed in Bright's press conference Steelers president Art Rooney II was reported to be "furious".[356] The owner of Pittsburgh-based PLB Sports, which marketed "Big Ben's Beef Jerky", terminated the company's five-year sponsorship of Roethlisberger, the first such action in the company's 14-year history.[357][358] Jerry Blash resigned from the Milledgeville Police on April 15, 2010. Anthony Barravecchio was never disciplined, despite a local investigation where the Coraopolis Solicitor reviewed the 500-page Georgia Bureau of Investigation file on the matter;[350][359] however, Barravecchio's interview with the GBI was not among those released by the agency.[360] Ed Joyner was prohibited by the Pennsylvania State Troopers from continuing to work for Roethlisberger, and lost a grievance case seeking to overturn the decision.[361]
2010 suspension
Roethlisberger was suspended for six games during the 2010 NFL season for violating the league's personal conduct policy, and was ordered to undergo a league-mandated "professional behavior evaluation" and "must adhere to any counseling or treatment that is recommended by the professional evaluators."[362] The suspension was subsequently reduced to four games.[363][364][335]
In popular culture
Roethlisberger is the namesake of multiple sandwiches, which are usually named using a pun on his last name's similarity to "burger" or "hamburger". For instance, the Pittsburgh restaurant chain Peppi's sells the "Roethlisburger", at a price of $7.00, in correlation with his jersey number "7", and also having ingredients that describe his playing style (scrambled eggs for "scrambler", beef and sausage for his size and strength).[365][366] A Findlay, Ohio, restaurant named Tony's and an Oxford, Ohio, restaurant named Brick Street also sell "Roethlisburger" sandwiches.[367]
He has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman after both of his Super Bowl victories.[368] At the 2006 Grammy Awards, one week after Pittsburgh won Super Bowl XL, Roethlisberger introduced Kelly Clarkson.[369] In 2009, he hosted WWE Raw.[370] He, along with other Steelers players, made a cameo appearance as a member of the Gotham Rogues football team in the 2012 film The Dark Knight Rises.[371]
See also
- List of 500-yard passing games in the National Football League
- List of National Football League career passer rating leaders
- List of National Football League career quarterback wins leaders
- List of NFL quarterbacks who have posted a perfect passer rating
- List of National Football League quarterback playoff records
Notes and references
- ^ Tied with Lamar Jackson
- ^ Campbell, David (October 11, 2007). "Miami University retired Ben Roethlisberger's number". cleveland.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Pryor, Brooke (January 27, 2022). "'Grateful' Roethlisberger retires after 18 seasons". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
- ^ a b Bryan, Dave (December 24, 2014). "Roethlisberger Sets New Franchise Passing Yardage Record, Joins 31-Club With Sunday Win". Steelers Depot. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ Hartman, Jeff (November 9, 2017). "For Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers, it is 'Dome sweet Dome'". Behind the Steel Curtain. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ Cook, Ron (October 12, 2009). "Steelers' Roethlisberger shows flashes of Elway". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ Villani, Jared (November 22, 2018). "Ben Roethlisberger Reveals Why He Wears No. 7". ClutchPoints. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ a b c Musselman, Ron (April 18, 2004). "Hindsight makes Hite's sight look blurry". Toledo Blade. Archived from the original on February 8, 2011. Retrieved October 5, 2014.
- ^ Myers, Massillon (September 6, 2019). "Freshman quarterback makes Miami Football history". Oxford Observer. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Miami (OH) at Michigan Box Score, September 1, 2001". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Akron at Miami (OH) Box Score, October 13, 2001". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Miami (OH) at Bowling Green State Box Score, November 3, 2001". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Miami (OH) at Hawaii Box Score, November 17, 2001". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ a b c "Ben Roethlisberger Player Bio". Miami RedHawks. Archived from the original on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 12, 2015.
- ^ "2001 Miami (OH) RedHawks Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on June 17, 2017. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "2002 Miami (OH) RedHawks Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Northern Illinois at Miami (OH) Box Score, October 12, 2002". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Miami (OH) at Toledo Box Score, October 26, 2002". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "MAC announces players of the week". getsomemaction.com. October 28, 2002. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ "GMAC Bowl – Miami (OH) vs Louisville Box Score, December 18, 2003". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "2003 Miami (OH) RedHawks Schedule and Results". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "MAC Offensive Player of the Year Winners". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on March 27, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "A Battle of MAC Undefeateds as RedHawks Host Falcons in Homecoming Clash". Miami RedHawks. October 9, 2007. Archived from the original on October 12, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ "Miami to Honor Ben Roethlisberger and Terry Hoeppner at Football Game on Saturday". Miami RedHawks. October 10, 2007. Archived from the original on December 12, 2007. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ "Miami University RedHawks 2008 Media Guide". Miami RedHawks. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ ""RedHawks fall to Northern Illinois, 48–41", Miami University RedHawks Official Athletic Site". Miami RedHawks. October 12, 2002. Archived from the original on February 15, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger, Miami (OH), QB, 2004 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ a b "Ben Roethlisberger Stats". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 5, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2004 NFL Draft Profile". insider.espn.com. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger, Combine Results, QB – Miami (OH)". nflcombineresults.com. Archived from the original on September 1, 2021. Retrieved September 1, 2021.
