For nearly two decades, Ben Roethlisberger has been the heart and soul of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Often criticized for his behavior off the field, Big Ben never let that affect his performance on the gridiron.
But all good things come to an end and it became clearer every week that Roethlisberger wasn’t his usual self anymore. Father Time stayed undefeated and took a toll on his game right before our eyes.
That’s why it wasn’t a surprise to know that this would be Big Ben’s final season. Moreover, yesterday’s clash with the Cleveland Browns was most likely his final game at Heinz Field, leaving him quite emotional after the win.
Emotional Ben Roethlisberger Thanks The Fans In Potential Final Game At Heinz Field
“This is home,” Roethlisberger said, per ProFootballTalk. “I was born in Ohio but I live here and I’ll always be here. These fans, and this place, mean so much to me and my family and always will. I’ve always said that they’re the best fans in all of sports, and I’ll stick by that until the day I die. To see all the signs and the jerseys and the towels and to hear them cheer for me coming out of the towel, I don’t know that I’ll ever put it into words.”
“This game was very special to me,” Big Ben added. “I told them thank you, how much this place and they mean to me.I’m just so blessed to play this game for a long time.”
The Steelers now need to beat the Baltimore Ravens in the season finale and hope that the Jacksonville Jaguars upset the Indianapolis Colts to have a shot at a playoff berth, with ESPN giving them less than 2% odds of this happening.
But even if Sunday’s game is Roethlisberger’s last time setting foot on the gridiron, and even despite his bad performances of the past couple of years, he’ll still go down as one of the greatest to ever do it, a Hall of Famer, and a Steelers legend.
