Ben Roethlisberger Officially Announces Retirement In Emotional Video
By Jason Hall
January 27, 2022
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has officially announced his retirement.
The two-time Super Bowl champion shared a video alongside his family on his verified Twitter account Thursday (January 27) reading a statement confirming his long speculated decision.
"The journey has been exhilarating, defined by relationships and fueled by a spirit of competition. Yet the time has come to clean up 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," Rothelisberger said in the video.
Roethlisberger had publicly acknowledged his plans to retire after the 2021-22 season prior to Thursday's official announcement.
The 39-year-old finished his final game with 215 yards and two touchdowns on 29 of 44 passing during a 42-21 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Wild Card Round earlier this month.
A message from Ben:@steelers #NFL #SteelersNation #ThankYou#HereWeGo #LoveAndHonor pic.twitter.com/pUbKGO1nUs
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) January 27, 2022
The Steelers also shared a graphic thanking Roethlisberger for his 19 seasons with the franchise shortly after his official announcement.
For everything you've done for the organization, the city, and for the game. #ThankYou7 pic.twitter.com/a0AQWFVFUb
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 27, 2022
Roethlisberger was selected by the Steelers at No. 11 overall in the 2004 NFL Draft and immediately took over at quarterback following an injury to Tommy Maddox in Pittsburgh's second game.
The Lima, Ohio native won the Associated Press Rookie of the Year Award during his first season and led the Steelers to a Super Bowl XL victory in his second season, as well as a Super Bowl XLIII win three years later.
Roethlisberger ranks first in Steelers' franchise history in every major passing category including yards (64,088), touchdowns (418), completions (5,440), attempts (8,443) completion percentage for more than 1,500 attempts (64.4%) games (249) and QB record (165-81-1).