- ^ Sherman, Rodger (November 19, 2019). "How the Rise of MACtion Forever Changed MAC Fandom". The Ringer. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ Coolong, Neal (April 15, 2015). "Ben Roethlisberger once scored (allegedly) 25 on the Wonderlic Test". Steelers Wire. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL". TV Guide. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ Youngmisuk, Ohm (November 2, 2012). "Giants, Steelers linked by the QBs". ESPN. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved September 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c "2004 NFL Draft Listing". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 1, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers All-Time Draft History". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 6, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Scott (April 24, 2014). "Big Ben pick returned Steelers to glory". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Davis, Bryan Anthony (April 23, 2020). "Draft Day Memories: A franchise quarterback slips to the Steelers in a big way". Behind the Steel Curtain. Archived from the original on June 9, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Banks, Don (August 28, 2009). "Best quarterback class ever? Trio from '04 makes its case over '83". SI.com. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved July 27, 2010.
- ^ "Eli Manning Stats". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "Philip Rivers Stats". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 3, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ Bakay, Nick (May 26, 2010). "Pittsburgh proves it: Franchise QB = long-term success". NFL.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ "Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers - September 12th, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens – September 19th, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins – September 26th, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys – October 17th, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "2004 NFL Week 6 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2004 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Winners". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "2004 NFL All-Rookie Team". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 31st, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 7th, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars – December 5th, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants – December 18th, 2004". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Divisional Round – New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 15th, 2005". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Cafardo, Nick (January 24, 2005). "Steel hurtin'". Boston.com. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "AFC Championship – New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 23rd, 2005". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "2005 Pittsburgh Steelers Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 18, 2008. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Brown, Clifton (October 12, 2005). "Roethlisberger's Injury Has Not Ended His Season". The New York Times. Retrieved May 30, 2024.
- ^ "2005 NFL Passing". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 31, 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ Bell, Samuel Jr. (September 25, 2008). "Wounded Bengals: The Injury That Changed the Course of Two Franchises". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Wild Card – Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals – January 8th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on August 2, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Guzman, Hugo (January 16, 2006). "Oops! My bad...NFL admits blown call on Polamalu INT". Realfootball365.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ Breech, John (January 11, 2014). "NFL Playoffs: 6-seeds are 5–2 against No. 1 seeds since 2005". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ "AFC Championship – Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos – January 22nd, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on August 4, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Miller, Ira (February 6, 2006). "SUPER BOWL XL: Steelers 21, Seahawks 10". SFGate. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ Maniece, Mykenna (February 7, 2024). "The 10 youngest starting quarterbacks to win the Super Bowl". Business Insider. Retrieved July 24, 2024.
- ^ Sutelan, Edward (February 13, 2022). "Youngest QBs to win a Super Bowl: Bengals' Joe Burrow looks to join rare company". www.sportingnews.com. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- ^ Pasquarelli, Len (September 3, 2006). "Roethlisberger to miss opener after appendectomy". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Jacksonville Jaguars – September 18th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers – September 24th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at San Diego Chargers – October 8th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 15th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Atlanta Falcons – October 22nd, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (October 22, 2006). "Falcons beat Steelers in overtime, 41–38". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on January 2, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Oakland Raiders – October 29th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Denver Broncos at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 5th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "New Orleans Saints at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 12th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – November 19th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens – November 26th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Pittsburgh Steelers – December 3rd, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – December 7th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Carolina Panthers – December 17th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers – December 24th, 2006". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Kay, Joe (December 31, 2006). "Steelers Shatter Bengals' Playoff Hopes". FOXNews.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "Roethlisberger throws 4 TDs". OrlandoSentinel.com. September 10, 2007. Archived from the original on January 16, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Arizona Cardinals – September 30th, 2007". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on June 6, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 5th, 2007". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 11th, 2007". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "2007 NFL Week 10 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Miami Dolphins at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 26th, 2007". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Steelers win mud wrestling battle, 3–0". The New York Times. November 27, 2007. Archived from the original on September 22, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Garrard's 3 TD passes, Taylor's running lead weatherproof Jaguars past Steelers 29–22". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 16, 2007. Archived from the original on October 21, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Dulac, Gerry (December 27, 2007). "Steelers' Roethlisberger named player of the week". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "2007 NFL Week 16 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "2007 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 16, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "2007 NFL Passing". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 20, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers Single-Season Passing Leaders". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Wild Card – Jacksonville Jaguars at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 5th, 2008". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Ellis makes impact even after Achilles tendon tear, position change". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 12, 2008. Archived from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "2008 Pro Bowl Game Summary" (PDF). NFL.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 31, 2008. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (March 4, 2008). "Steelers break bank for Big Ben". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ Prisuta, Mike (January 16, 2008). "Roethlisberger wants to stick with Steelers". Pittsburghlive.com. Archived from the original on October 5, 2008. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ Brown, Scott (September 8, 2008). "Steelers pummel Texans, 38–17". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – September 14th, 2008". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 1, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles – September 21st, 2008". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (September 22, 2008). "Roethlisberger is blitzed, bothered and battered by Philadelphia's hungry defense". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers – September 29th, 2008". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Big Ben leads Steelers past Jags". NFL.com. October 6, 2008. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "2008 NFL Week 5 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 26, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Washington Redskins – November 3rd, 2008". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at New England Patriots – November 30th, 2008". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ a b Moore, David (December 7, 2008). "It's sweet 16 comebacks for Pittsburgh's Roethlisberger". The Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 8, 2010.
