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Ben Roethlisberger (Pittsburgh Steelers)

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ABJ

7/13/06

Roethlisberger told he was close to dying

Associated Press

<!-- begin body-content -->BRISTOL, Conn. - Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said Wednesday night that he was told he was "seconds, maybe a minute away from dying" immediately after his motorcycle accident last month.
Roethlisberger, in his first interview since the June 12 accident, told ESPN's "SportsCenter" that he doesn't remember much about the accident when he rammed his motorcycle into a car that was making a left turn in front of him on a Pittsburgh street. He did, however, remember what he was told by people at the scene.
"They told me that I was literally seconds, maybe a minute away from dying because I slit a vein or artery in my mouth or my throat and it was draining blood right into my stomach and luckily the paramedic noticed it and stopped it or else I would have had too much blood in my stomach," he said in Los Angeles where he was for the taping of the ESPY Awards.
"I remember very few things about the accident," Roethlisberger said. "I remember one car turning in front of me, I don't remember the car that hit me, but I remember that first car turning in front of me and the next thing I remember is being in the ambulance and asking, 'Is this really happening?'
"I said, 'Tell me this is just a bad dream,' and he said, 'No, everything is going to be OK,' and he asked me, 'Is there anyone you want me to call?' ... I just gave him two numbers and I don't remember anything until I woke up from surgery."
Roethlisberger underwent seven hours of surgery to repair a broken jaw and other facial bones. Tests showed no brain injuries, although he had a mild concussion. He also lost two teeth and chipped several others.
Roethlisberger was cited for not wearing a helmet when the accident happened.
"That day I wasn't, I forgot it. I literally forgot it," he said. "You know there are times that, people that have been making a big deal for the last couple years about me riding first of all, and then me riding without a helmet, but it's one of those things that I ride with a helmet also. I do a little bit of both. If you don't wear a seat belt every time you ride in the car should I label you as a person who doesn't wear a seat belt? And unfortunately I happened to not have it on that day because I forgot it in the basement."
Roethlisberger said he didn't know if he would ride a motorcycle again.
"I don't know. I am not even thinking about that right now," he said. "To me, right now, like I said when I first started thinking about things, I started thinking about my family. Now that I am doing better and I feel good, now all I am thinking about is football and that is what is on my mind right now. I am getting healthy and I am getting better every day so all I am thinking about is football. I am not thinking about anything else."
Roethlisberger is scheduled to play in a celebrity golf tournament this weekend in Lake Tahoe, Nev.
Including the postseason, the Steelers are 27-4 with Roethlisberger at quarterback. They advanced to the AFC championship game in both his seasons as a starter, winning the Super Bowl in January.
The Steelers won the ESPY for best team and Roethlisberger joined his teammates and coach Bill Cowher onstage to accept the award. It was his first public appearance since the accident.
Roethlisberger didn't appear backstage to talk to reporters.
"I have no concerns about Ben," Cowher said backstage. "He's going to have to get hit a couple times to see if he's all the way back. Hopefully, he can be a great inspiration to a lot of people about looking at life a little more cautiously."
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Upvote 0
tibor75 said:
:slappy:

give me a break. This guy is such a Drama Queen

My foot is broken.
My thumb is sliced in two
I almost died.
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Upvote 0
Resilient Roethlisberger

By Mike Prisuta
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Friday, July 14, 2006

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Ben Roethlisberger insisted Thursday his brush with death won't affect his readiness or willingness to play the style of game that's helped the Steelers achieve a 27-4 record and win a Super Bowl with him starting at quarterback the past two seasons.
"People ask me if it's going to change the way I play, am I going to be more cautious?" Roethlisberger said. "No, that's not who I am.

"I'm not going to slide instead of dive. I'm not going to step out of bounds, instead of trying to get that extra yard. I have every intention of getting out there and playing to the fullest of my ability and still being that free spirit that makes me who I am.

"I'm going to try to be better than I ever was."

