Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is retiring from National Football League after 18 seasons.
Roethlisberger announced his retirement in a video that he posted to his Twitter account, even though his retirement was somewhat obvious to football fans in the final weeks of the 2021 season.
“Blessed with the honor of 18 seasons as a Pittsburgh Steeler and a place to call home,” Roethlisberger said in the video.
Roethlisberger, 39, retires from the NFL with two Super Bowl wins and Rookie-of-the-Year honors. He played college football at Miami and was chosen by the Steelers in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft.
“The journey has been exhilarating, fueled by a spirit of competition,” Roethlisberger said, according to ESPN. “Yet the time has come to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children. I retire from football a truly grateful man.”
He is the fifth player in NFL history to record 150 wins as a starting quarterback in the regular season, joining Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, according to ESPN.
“When I think about you, you identify and you represent everything a Pittsburgh Steeler is,” former Steelers coach Bill Cowher said in a video tweeted by the team.
He is the fourth quarterback in NFL history to win 100 games in the first 150 starts of his career.
“Ben has always been a fighter,” teammate Cam Heyward said, according to ESPN. “Always given us a chance. He’s battled a lot. He’s been rewarded with two Super Bowls, but we needed every bit of Ben Roethlisberger in every game he’s played. You can’t just replicate that.”
For all the highs that Roethlisberger faced during his 18-year tenure, there were some significant lows as well. He has been accused of sexual assault twice publicly. In both of the cases, he was never prosecuted. But for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy in 2010, Roethlisberger was suspended for a total of four games.