- ^ "Steelers clinch AFC North, secure first-round bye". The Tribune-Democrat. December 14, 2008. Archived from the original on September 24, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Divisional Round – San Diego Chargers at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 11th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "AFC Championship – Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 18th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Moments in Sports History – The Steelers Are Super!". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on June 18, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Super Bowl XLIII – Pittsburgh Steelers vs. Arizona Cardinals – February 1st, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on September 21, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals – September 27th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 2, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 18th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Roethlisberger hurt as Steelers stunned by Chiefs". The Washington Times. November 23, 2009. Archived from the original on October 24, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs – November 22nd, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on February 27, 2018. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (June 9, 2013). "Was Big Ben's benching after '09 concussion right call?". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 10, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Oakland Raiders at Pittsburgh Steelers – December 6th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on June 2, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – December 10th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Robinson, Alan (December 21, 2009). "Steelers' Roethlisberger throws for team record 503 yards". Helena Independent Record. Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 2, 2022. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Green Bay Packers at Pittsburgh Steelers – December 20th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on August 29, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "2009 NFL Week 15 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers – December 27th, 2009". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2009 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins – January 3rd, 2010". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Walker, James (January 20, 2010). "'Big Ben' declined Pro Bowl invite". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 12, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 17th, 2010". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Miami Dolphins – October 24th, 2010". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 27, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Roethlisberger fumble ends up not costing Steelers in win". pennlive.com. Associated Press. October 25, 2010. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at New Orleans Saints – October 31st, 2010". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Hunt with the Steelers..." bigben7.com. October 28, 2010. Archived from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals – November 8th, 2010". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 3, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Brady's 3 Touchdowns Lead Pats Past Steelers". Wbur.org. Associated Press. November 15, 2010. Archived from the original on August 12, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Steelers QB Roethlisberger recovering from broken nose". NFL.com. Associated Press. December 8, 2010. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved March 22, 2019.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger Punched in the Face in Game". CBS News. Associated Press. November 21, 2010. Archived from the original on October 23, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Baltimore Ravens – December 5th, 2010". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 22, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland Browns – January 2nd, 2011". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "2010 NFL Week 17 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Bruno, Joseph (January 4, 2011). "Pittsburgh Steelers 2010: A Look Back At Their 12–4 Season". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ "Steelers Beat Ravens 31–24 in AFC Playoffs". CBS News. Associated Press. January 15, 2011. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Steelers 24, Jets 19: Pittsburgh to face Packers in Super Bowl". The Salt Lake Tribune. Associated Press. January 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 25, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Cimini, Rich (February 6, 2011). "Super Bowl XLV: Clock strikes midnight for Pittsburgh Steelers". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2021. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "2011 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Flacco, Rice, Ravens D lead easy win over Steelers". CBSSports.com. September 11, 2011. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "NFL Today, Week 2 – NFL". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Steelers overcome turnovers, edge Colts on late FG". CBSSports.com. September 25, 2011. Archived from the original on October 18, 2011. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Hensley, Jamison (October 12, 2011). "Roethlisberger named AFC Player of Week". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ^ "Big Ben throws longest pass in Steelers history in win". CBSSports.com. October 23, 2011. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Big Ben, Steelers survive Pats for fourth straight win". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Judge, Clark (October 30, 2011). "Steelers prove AFC is wide open after dominating Patriots". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Florio, Mike (November 2, 2011). "Roethlisberger wins AFC offensive player of the week award". ProFootballTalk. Archived from the original on September 26, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Steelers hold off Chiefs with defense". CBSSports.com. November 27, 2011. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Steelers sweep sloppy Bengals with rout". CBSSports.com. Associated Press. December 4, 2011. Archived from the original on February 3, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Roethlisberger Leads Steelers Over Browns, 14–3". The New York Times. Associated Press. December 8, 2011. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Graves, Will (December 9, 2011). "Roethlisberger hurt, Steelers hold off Browns 14–3". Tucson.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ McCauley, Jamie (December 20, 2011). "49ers beat Big Ben, Steelers 20–3". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "Rashard Mendenhall, Charlie Batch lead Steelers past hapless Rams". ESPN.com. Associated Press. December 24, 2011. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
- ^ Schefter, Adam (January 1, 2012). "Isaac Redman steps in, rushes for TD as Steelers get past Browns". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 1, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
- ^ "Tim Tebow rediscovers magic as Broncos oust stunned Steelers in OT". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 8, 2012. Archived from the original on August 9, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
- ^ "2011 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on August 30, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "2012 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 12, 2021. Retrieved May 2, 2022.
- ^ Crabtree, Curtis (May 30, 2013). "Ben Roethlisberger had input in Steelers' offensive changes". ProFootballTalk. Archived from the original on October 27, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Sessler, Marc (September 23, 2012). "Pittsburgh Steelers' defense on alert after latest loss". NFL.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2012 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 17, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2017.
