Ben Roethlisberger

Roethlisberger played college quarterback at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. After arriving at Miami in 2000, he was redshirted his first season. 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. 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. 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. Against Hawai'i, 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. He finished his first year with the Redhawks with 3,105 passing yards, 241 completions, and 25 touchdown completions.

Because ESPN began broadcasting MAC games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays—days without other football on television—in 2000, nationwide "MACtion" audiences watched Roethlisberger's teams. 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. 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.

Roethlisberger started the 2002 regular season opener on August 31 against North Carolina, throwing for 204 yards and having a career best 59-yard punt in the 27–21 victory. Against Iowa, on September 7, he threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns in a disappointing 29–24 loss. He broke the MAC single-game record for passing yards in a 48–41 loss against Northern Illinois on October 12, 2002 when he threw for 525 yards and 4 touchdowns. 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. He established the Miami single-season record with 3,238 passing yards and 271 completions in 2002.

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. 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. He was named as the MAC Offensive Player of the Year for the 2003 season.

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. While the Chargers would draft 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.

Roethlisberger was one of 17 quarterbacks taken in the 2004 NFL Draft, along with Manning and Rivers. All three would enjoy lengthy and successful careers with the teams that signed them and have been compared favorably to the 1983 NFL Draft, which included Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Dan Marino. A two-time Super Bowl winner and six-time Pro Bowler, Roethlisberger leads the three in wins, winning percentage, and postseason appearances. He has also had the longest career with the team that signed him.

On August 4, 2004, 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.

On October 31, 2004, 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. 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.

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). Roethlisberger has the most comeback wins (19) and game-winning drives (25) through the first seven seasons of a player's career. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to reach 20 comeback wins before the age of 30.

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. On January 5, 2005, 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. In addition, he was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.

On January 23, 2005 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. The Steelers lost the game to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, by a score of 41–27.

In the 2005 regular season, the Steelers finished with a 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.

In 2005, Roethlisberger donated one game check to aid the tsunami relief fund. He has also donated over $100,000 to fund police dogs in Pittsburgh.

In the wake of Kellen Winslow II's crashing of his motorcycle in May 2005, Roethlisberger had been criticized by various NFL members and the media for not wearing a helmet while riding. Even Roethlisberger's coach, Bill Cowher, lectured him about motorcycle safety. Former Steeler Terry Bradshaw warned Roethlisberger personally when he visited the Steelers' training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and on television, saying, "Ride it when you retire." In a segment put together by ESPN following Winslow's accident, Roethlisberger had said he did not wear a helmet because it was not required by law, adding, "You're just more free when you're out there and there's no helmet on." Transcripts of the interview recall Roethlisberger telling Suzy Kolber that he only rides a Harley, or his chopper with friends, not a sport bike (like the one Winslow was on). He also claimed to have his license. Both statements have been proven false since the accident.

The Super Bowl run began on January 8, 2006 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 Steeler Kimo von Oelhoffen resulted in Palmer's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) being completely torn. 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 would be the last time in the 2005 postseason that the Steelers would trail 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.

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.

The Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XL 21–10 over the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit on February 5, 2006. 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.

In the Steelers Week 15 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, Roethlisberger completed 27 of 35 passes for 360 yards in a 27–20 victory. 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; like Brady, 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.

Roethlisberger is a spokesman for Swiss Roots, a campaign intended to help Americans of Swiss origin reconnect with their Swiss ancestral heritage. In May 2006, Roethlisberger and his family traveled to Switzerland for a week.

Upon arriving at Mercy Hospital, he went immediately into surgery, where he remained for more than seven hours. The broken bones in his face were repaired. The subsequent news conference with the hospital staff was brief but confirmed early reports that the most serious injuries were to the head and face. There was no neck, spinal, or brain damage found. After surgery, at approximately noon on June 13, 2006, Roethlisberger was upgraded to fair condition.

Roethlisberger was released from the hospital at 11:46 PM 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." Roethlisberger was subsequently videotaped by KDKA-TV staff riding without a helmet on a Pittburgh freeway.

Roethlisberger gave his first television interview after the accident on July 13, with ABC's Good Morning America. He said he was told by responding paramedics that he ruptured a major blood vessel in his mouth and was minutes away from dying. Despite the seriousness of the accident, his recovery went so well that he started the first three Steelers preseason games in 2006.

In Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens on Monday Night Football, 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. 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.

On March 4, 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Roethlisberger agreed to an eight-year, $102 million contract. Roethlisberger had two years left on his original that he signed after the draft. He has stated that he wants to retire as a Steeler.

The Lake Tahoe suit sought at least $440,000 in damages from the quarterback and also sought $50,000 in damages from Harrah's Lake Tahoe officials, alleging that they went to great lengths to cover up the incident. 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 golf tournament. The next night she said 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. According to the lawsuit, the woman obtained hospital treatment after the alleged attack. A second lawsuit filed by a Harrah's employee related to an incident involving Roethlisberger four days earlier revealed that Roethlisberger was friends with a Harrah's executive overseeing northern Nevada. McNulty's suit alleges that her boss told her "That guy [Roethlisberger] can have anyone he wants."

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".

Roethlisberger finished the season with 4,328 yards and 26 touchdown passes. 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. 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.

