Larger text
Smaller text
Steelers' Roethlisberger back from the brink
Through the years
Ben Roethlisberger's timeline of significant events since being drafted with the 11th overall pick by the Steelers on April 24, 2004.
• September 19, 2004 – Roethlisberger plays in his first game, taking over for an injured Tommy Maddox in Baltimore
• February 5, 2006 – Helps the Steelers to a 21-10 win over Seattle in Super Bowl XL
• June 12, 2006 – Suffers a broken jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash
• February 1, 2009 – Roethlisberger leads a last-second drive to beat Arizona and win Super Bowl XLIII, 27-23
• July 17, 2009 – A civil suit is filed against Roethlisberger by a woman who alleges he raped her in 2008 while he was in Nevada for a celebrity golf event
• March 5, 2010 – A 20-year-old female college student files a sexual assault complaint against him in Milledgeville, Ga.
• April 12, 2010 – The district attorney in Georgia announces he will not file criminal charges against Roethlisberger
• April 22, 2010 – Roethlisberger suspended six games by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell
• February 6, 2011 – Roethlisberger throws for 262 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-25 loss to Green Bay in Super XLV
• July 24, 2011 – Roethlisberger marries Ashley Harlan
• January 20, 2012 – The civil suit filed against Roethlisberger in Nevada is dropped
• May 6, 2012 – Roethlisberger earns a bachelor's degree in education from Miami (Ohio)
• June 9, 2012 – Roethlisberger announces that he and his wife are expecting their first child
By Mark Kaboly
Published: Wednesday, June 13, 2012, 12:26 a.m.
Updated: Wednesday, June 13, 2012
Making the cover of Sports Illustrated is usually reserved for athletes at or near the pinnacle of their sport.
For Ben Roethlisberger, it proved to be the instance he hit rock bottom.
The cover depicting an unshaven Roethlisberger entitled, “The Hangover: Ben Roethlisberger — An NFL superstar's repulsive behavior, the ultimate expression of athletic entitlement run amok, has forced even the most diehard fans to question their team and their football faith,” hit news stands two weeks after Roethlisberger was suspended six games by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell for repeated boorish behavior.
Two sexual assault accusations in an eight-month span along with stories of a combative and entitled Roethlisberger in public were synonymous with the Steelers' $100 million quarterback.
Fast-forward two years, and the stories about Roethlisberger are still there, but have a less abrasive context.
“I don't think there is anything better than having your family on the field with you holding that trophy and confetti falling,” Roethlisberger said after practice Tuesday about his soon-to-be-born son.
A lot has changed in Roethlisberger's life over the past 26 months. He's gotten married, been awarded his undergraduate degree at Miami (Ohio) and now is expecting his first kid at the end of the year.
And maybe more importantly, Roethlisberger, 30, has turned his life around.
“Just from when I met him to now, it has been a total 180,” guard and good friend Willie Colon said. “I am extremely proud of him, and I am glad where he is at.”
Colon feels it is time Roethlisberger gets credit for how he has come back from the brink of self-destruction and transformed himself into a humble, family-first guy.
“People love to talk about when you are down and doing wrong,” Colon said. “But they don't say anything when you are a married man, not cheating on your wife, having a kid, being an example in the community — they don't want to talk about that. When you are on the straight and narrow, getting your life together and doing the right things, nobody wants to talk about you.”
Roethlisberger has kept his name out of the news. Other than his first sexual assault charges being dropped in January, Roethlisberger's name has been synonymous with marriage, academia and family instead of booze and bad behavior.
“I am not surprised at all about the transformation he's gone through,” veteran lineman Trai Essex said. “I don't think it was that drastic of a change from the person he was to the person he is now. I don't think he has strayed too far from what he has always been. But he has made an effort to become a little more vocal and be a little more transparent just so people can see who he is.”
Brett Keisel has been best friends with Roethlisberger since his rookie year and has seen the good and bad.
“He's been though a lot,” Keisel said. “He's done a great job rising up out of it.”
Roethlisberger points toward maturity and family but credits his renewed faith as the biggest reason he's turned his life around.
Still, there is a faction of people who believe the “Big Ben” persona will make a return and that this recent behavior is intended to do nothing more than to repair his public image.
“You are always going to have the (jerks), so to speak, that will say some negative about what he's doing,” Colon said. “For the people who know him and love him, we know where he is at. People have to start clapping on how his progression has been and forget about all the things he has been through.”
Added Essex: “He's the same Benjamin he's always been to me.”
Mark Kaboly is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at mkaboly@tribweb.com.
Most Popular Steelers
- Steelers notebook: Gilbert hopes to stay on left side of O-line
- Steelers veteran outside linebacker Woodley: ‘I’m good to go’
- Steelers notebook: Slimmed-down Redman optimistic for 2013
- Steelers quarterback Roethlisberger likes the revamped offense
- Steelers’ Polamalu trim, fit as he arrives for OTAs
- Steelers’ Miller watches, waits while teammates practice
- Steelers might be looking at a youth movement in 2013
- Coach Tomlin, Steelers facing plenty of questions as OTAs start
- Steelers notebook: Less talk, more work is Tomlin’s theme
- Steelers rookie moves on after PSU scandal
- Ex-Steelers QB Batch learns new form of 2-minute drill
You must be signed in to add comments
To comment, click the Sign in or sign up at the very top of this page.
Subscribe today! Click here for our subscription offers.