- ^ "2013 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 9, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ a b Lopresti, Mike (May 7, 2012). "Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger graduates at 30, wins 'Super Bowl in life'". The Star. Toronto. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ Moura, Pedro (May 14, 2011). "Troy Polamalu graduates from USC". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 16, 2011. Retrieved May 14, 2011.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2013 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "2013 Pittsburgh Steelers Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Cwik, Chris (November 17, 2013). "Ben Roethlisberger carves up Lions secondary". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "2013 NFL Week 11 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Chase, Chris (December 30, 2013). "The Pittsburgh Steelers missed the playoffs by *this* much". For The Win. Archived from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers Team Encyclopedia". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Coolong, Neal (June 18, 2014). "Ben No. 31 on NFL Network's Top 100 Players list". Behind the Steel Curtain. Archived from the original on October 21, 2015. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2014 Game Log (Games 1–7)". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "Roethlisberger throws 6 TDs as Steelers top Colts". ESPN.com. Associated Press. October 26, 2014. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ Brady, James (October 26, 2014). "Ben Roethlisberger becomes 4th quarterback to get 100 wins in first 150 games". SB Nation. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ "2014 NFL Week 8 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger's six TD passes lift Steelers over Ravens, 43–23". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. November 3, 2014. Archived from the original on November 11, 2017. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "2014 NFL Week 9 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Bryan, Dave (December 14, 2014). "Roethlisberger Sets New Franchise Passing Yardage Record, Joins 31-Club With Sunday Win". Steelers Depot. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2014 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "2014 NFL Passing". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Steelers clinch AFC North with win over Bengals". Reuters. December 29, 2014. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "2014 Pittsburgh Steelers". Pro Football Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on August 28, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2016.
- ^ "2014 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on August 16, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Sager, Daniel (June 25, 2015). "Ben Roethlisberger No. 26 on NFL Top 100". Steelers Wire. Archived from the original on April 16, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Brown, Scott (March 13, 2015). "Ben Roethlisberger agrees to new deal with Pittsburgh Steelers". ESPN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2015. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
- ^ Sager, Daniel (September 11, 2015). "Steelers secondary falls flat in 28–21 loss to Patriots". Steelers Wire. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ Barrows, Matt (September 20, 2015). "49ers fail to rattle Roethlisberger, pay the price". Sacramento Bee. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at St. Louis Rams – September 27th, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "2015 NFL Week 2 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 17, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger suffers MCL sprain, bone bruise in knee". USA TODAY. September 27, 2015. Archived from the original on December 30, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Deardo, Bryan (October 27, 2015). "Landry Jones jumps Michael Vick as Steelers' backup to Big Ben". 247Sports. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger named AFC Offensive Player of the Week". WPXI. November 25, 2019. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Bostick, Dani (November 10, 2015). "Ben Roethlisberger Injury: Door "slightly ajar" for Steelers QB to play in Week 10 vs. Browns". SB Nation. Archived from the original on November 12, 2015. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
- ^ "Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 15th, 2015". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "2015 NFL Week 10 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 29, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Reineking, Jim (November 26, 2015). "Steelers, Seahawks face possible season-defining game". NFL.com. Archived from the original on July 13, 2017. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh 30 – 39 Seattle: Final – November 29, 2015". Yahoo! Sports. Archived from the original on October 5, 2015. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ^ "Wild Card – Pittsburgh Steelers at Cincinnati Bengals – January 9th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 10, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Divisional Round – Pittsburgh Steelers at Denver Broncos – January 17th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on July 7, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "2015 NFL Pro Bowlers". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 8, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ Popejoy, Curt (June 23, 2016). "Ben Roethlisberger checks in at No. 21 on NFL Top 100". Steelers Wire. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2016 Game Log (Games 1–3)". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "Kansas City Chiefs at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 2nd, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "New York Jets at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 9th, 2016". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "2016 NFL Week 4 Leaders & Scores". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 28, 2018. Retrieved March 27, 2018.
- ^ "Roethlisberger has torn meniscus in left knee". Sports Illustrated. October 16, 2016. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "2016 Pittsburgh Steelers Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ "Roethlisberger, Brown, Bell power Steelers by Dolphins 30–12". HeraldNet.com. January 8, 2017. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ "Steelers hold off Chiefs on Boswell's 6 field goals, 18–16". USA Today. Associated Press. January 15, 2017. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (January 22, 2017). "Patriots are 'rightfully' AFC champs after 36–17 drubbing of Steelers". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "NFL announces 2017 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 20, 2016. Archived from the original on November 17, 2018. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "2017 NFL Top 100". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on April 8, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Drakulich, Mike (October 7, 2017). "Pittsburgh Steelers vs Jacksonville Jaguars Preview". Steel City Underground. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ "Big Ben Throws 5 Interceptions In 30–9 Loss To Jaguars". CBS Pittsburgh. Associated Press. October 8, 2017. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved October 16, 2017.
- ^ "Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 16th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Clements, Ron (November 16, 2017). "Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger reaches new career milestones". Sporting News. Archived from the original on November 17, 2017. Retrieved November 17, 2017.
