Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is one of the toughest competitors in the NFL, but he’s too smart to risk his health.
At the end of Pittsburgh’s tough road loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, Roethlisberger took quite a combination high/low shot from a pair of Seahawks defenders. The hit not only knocked the wind out of Big Ben, it did something to his head and as a result Roethlisberger had double vision when he got back up.
More from Still Curtain
- Mel Kiper Jr. makes predictable pick for Steelers in first NFL mock draft
- Steelers news: Brian Flores odds to land HC job, no projected compensatory picks, and more
- Why Jordan Addison to the Steelers is a good idea
- 4 reasons Steelers would have been embarrassed in the NFL playoffs
- The easiest cut the Pittsburgh Steelers will make in 2023
Many players would stubbornly go about their business, making calls and playing as if nothing was wrong. Not Roethlisberger, who summoned the team doctors to let them know what was going on.
Here’s what he told 93.7 the Fan yesterday:
“I was literally on the sideline probably for the first time maybe in my life thinking about my family and not going back into the game because I did not feel quite right,” he said. “It was definitely a moment, that’s why I was honest with the trainers and doctors and wanted to tell them exactly what I was going through.”
If only more players would follow Roethlisberger’s example, the NFL would be a much safer place to play. Too many athletes try to play through concussions in a vain attempt to prove how tough they are or to earn their contracts. You need only look at guys like Jim McMahon to see that the long-term effects of repeated head trauma are definitely not worth the risk for a moment of glory on a football field.
It’s not just players who must be held accountable, of course.
A couple of weeks ago St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher got into trouble for not yanking Case Keenum from a game late against the Baltimore Ravens, even though he had clearly sustained a concussion. Fisher evaded questions about it at his press conference the following day because he had nothing to stand on. Allowing Keenum to stay on the field was more than just irresponsible – it was downright negligent.
When teams and coaches allow their athletes to keep playing despite apparent head trauma they should be severely punished with fines, and repeated infractions should result in forfeited draft picks.
Next: Steelers vs. Colts: Tomlin Tuesday
If the NFL is really serious about stopping the epidemic of CTE, they need more examples like Roethlisberger and less like Fisher.