Ben Roethlisberger’s NFL career is over.
The longtime Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback announced his retirement on Thursday, saying it was time to empty his locker and hang up his cleats.
Roethlisberger played in the NFL for 18 years. He’s twice won the Super Bowl and holds numerous team records, which should secure him a place in the Football Hall of Fame.
“I can’t put into words what football means to me and how blessed it has been for me,” Roethlisberger said via video message. I can say with confidence that I have given my all for this sport, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude for what it has given me. »
The highly anticipated decision comes less than two weeks after the Steelers’ crushing loss at the hands of the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the NFL playoffs. It was the 12and time Roethlisberger took the team to the playoffs.
Roethlisberger, 39, hinted ahead of his final game at Heinz Field that it was time for him to move on and spend more time with his partner, Ashley, and their three children. He made it a point to savor the moment following his team’s victory against the Cleveland Browns on January 3, doing a kind of lap of honor before taking the tunnel to the locker room surrounded by his family. .
Roethlisberger called his journey as a young man growing up in Ohio at age 11 “exhilarating.”and overall pick from the 2004 Draft to eventual Football Hall of Famer. He added that he was retiring as a “truly grateful man”.
A man who leaves behind a winning legacy. The Steelers have never had a losing season with him. They won Super Bowl XL and Super Bowl XLVI, the latter thanks to an iconic touchdown pass to receiver Santonio Holmes.
“Putting on that sweater every Sunday with my brothers will always be one of the greatest joys of my life,” he said.
Roethlisberger’s personal journey, unlike his professional journey, has been more complicated. He wasn’t wearing a helmet when he broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle accident in 2006, shortly after becoming the youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl.
He has twice been charged with sexual assault, once in 2009 and again in 2010. A civil case filed against him stemming from an alleged incident at Lake Tahoe in 2009 was settled at the friendly. A Georgia woman alleged he assaulted her at a bar in March 2010, but prosecutors have not formally charged him.
Suspended by the NFL at the start of the 2010 season for violating the league’s personal conduct policy, he returned to the game and led the Steelers to the Super Bowl, but the team lost to the Green Bay Packers.
The second half of his career gave glimpses of his evolution both as a player and as a person. Known more for his rugged approach in his 20s, he transformed into one of the NFL’s top passers in his 30s.
Roethlisberger twice led the NFL in passing yards, and retired as one of the 10 quarterbacks with the most passing yards and passing touchdowns in history.