- ^ Marczi, Matthew (December 5, 2017). "Ben Roethlisberger Becomes 8th Player To Reach 50,000 Career Passing Yards". Steelers Depot. Retrieved December 5, 2017.
- ^ "Record performance by Roethlisberger rallies Steelers by Ravens". Reuters. December 11, 2017. Archived from the original on December 11, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Fowler, Jeremy (December 11, 2017). "Ben Roethlisberger becomes first QB with three 500-yard games". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 12, 2017. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
- ^ Maya, Adam (December 13, 2017). "Ben Roethlisberger among NFL Players of the Week". NFL.com. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved November 20, 2019.
- ^ "New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers – December 17th, 2017". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 29, 2017. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Phillips, Ryan (December 17, 2017). "Steelers Blow Game Against Patriots Thanks To Moronic Play By Ben Roethlisberger". The Big Lead. Archived from the original on December 19, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2017.
- ^ "NFL announces 2018 Pro Bowl rosters". NFL.com. December 19, 2017. Archived from the original on December 20, 2017. Retrieved December 23, 2017.
- ^ DeArdo, Bryan (January 24, 2018). "Mike Tomlin sums up the Pittsburgh Steelers 2017 season". 247Sports. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Knoblauch, Austin (January 14, 2018). "Ben Roethlisberger still has 'a desire to play football'". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- ^ Kuzma, Joe (June 19, 2018). "Ben Roethlisberger named #18 on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018". Steel City Underground. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Browns don't lose, tie Steelers 21–21 in sloppy game". USA Today. Associated Press. September 9, 2018. Archived from the original on December 7, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ Bouchette, Ed (September 16, 2018). "Steelers remain winless after comeback falls short in 42–37 loss to Chiefs". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on December 6, 2019. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Players with at least 450 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown in the same game, NFL history". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ Deardo, Bryan (September 16, 2018). "Roethlisberger passes Elway for 7th all-time in passing yards". Pittsburgh Steelers. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved December 18, 2019.
- ^ Bergman, Jeremy (September 26, 2018). "Big Ben, Drew Brees among NFL Players of the Week". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 2, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ "List of Players with perfect passer ratings (10+ attempts)". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 9, 2018. Retrieved November 9, 2018.
- ^ Bergman, Jeremy (November 14, 2018). "Ben Roethlisberger, Mitch Trubisky among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
- ^ Middlehurst-Schwartz, Michael (November 25, 2018). "Ben Roethlisberger's last-minute interception sinks Steelers against Broncos". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
- ^ Rutter, Joe (December 23, 2018). "Steelers need help to make playoffs after 31–28 loss to Saints". TribLIVE. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ "2018 NFL Standings & Team Stats". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on March 20, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ Adamski, Chris (December 30, 2018). "Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger after record-setting season: I'll be back". TribLIVE. Archived from the original on January 23, 2019. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers Single-Season Passing Leaders". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 15, 2018. Retrieved January 22, 2019.
- ^ Patra, Kevin (April 24, 2019). "Ben Roethlisberger agrees to two-year extension". NFL.com. Archived from the original on May 11, 2019. Retrieved July 1, 2019.
- ^ "Wilson, Seahawks edge Steelers 28–26 as Roethlisberger exits". ESPN.com. Associated Press. September 15, 2019. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Fowler, Jeremy (September 15, 2019). "Big Ben out for season, but RB Conner is OK". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Brinson, Will (September 15, 2019). "Ben Roethlisberger injury: Steelers QB releases a statement on his future after landing on injured reserve". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ Shook, Nick (August 4, 2020). "Ben Roethlisberger: Elbow Injury Was First Of A Kind For QB". NFL.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2021. Retrieved August 4, 2020.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at New York Giants – September 14th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on September 6, 2020. Retrieved September 17, 2020.
- ^ Rutter, Joe (September 27, 2020). "Ben Roethlisberger 'humbled and honored' to pass Mike Webster in career games with Steelers". TribLIVE.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2020. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ "Houston Texans at Pittsburgh Steelers – September 27th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2020.
- ^ "Philadelphia Eagles at Pittsburgh Steelers – October 11th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on October 17, 2020. Retrieved October 11, 2020.
- ^ Hartman, Jeff (October 12, 2020). "The Steelers' 4–0 start is their fastest start since 1979, and historically leads to a great ending". Behind the Steel Curtain. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
- ^ "Pittsburgh Steelers at Dallas Cowboys – November 8th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 15, 2020. Retrieved November 13, 2020.
- ^ DeArdo, Bryan (November 10, 2020). "Steelers deliver historic start to 2020: Seven records or milestones Pittsburgh has broken or is approaching". CBSSports.com. Archived from the original on November 10, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ Shook, Nick (November 10, 2020). "Ben Roethlisberger among four Steelers added to reserve/COVID-19 list". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
- ^ Baca, Michael (November 14, 2020). "Steelers activate QB Ben Roethlisberger from reserve/COVID list, eligible to play Sunday". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ Pryor, Brooke (November 14, 2020). "Big Ben activated, expected to start vs. Bengals". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2020. Retrieved November 14, 2020.
- ^ "Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers – November 15th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on November 17, 2020. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
- ^ Gordon, Grant (November 18, 2020). "Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger among Players of the Week". NFL.com. Archived from the original on November 18, 2020. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
- ^ "Washington Football Team at Pittsburgh Steelers – December 7th, 2020". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 8, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2020 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 10, 2021. Retrieved January 7, 2021.
