Following 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger officially announced his retirement on Thursday morning, posting a video on his Twitter account.
"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," Roethlisberger said in the video. "I retire from football a truly grateful man."
Roethlisberger played his final home game against the Cleveland Browns and his final regular-season road game against the Baltimore Ravens, winning both and landing a Wild Card playoff spot.
Pittsburgh went on to lose to the Kansas City Chiefs, ending their season and Roethlisberger's career.
A message from Ben:@steelers #NFL #SteelersNation #ThankYou#HereWeGo #LoveAndHonor pic.twitter.com/pUbKGO1nUs
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) January 27, 2022
Drafted 11th overall in 2004, the Steelers never had a losing record while Roethlisberger played for them.
He went on to lead the Steelers to two Super Bowl titles, eight division titles, and 165 regular-season wins, finishing fifth all-time in passing yards and completions.
He ended his career one drive short of Peyton Manning's record for game-winning drives.
While Roethlisberger made his retirement official on Thursday, it was no surprise. He restructured his contract after last season after the Steelers made it clear they wouldn't have him back without a restructure.
It looked like the Steelers were ready to part ways, but Roethlisberger worked with the organization to pull out one last season before his retirement.
Roethlisberger was a leading quarterback in the NFL, but he had his off-field issues during his career as well.
In 2009, Roethlisberger was accused of raping a woman in his hotel room at a Lake Tahoe casino the prior summer. He denied the allegations repeatedly for years, and the lawsuits were settled out of court in 2012.
Then, in 2010, He was once again accused of sexual assault—this time by a 20-year-old student at Georgia College & State University who alleged the quarterback raped her in a nightclub bathroom stall. Roethlisberger did not have charges filed against him in that case but did receive a six-game suspension, which was later reduced to four games.
His past likely won't impact any of his future accolades, including a Hall of Fame induction, which seems probable.
His first year of eligibility for induction will be in 2027.
This story was originally posted by Camryn Justice of WEWSin Cleveland.
