Big Ben is calling it a career.
Ben Roethlisberger, who spent all 18 seasons of his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the franchise drafted him 11th overall in the 2004 NFL Draft out of Miami (Ohio), is retiring.
The quarterback announced what many assumed would happen this offseason with a video he released on Thursday in which he read a letter about “cleaning out his locker” that also had loving messages for his whole family and the Steelers organization.
“Football has been a gift and I thank God for allowing me to play it,” he said in the video that dropped Thursday morning:
A message from Ben:@steelers #NFL #SteelersNation #ThankYou#HereWeGo #LoveAndHonor pic.twitter.com/pUbKGO1nUs
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) January 27, 2022
Roethlisberger finishes with two Super Bowl titles, a rookie of the year award, six trips to the Pro Bowl and over 64,000 yards passing and 418 touchdowns.
Ben Roethlisberger’s career:
🟡2X Super Bowl champion
⚫️6X Pro Bowler
🟡Rookie of the Year, led team to most wins ever by a rookie
⚫️Only player ever with 500+ passing yards in 4 games
🟡Steelers never had a losing record during his tenure
⚫️5th-most passing yards ever (64,088)— Field Yates (@FieldYates) January 27, 2022
As USA TODAY Sports detailed in June 2020: “He was twice accused of sexual assault and the NFL suspended him for six games in the 2010 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy.”
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