- ^ "2020 Pittsburgh Steelers Statistics & Players". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ "Wild Card – Cleveland Browns at Pittsburgh Steelers – January 10th, 2021". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved December 14, 2022.
- ^ Gordon, Grant (January 11, 2021). "Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger says time to discuss future will come later". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 11, 2021.
- ^ "NFL Most Passing Yards In A Playoff Game For A Player". StatMuse. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ Varley, Teresa (March 4, 2021). "Steelers sign new contract with Roethlisberger for 2021 season". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on March 10, 2021. Retrieved March 8, 2021.
- ^ "Unlike Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger's pay cut includes no ability to earn it back". ProFootballTalk. March 5, 2021. Retrieved July 9, 2022.
- ^ Lev, Jacob (November 13, 2021). "Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger placed on the reserve/Covid-19 list, ruled out for Sunday's game". CNN.com. Archived from the original on November 14, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
- ^ Varley, Teresa (November 13, 2021). "Roethlisberger out for Sunday's game vs. Lions". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger 2021 Game Log". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on January 28, 2022. Retrieved January 28, 2022.
- ^ Shook, Nick (January 17, 2022). "Big Ben looks back after playoff loss to Chiefs: 'It was meant to be that I was going to wear black and gold'". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2022. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
- ^ Gordon, Grant (January 27, 2022). "Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger officially announces retirement after 18 seasons". NFL.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2022.
- ^ Ragan, Zach (April 28, 2022). "Ben Roethlisberger gives hilarious response to question about un-retiring". A to Z Sports. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ DeArdo, Bryan (April 15, 2023). "Ben Roethlisberger clarifies what happened between him and the 49ers during the 2022 season". CBSSports.com. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Welcome to Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger!". YouTube. September 2, 2022.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger's podcast is his "schoolyard" way of becoming part of the media". May 27, 2023.
- ^ "Big Ben & Kenny Pickett talk going into second year, ushering in a new era and so much more! Ep. 28". YouTube. May 21, 2023.
- ^ "Big Ben and Jerome Bettis share SBXL stories, talk Notre Dame, infamous Indy fumble and more! EP. 36". YouTube. September 24, 2023.
- ^ "Big Ben & Coach Cowher talk 2004 draft, SB XL, getting Jerome Bettis to return and more! Ep. 27". YouTube. May 8, 2023.
- ^ "Big Ben & Mike Tomlin share SBXLIII stories, talk best defense Tomlin has coached, and more! Ep. 23". YouTube. March 13, 2023.
- ^ "Big Ben recaps Steelers vs Bengals, talks Mason Rudolph & Christmas traditions Ep. 47". YouTube. December 25, 2023.
- ^ "Most comeback wins in the fourth quarter by a rookie, regular season, NFL history". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ "Most comeback wins in the fourth quarter by a rookie, regular season and playoffs, NFL history". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ "Most game-winning drives through a player's first seven seasons, NFL history". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on December 18, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ "Most comeback wins through a player's first seven seasons, NFL history". Pro Football Reference. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ Kacsmar, Scott (September 27, 2011). "Captain Comeback: A Record-Setting Week 3". Cold Hard Football Facts. Archived from the original on September 29, 2011. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
- ^ "NFL Game-Winning Drives Career Leaders (since 1950)". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ Spousta, Tom (January 11, 2005). "Rookie Roethlisberger wins over everybody". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Camenker, Jacob (October 9, 2022). "Cowboys' Cooper Rush joins exclusive list of NFL quarterbacks to start career with 5–0 record". Sporting News. Retrieved October 6, 2023.
- ^ Pedulla, Tom (February 3, 2006). "Steelers' Roethlisberger a perfect fit for Super Bowl XL". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Fowler, Jeremy (December 11, 2017). "Big Ben first QB to post three 500-yard games". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 29, 2018. Retrieved October 29, 2018.
- ^ "Roethlisberger has his fourth career perfect passer rating". NBC Sports. November 9, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Big Ben Strikes at 12". Pro Football Hall of Fame. March 20, 2024. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ Berger, Cale (January 10, 2021). "Ben Roethlisberger Breaks Records for Pass Completions in NFL Game". Steelers Now. Retrieved February 1, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Pittsburgh Steelers Career Passing Leaders". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ Hoffenbecker, Kyle (November 26, 2018). "Juju Smith-Schuster Becomes Newest Member Of This Exclusive NFL Club After 97-Yard Touchdown". ClutchPoints. Archived from the original on May 25, 2022. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
- ^ "Most 400-yard passing games by a Pittsburgh Steeler". StatMuse. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "Most 500-yard passing games by a Pittsburgh Steeler". StatMuse. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e "Pittsburgh Steelers Single-Season Passing Leaders". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "NFL Passing Yards Single Game Leaders". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ "NFL Passes Completed Single Game Leaders". Pro Football Reference. Retrieved January 20, 2024.
- ^ Brown, Scott (October 26, 2014). "Ben Roethlisberger sets NFL record". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on October 27, 2014. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger Foundation". bigben7.com. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved August 6, 2010.