Speaking four weeks and three days after a motorcycle accident landed him on an operating table for seven hours -- coming within "seconds, maybe a minute" of losing his life -- Roethlisberger maintained he'd be ready for some football when training camp opens July 28 in Latrobe.

The Steelers open their defense of the 2005 NFL championship against Miami on Sept. 7 at Heinz Field.

"I'll tell you what, I have every intention of being ready to go on both of those dates," Roethlisberger said during a telephone interview. "That's my goal, to be ready to go 100 percent."

Roethlisberger sustained a broken jaw and other facial bones in a motorcycle accident June 12.

Speaking to ESPN's Jim Rome in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Roethlisberger said paramedics told him he was "literally seconds, maybe a minute away from dying, because I slit a vein or artery in my mouth or my throat, and it was draining blood right into my stomach."

Roethlisberger was in Lake Tahoe, Nev., yesterday for the Pro-Am for the American Century Championship. He will participate in the celebrity golf tournament today, as planned prior to his accident.

"I've lost weight, so maybe I'll be faster, maybe I'll be quicker," Roethlisberger said.

As for other potential long-term effects from his accident, "Maybe it's going to make people doubt me and put more fire in me," Roethlisberger said.

Roethlisberger, listed at 241 pounds by the Steelers a season ago, had acknowledged a desire to lose weight heading into this season.

He observed yesterday that his accident and subsequent hospital stint allowed him to achieve that goal faster than anticipated.

He reported his current weight at 235 pounds and said he'd like to play this season at 235 or 240.

"It's a bad way, unfortunately, to lose the weight I needed to lose. But, hey, we're down now, and I'm lifting (weights) and getting stronger," Roethlisberger said. "I think it's going to be better in the long run."

Roethlisberger admittedly experienced some trying times during his convalescence -- soul-searching and second-guessing himself for riding his Suzuki Hayabusa without a helmet haven't been a part of that process, though.

"I have never sat down and said, 'I can't believe this happened to me, why me? What if this? What if that? If this was different, that would have happened,'" Roethlisberger said. "That's not me.

"I've sat down and talked with my family and said, 'Wow, can you believe that happened?' We say things like 'wow' and 'that's amazing' and 'we are truly blessed to be alive with what happened.' But I'm never going to sit there and question or second-guess anything that happened or say 'what if?' Because I can't control that."

Roethlisberger perceived his presence at Edgewood Tahoe Country Club yesterday as evidence he's on the verge of completing his recovery.

"It was either that or me throwing the football around the other day," he said. "Both of them are pretty good signs.

"I've been throwing for the last couple of weeks, throwing and working out and running. I'm feeling better every day."

The Steelers haven't commented publicly on Roethlisberger's status or how they intend to use him in training camp and preseason games.

Roethlisberger anticipates the coaching staff will take a cautious approach.

"No one really knows yet," he said. "They kind of want to see how things are going to go, but I want to tell them I'm ready to go for them."

Wearing a different football helmet has been discussed, Roethlisberger said, based on "what fits the best and what's the best protection, but I don't see that being a big issue."

Roethlisberger also suspects he suffered a concussion in the accident, but he doesn't know for certain.

"I would assume I did, but I don't foresee that causing any problems in the long run or making it any tougher," he said. "I've had concussions before. I don't know how many, but I don't foresee it being a problem."

As for NFL defenses potentially going after him with more fervor because of his injuries, "You never know, but I have the best offensive line in football," Roethlisberger said. "I have confidence in them."

Steelers coach Bill Cowher had warned Roethlisberger of the dangers of motorcycle riding prior to the accident, and he had urged his quarterback to wear a helmet if he remained determined to ride.

Roethlisberger said he hadn't begun to contemplate whether he would ride again -- he's vowed to wear a helmet in the event he does -- but he didn't anticipate Cowher, Steelers chairman Dan Rooney or Steelers president Art Rooney II forbidding him to do so.

"Obviously, that's their call, but I don't foresee any of that coming about," Roethlisberger said. "I think I truly am blessed to be playing for an awesome coach and awesome owners, because they have been nothing but supportive of me the whole time. They've really just wanted me to get better.