On July 17, 2009, a civil suit was filed in Washoe County, Nevada District Court accusing Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting Andrea McNulty, 31, in June 2008 in his hotel room while he was in Lake Tahoe for a celebrity golf tournament. Roethlisberger is one of nine defendants listed in the docket report. McNulty could not obtain criminal charges to be filed against him due to lack of evidence. Roethlisberger's attorney denied the claim.

On August 8, 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. 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".

He has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman after both of his Super Bowl victories. At the 2006 Grammy Awards, one week after Pittsburgh won Super Bowl XL, Roethlisberger introduced Kelly Clarkson. In 2009, he hosted WWE Raw. 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.

On March 5, 2010, it was revealed that police in Milledgeville, Georgia were investigating Roethlisberger for a sexual 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. 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 her head.

On April 12, 2010, district attorney Fred Bright held a press conference to announce that Roethlisberger would not be charged. Bright said "looking at all the evidence here, I cannot prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt". Furthermore, 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. The letter stressed that she was not recanting her accusation.

As a result of the unabridged details revealed in Bright's press conference, reaction was swift. Steelers president Art Rooney II was reported to be "furious". 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. Jerry Blash finally resigned from the Milledgeville Police on April 15, 2010. Anthony Barravecchio was never disciplined in the incident, despite a local investigation where the Coraopolis Solicitor reviewed the 500-page Georgia Bureau of Investigation file on the matter; however, Barravecchio's interview with the GBI was not among those later released by the agency. Ed Joyner was prohibited by the Pennsylvania State Troopers from continuing to work for Roethlisberger, and lost his grievance case seeking to overturn the decision.

On April 21, 2010, the NFL's Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that Roethlisberger would be suspended without pay for the first six games of the 2010 season due to a violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy. Roethlisberger 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." The suspension was subsequently reduced to four games. Reaction from teammates was mixed, with Hines Ward describing the suspension as "justified."

On July 23, 2011, Roethlisberger married Ashley Harlan, a physician assistant from New Castle, Pennsylvania. He and his wife have three children, Ben Jr., Baylee, and Bodie.

In December 2011, the suit was ended when the parties agreed to a settlement. Details of the settlement were not made public.

Roethlisberger threw for 3,265 yards and 26 touchdowns in thirteen games in 2012 as the Steelers finished the season with an 8–8 record. 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. 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. He finished ranked 61st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.

On October 11, 2012, he passed Terry Bradshaw for most passing yards for a Steelers quarterback.

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. 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. Roethlisberger became the second member of the Steelers in less than a year to return to college and complete his degree, with teammate Troy Polamalu doing the same thing the previous off-season during the 2011 NFL lockout.

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. 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. They missed the playoffs when the San Diego Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27–24 in overtime in Week 17. The Steelers missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1999 and the first time under Mike Tomlin. He was ranked 31st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.

On December 8, 2013, he passed Terry Bradshaw for most passing touchdowns for a Steelers quarterback.

Roesthilsberger started the 2014 season with a 4–3 record in the first seven games. He averaged 265.4 yards per game and totaled ten touchdowns and three interceptions. 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. With the win, Roethlisberger became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to get 100 wins in his first 150 starts. 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. 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.

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.

In October 2014, Roethlisberger and his wife donated $1 million to his alma mater, Miami University, for an indoor sports center.

Roethlisberger sustained another injury against the Oakland Raiders on November 8, 2015, suffering a left mid-foot sprain. Due to this injury, he did not start the following week against the Cleveland Browns, although he was listed as active for the game. 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; 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. 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.

Roethlisberger was named to his third consecutive and fifth career Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016, and was ranked 22nd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017, just one spot below his ranking from the previous year.

On October 8, 2017, against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Roethlisberger threw a career-high five interceptions as the Steelers lost by a score of 30–9. On November 16 against the Tennessee Titans, he completed 30 of 45 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns as the Steelers won 40–17. In that game, Roethlisburger recorded his 4,000th career completion on a three-yard pass to tight end Jesse James. On December 4, Roethlisberger became the eighth quarterback to reach 50,000 career passing yards in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. During Sunday Night Football against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 14, 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 for the AFC North pennant. 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. His performance in Week 14 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

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.

The Steelers finished the 2017 season with a 13–3 record, clinching the AFC North division. 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. He was ranked 18th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.

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. In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Roethlisberger injured his right elbow and was unable to play in the second half of the game. He completed eight passes for 75 yards before getting injured. His backup Mason Rudolph relieved him as the Steelers lost 28–26. Subsequently, the team announced the following day that Roethlisberger would miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his injured elbow.

Roethlisberger made his return from injury in the Week 1 game against the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. He passed for 229 yards and three touchdowns in the 26–16 victory. In the following week's game against the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger threw for 311 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception during the 26–21 win. Roethlisberger's first touchdown pass was an 84-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Chase Claypool. 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. In Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Roethlisberger threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns, all to Chase Claypool, during the 38–29 win. With the victory, he helped lead the Steelers to their first 4–0 start since 1979. On November 10, 2020, Roethlisberger was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 after being deemed high risk due to Vance McDonald contracting COVID-19 but was activated four days later.