- ^ "Thursday roundup: $4M in aid from NFL, fans". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 13, 2005. Archived from the original on April 7, 2022. Retrieved September 16, 2021.
- ^ "Roethlisberger donates to Pittsburgh's K-9 units". PennLive.com. Associated Press. May 1, 2008. Archived from the original on October 31, 2020. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ Kiesel, Connor (October 27, 2014). "Big Ben Donates Big Money to Alma Mater". FOX Sports. Archived from the original on March 10, 2022. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Robinson, Tom (September 2012). Ben Roethlisberger: Gifted and Giving Football Star. Enslow Publishers, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4645-0208-8. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ O'Connor, Ian (February 1, 2006). "Roethlisberger uses TD passes to honor late mother". USA Today. Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ Powell, Kimberly (May 23, 2019). "Ancestry of Ben Roethlisberger". ThoughtCo. Archived from the original on January 7, 2016. Retrieved November 22, 2012.
- ^ Fleming, David (January 19, 2005). "For whom the Ben tolls". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2017. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ "Roethlisberger discovers his Swiss roots". PittsburghLIVE.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on November 14, 2007. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Carlee Roethlisberger Profile". Oklahoma Sooners. Archived from the original on November 24, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ "Steelers' Roethlisberger married in local church". ESPN.com. Associated Press. July 23, 2011. Archived from the original on October 6, 2018. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
- ^ "Ben Roethlisberger, Wife Welcome Third Child". CBS – Pittsburgh. May 26, 2016. Archived from the original on November 28, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Fowler, Jeremy (May 27, 2016). "Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger and wife welcome third baby". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2016. Retrieved December 26, 2016.
- ^ Ackerman, Jon (January 4, 2022). "Ben Roethlisberger after likely final home game: 'Good Lord has blessed me in so many ways'". Sports Spectrum. Archived from the original on January 9, 2022. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
- ^ a b "Big Ben exploring his roots in Switzerland". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. May 9, 2006. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Fabus, Mike (May 9, 2006). "Roethlisberger's having fun in Switzerland". Steelers.com. Archived from the original on September 26, 2007.
- ^ Shieber, Jonathan (October 27, 2020). "NeoLight's jaundice treatment catches another $7 million to bring neonatal light therapy to the home". TechCrunch. Retrieved February 6, 2023.
- ^ "Big Ben's BBQ". Bigbensbbq.com. Archived from the original on January 17, 2006. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ Parsons, Jim (June 13, 2006). "Team 4: Questions Surround Roethlisberger's Motorcycle License – Pittsburgh News Story – WTAE Pittsburgh". The Pittsburgh Channel. Archived from the original on September 1, 2010. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ "Roethlisberger Undergoes Surgery After Bike Crash". The Pittsburgh Channel. June 12, 2006. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ Greenwood, Jill King (June 15, 2006). "Roethlisberger surgery called success". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ Pasquarelli, Len; Clayton, John (June 12, 2006). "Big Ben in serious condition after motorcycle accident". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on January 24, 2016. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ a b "Big Ben could be out of hospital by Thursday". MSNBC.com. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Steelers QB is 'serious but stable'". The Quad-City Times. Associated Press. June 13, 2006. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Roethlisberger Undergoes Surgery, Still Hospitalized". The Pittsburgh Channel. Archived from the original on June 3, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Roethlisberger likely to be able to play this season". ESPN.com. Associated Press. June 14, 2006. Archived from the original on October 20, 2011. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ Branch, John (June 13, 2006). "Roethlisberger Is Seriously Injured in Motorcycle Wreck". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 30, 2018. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "Big Ben speaks out on accident, says he'll start wearing a helmet". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. June 15, 2006. Archived from the original on March 5, 2009. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ a b c d e McCallum, Jack (May 10, 2010). "The Hangover: Roethlisberger". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ Weisman, Larry (June 19, 2006). "Steelers' Roethlisberger to be cited for lack of license, helmet". USA TODAY. Archived from the original on April 22, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
- ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Ben Roethlisberger Won't Become Helmet Advocate". ABC News. July 14, 2006. Archived from the original on June 16, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ "Woman in Georgia alleges assault". ESPN.com. Associated Press. March 8, 2010. Archived from the original on January 23, 2016. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ "Roethlisberger listed as defendant in sexual assault lawsuit". Sports Illustrated. Associated Press. July 21, 2009. Archived from the original on July 23, 2009. Retrieved July 21, 2009.
- ^ "Settlement reached in Roethlisberger civil suit". ESPN.com. Associated Press. January 21, 2012. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ "Steelers QB Roethlisberger cancels press conference amid civil lawsuit". NFL.com. July 21, 2009. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ a b Fuoco, Michael A. (August 8, 2009). "Woman's affidavit supports Roethlisberger's denial of sexual assault". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on August 11, 2009. Retrieved August 10, 2009.
- ^ Newell, Sean (January 21, 2012). "Ben Roethlisberger Settles Lake Tahoe Rape Suit". Deadspin. Gawker Media. Archived from the original on January 28, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
- ^ Walker, Hunter (March 7, 2010). "Big Ben's Night Out In "Millyvegas": What The Bartenders Saw". Deadspin. Gizmodo Media Group. Archived from the original on July 18, 2018. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
- ^ Davis, Nate (March 21, 2010). "Steelers coach Tomlin: 'I'm highly concerned for our franchise and for Ben'". USA Today. Archived from the original on March 24, 2010. Retrieved March 22, 2010.
