Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had to have his right knee examined in the locker room after being hit there Sunday by Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Vance Walker just prior to throwing a short touchdown pass to wide receiver Antonio Brown near the end of the third quarter. Replays show that Walker may have tried to leg whip Roethlisberger while engaged with guard David DeCastro, but after the game the Chiefs defender pleaded his innocence.
“I wasn’t intentionally trying to trip anybody,” Walker said, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune Review. “I tried to jump in there. Throw my hips in there.”
After the game, Roethlisberger said it was the doctors who wanted him to go get his knee checked out after he limped off the field. He also said that while it hurt at the time, he would be fine.
Roethlisberger made it back from the locker room in time for the next series and looked no worse for wear in the fourth quarter.
Roethlisberger wasn’t so fortunate the last time that he was injured in a game against the Chiefs. In the Week 10 game of that season he landed on his throwing shoulder after being sacked by Chiefs pass rushers Justin Houston and Tamba Hali. The injury forced him to leave that game for good and he would go on to miss the next three games as a result of it.
We shall see if the league takes action against Walker as I imagine the Steelers will send a copy of that play to New York for them to look at. You can see a still shot and gif below of the play and judge for yourself if Walker intentionally tried to take out Roethlisberger’s knee.
