Ben Roethlisberger is staying safely retired. But for the first time since hanging up his cleats, Roethlisberger returned to the Pittsburgh Steelers’ practice field. According to multiple reporters, Roethlisberger was on-hand to watch the team practice Wednesday.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor snapped this photo of him earlier today. It’s got a little bit “we found Bigfoot” quality but hey, I’ve been there too.
The PPG’s Matt Freed shot some photos of Roethlisberger reuniting with teammates like WR Diontae Johnson.
Roethlisberger hinted at making it to Latrobe for one of the team’s training camp practices but that ultimately didn’t happen. Instead, he made the short drive to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, the team’s practice facility. Though retired, Roethlisberger has remained in the media’s view, ranging from his 40th birthday celebration to his controversial comments about the state of the NFL that led to a back-and-forth between he and Cam Heyward.
As Pat McAfee refers to it, the Steelers feel like a college team. Alumni are always coming back. There were plenty of familiar faces at training camp this year, everyone from Ryan Shazier, Max Starks, Ryan Clark, Heath Miller, Kendrell Bell, Aaron Smith, and plenty of other well-known names stopped by in Latrobe. It’s something that separates the Steelers from other organizations. Now Roethlisberger has made his return, if only for a day, to take in practice and watch his replacements work. The Steelers have yet to announce a Week One starter, Mike Tomlin saying he won’t do it until after this weekend’s preseason finale, though Mitch Trubisky is still considered the favorite to start.