- ^ a b "Baldwin County DA Fred Bright's transcript". Our Georgia History. Archived from the original on November 15, 2019. Retrieved September 27, 2015.
- ^ a b Boone, Christian; Torpy, Bill; Rankin, Bill (April 26, 2010). "QB's case in trouble from the start: NFL's Roethlisberger benefited from lapses in Milledgeville case". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Archived from the original on April 28, 2010. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ Silver, Jonathan D. (April 24, 2010). "Coraopolis probing officer's relationship to Roethlisberger". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 20, 2010. Retrieved September 7, 2010.
- ^ Prine, Carl (April 23, 2010). "Coraopolis officer's lawyer contends his client did no wrong". Pittsburgh Tribune. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ a b Florio, Mike (May 26, 2010). "Roethlisberger bodyguard will twist in the wind for months". NBC Sports. Archived from the original on November 6, 2013. Retrieved July 17, 2024.
- ^ "Pennsylvania officials investigating trooper who was with Big Ben". NFL.com. April 16, 2010. Archived from the original on September 16, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ Brumback, Kate (April 15, 2010). "Roethlisberger's accuser says she told him 'no'". Merced Sun-Star. Archived from the original on April 17, 2010. Retrieved April 16, 2010.
- ^ Silver, Jonathan D.; Majors, Dan (April 16, 2010). "Roethlisberger documents give details". Post-Gazette.com. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Wilson, Aaron (April 12, 2010). "District attorney: No charges for Ben Roethlisberger". National Football Post. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 12, 2010.
- ^ Leahy, Sean (April 12, 2010). "Full text of letter Ben Roethlisberger's accuser sent asking DA not to prosecute". USA Today. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 13, 2010.
- ^ King, Peter (April 13, 2010). "MMQB Mail: Big Ben deserves at least two-game suspension in 2010". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
- ^ Rovell, Darren (April 13, 2010). "Food Maker Drops Roethlisberger". CNBC. Archived from the original on October 12, 2012. Retrieved April 14, 2010.
- ^ Battista, Judy (April 13, 2010). "Pittsburgh Company Cuts Ties With Roethlisberger". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 1, 2019. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ McKinnon, Jim (July 3, 2012). "Coraopolis detective avoids contempt trial". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on November 7, 2014. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
- ^ Majors, Dan; Silver, Jonathan D. (June 9, 2010). "Video interviews in Roethlisberger investigation to be released". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on April 20, 2019. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ "Trooper Ed Joyner loses appeal". ESPN.com. Associated Press. May 25, 2011. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2019.
- ^ Wilner, Barry (April 21, 2010). "Roethlisberger banned 6 games". Salon.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 21, 2010.
- ^ "Goodell reduces Roethlisberger's suspension to four games". NFL.com. Associated Press. September 3, 2010. Archived from the original on October 17, 2017. Retrieved April 23, 2017.
- ^ Paolantonio, Sal (September 4, 2010). "Ben Roethlisberger's ban at 4 games". ESPN.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 24, 2022. Retrieved September 17, 2019.
- ^ "Peppi's Old Tyme Sandwich Shop menu". Campus Food. Archived from the original on February 13, 2009. Retrieved December 11, 2011.
- ^ Cordell, Lyndsay (June 9, 2021). "The #7 Roethlisburger is a Patty Piled with Sausage, Cheese, and Fried Eggs". Wide Open Eats. Archived from the original on May 14, 2021. Retrieved May 1, 2022.
- ^ Rovell, Darren (November 4, 2004). "Marketing of Big Ben". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ "Taped earlier this evening ... What Roethlisberger said to Letterman". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. February 2, 2019. Archived from the original on November 12, 2019. Retrieved November 12, 2019.
- ^ Coyle, Jack (February 9, 2006). "Clarkson Surprises With Grammy Performance". East Bay Times. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Eck, Kevin (October 5, 2009). "Raw is Roethlisberger". Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on December 17, 2019. Retrieved December 17, 2019.
- ^ Brown, Scott (August 5, 2011). "Steelers giddy about appearance in 'The Dark Knight Rises'". Trib Live. Archived from the original on December 31, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2011.
Additional sources
- Staff (September 2006) "Ben Roethlisberger 1982–" Biography Today 15(3): pp. 102–117
External links
- Career statistics from NFL.com · ESPN · Yahoo Sports · Pro Football Reference
- Media related to Ben Roethlisberger at Wikimedia Commons
- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Roethlisberger hospitalized after motorcycle accident at Wikinews
- 1982 births
- Living people
- American bloggers
- American Conference Pro Bowl players
- American football quarterbacks
- American male bloggers
- American people of Swiss-German descent
- American philanthropists
- Findlay High School alumni
- Miami RedHawks football players
- National Football League controversies
- NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winners
- People from Findlay, Ohio
- Pittsburgh Steelers players
- Players of American football from Ohio
- Sportspeople from Lima, Ohio
- Unconferenced Pro Bowl players