"I'm just so thankful for the support I've gotten for them."

Support from those closest to him helped him through the toughest of times, Roethlisberger said, "Not necessarily their words of wisdom as much as just being there if I needed somebody to talk to.

"No one's really given me advice on how to get through it," he said. "They know I'm a strong person. But my family and friends and teammates, just having their support has been unbelievable."

He also had a message for Steelers fans.

"Thank them for all their support and their cards and letters that got me through those tough nights with my mom, trying to figure out if I was going to be able to fall asleep or not," Roethlisberger said. "I apologize to all of them, obviously, and I think I'm beyond apologies now.

"I just want everybody to know that, yes, I'm sorry. But I'm going to be OK. They can count on me."

Mike Prisuta can be reached at [email protected].
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http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/sports/steelers/s_461831.html
 
Upvote 0
ABJ

7/15/06

Roethlisberger says he won't do safety ads

Associated Press

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RICH PEDRONCELLI, AP
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger watches his tee shot on the 12th hole of the American Century Championship Celeb-AM Tournament played at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course in Lake Tahoe, Nev. Thursday, July 13, 2006.
<!-- begin body-content -->PITTSBURGH - Ben Roethlisberger said he doesn't plan on doing public safety announcements for motorcycle or helmet safety following his accident last month.
"I don't think that's my place," the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said in a taped interview aired Friday on ABC's "Good Morning America."
"Some people feel that, you know, I probably should be doing that and being a big advocate for that," Roethlisberger said from Los Angeles. "But for me, I'm going to let people make their own decisions ... So I don't think you'll see me doing any kind of billboards or advertisements."
Roethlisberger had been in Los Angeles for the taping of the ESPY Awards. On Friday, he was slated to play in the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in Nevada.
Roethlisberger had seven hours of facial reconstruction surgery June 12 after ramming his motorcycle into a car that turned left in front of him on a Pittsburgh street.
Roethlisberger broke his jaw and nose when his head smashed into the car's windshield and he was thrown over the car onto the pavement. He was cited for riding without a license and not wearing a helmet.
In Friday's interview, Roethlisberger said he sometimes wears his helmet, but on the day of the accident, he forgot it.
"I had just gotten my bike all custom done. It was painted up and it was really nice," he said. "I was supposed to take my helmet that day with me to get painted to match my bike so I could wear it all the time when I rode that bike and I totally forgot it."
Roethlisberger said he also forgot how his life is scrutinized by the public.
"I forgot that I have to live this life under the microscope and that people are always watching and criticizing everything that I do," he said. "I'm coming off two pretty good seasons in the NFL, winning a Super Bowl and 24 years old, and maybe this is God's way of saying, 'Hey, I can take it away from you at anytime so you better back off a little bit.'"
In the past two seasons, Roethlisberger helped the Steelers achieve a 27-4 record.
Roethlisberger said he has started working out and is now looking forward to training camp later this month.
"Now that I feel healthy and know that I am going to be OK, my only focus is football," he said. "So I've not even started to think about riding a motorcycle again. ... Once this season's over, maybe I'll start thinking whether I'll start riding again."
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Dispatch

7/25/06

NFL
Motorcycle crash made QB ‘thankful to be here’

