Though still hopeful to play this week, Ben Roethlisberger told 93.7 The Fan moments ago that in addition to suffering a sprain to his AC Joint, he’s also torn ligaments to his right shoulder.
Our own Melanie Friedlander wrote yesterday that it seemed likely he had only suffered a Type I sprain, something that would not involve a tear, but Roethlisberger’s comments point to something more serious than that. He suffered the injury late in the third quarter of Saturday’s win after being driven into the ground by Vontaze Burfict.
As you know, Ben came back for the final drive, though severely limited by his arm.
“Coach called one deep one in [the final drive]. I went over to the sideline and said, ‘Coach, you can’t do that. I can’t throw it that far.’ So we had to work out way down the field,” Roethlisberger told reporters immediately after the win.
Roethlisberger indicated what his approach will be like to rehab the injury.
“I honestly don’t know. I haven’t tried to throw a football since the game, and maybe that’s not even the right thing to do right away. I’ll see the doctors and trainers tomorrow, we’ll evaluate kind of how I feel.”
He also noted that he does not believe the hit by Burfict was a dirty one and the extra knee to the shoulder at the end was not intentional.
The latest reports indicate optimism that Roethlisberger will be able to play Sunday against the Denver Broncos but he’s almost certainly going to be hampered by the shoulder injury. Mike Tomlin will give an official update shortly during his noon press conference.
