Ben Roethlisberger hasn’t actually said the R word in a long time (in this context, that’s retirement, of course), but the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has certainly said everything short of using the one word. Everybody knows at this point that this is going to be his last season in the NFL.
But that doesn’t mean he’s done with the Steelers, which is sometimes the case in the past for prominent veterans. After 18 years in the league, and on the team, it won’t be easy to sever those ties, and he acknowledged that he already knows that, and it will be even tougher later in the year.
“I already have talked to some guys, but I’ll spend time talking to former teammates, former NFL quarterbacks and people that I call friends”, he told reporters yesterday, about grappling with the emotions of being out of the game. “That’s when it will probably sink in the most, when it’s time for training camp. But I’m pretty sure I’ll be busy being a dad and a husband at that time, too”.
18 years, 18 training camps, 18 offseason processes, preparations for trying to win a Super Bowl. He’s failed in 15 of his first 17 years, and his 18th season doesn’t offer much hope of adding a third trophy, but he’s still had a Hall of Fame career, without dispute.
You don’t just cut the cord and move on after a career like Roethlisberger’s, though, and he has no illusions about it being any different. He already knows that he will probably still be involved with his former teammates in some way.
“I’ve got some friendships in here that will last”, he said. “I’ll probably pop in here and there to see guys and see how everything’s going, but I love to send things to guys to encourage and build up whatever it may be. So, until they tell me to stop, I’ll probably keep doing it”.
That certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing to have Roethlisberger pop his head in the building from time to time, though I can’t imagine he would ever go beyond that. You won’t see him becoming a quarterbacks coach or a general manager or anything like that, I would bet money on that. As he said, he’ll be busy being a dad and husband, and an amateur golfer on top of that.
In all likelihood, there’s just one more lap around the track from number seven, and that track will be in Baltimore, fittingly. He had a proper send-off in Heinz Field on Monday, but there’s still business to attend to, on the road, in the AFC North. If they get a couple of breaks, maybe there’s even another game to play after this week.