Steelers’ Roethlisberger says accident changed his perspective on life

Tuesday, July 25, 2006


THE WASHINGTON POST

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For all of the pain and anxiety Ben Roethlisberger suffered after a motorcycle accident June 12, the most profound effect on the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback might be that his perspective has been forever changed.
"It’s helped me appreciate things more," Roethlisberger said. "It’s helped me smile more or not get upset or stay upset as long. It helped me appreciate my family and friends more."
The quarterback laughed.
"When the season starts and I’m not playing well, I’ll have a smile of my face and people will wonder, ‘How can he be smiling?’ But no matter how bad I might be playing, I’m thankful to be here, to be alive.
"Obviously God has a plan for me; I don’t know what it is yet, that’s the big question."
A bigger question might be the plans Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher has for him. The Steelers open training camp Friday, and their coach has been mostly silent on the subject of his quarterback since the accident. In Washington to present an award to Roethlisberger for his play last season, Cowher called the player "a very lucky, fortunate young man."
"We’re all glad there are no serious ramifications from the accident," he added.
Cowher said the two have spoken a little since the accident and said they are fine even though Roethlisberger was injured doing something Cowher had warned him against: riding a motorcycle without a helmet.
Roethlisberger’s face is unblemished even though five titanium plates hold his cheekbones together just under his skin. He said his vision is fine, his head is clear, and he doesn’t have headaches, though in recent interviews he has mentioned occasionally spitting up blood. In time, he said, his face should be stronger than it was before.
But there are also reminders, namely a scar on back of his head and numbness near his mouth where surgeons had to make their cuts. He said the operation to install the plates was a complicated one in which the doctors had to peel back part of his face to get to the broken bones, then rolled the skin back down.
"It’s kind of gruesome," he said of that detail.
As a result, he is left with an odd sensation in his lips. If he touches them, they feel as if someone "has stuffed cotton swabs" in the corners where the surgeons made their entry.
"I can’t feel if I have food on my face," he said.
A couple of weeks ago he began working out, and he runs, throws footballs and lifts weights almost every day. He said he feels fine, that his body has responded.
Two things he has not done, however, are take a hit or put on a football helmet. The contact will come soon enough if he follows through on his avowed plan to take part in the first practice this week. He has talked to the team’s trainers about using one of the concussion-reducing helmets several players have been wearing over the past three years. The helmets are cut lower than regular helmets, adding extra protection to the jaw.
They have not made a decision about that yet.
His failure to wear a helmet the day of the accident has led to criticism, and one doesn’t have to be around him long to see that the words have stung. "It’s what a lot of players use to drive themselves; it drives me," Roethlisberger said of the heat he has taken. "It seems every year there is some reason they are trying to doubt me. Small school, I was playing as a rookie and now this. I’m looking forward to proving to people that I’m up to the task."
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Big Jen Roethlisberger undergoes appy surgery..

Sources: 'Big Ben' Misses Practice, Has Surgery
LIVE: Bill Cowher's Press Conference
(KDKA) PITTSBURGH Sources tell KDKA that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger had surgery.

KDKA has learned he had an appendectomy.

Roethlisberger was absent from today’s practice.

Coach Bill Cowher is holding a press conference at 6pm.

Tune into KDKA-TV News at 6:30pm and stay with KDKA.com for the latest on this developing story

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)


Let me guess....they'll say he'll be out for 4 weeks, he'll come back in 2, do well, he'll claim that he almost died in his car on his way to the emergency room.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
tibor75 said:
Sources: 'Big Ben' Misses Practice, Has Surgery
LIVE: Bill Cowher's Press Conference
(KDKA) PITTSBURGH Sources tell KDKA that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger had surgery.

KDKA has learned he had an appendectomy.

Roethlisberger was absent from today’s practice.

Coach Bill Cowher is holding a press conference at 6pm.

Tune into KDKA-TV News at 6:30pm and stay with KDKA.com for the latest on this developing story

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)


Let me guess....they'll say he'll be out for 4 weeks, he'll come back in 2, do well, he'll claim that he almost died in his car on his way to the emergency room.
Click to expand...

:shake:
 
Upvote 0
tibor75 said:
Sources: 'Big Ben' Misses Practice, Has Surgery
LIVE: Bill Cowher's Press Conference
(KDKA) PITTSBURGH Sources tell KDKA that Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger had surgery.

KDKA has learned he had an appendectomy.

Roethlisberger was absent from today’s practice.

Coach Bill Cowher is holding a press conference at 6pm.

Tune into KDKA-TV News at 6:30pm and stay with KDKA.com for the latest on this developing story

(© MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)


Let me guess....they'll say he'll be out for 4 weeks, he'll come back in 2, do well, he'll claim that he almost died in his car on his way to the emergency room.
Click to expand...

Karma is gonna be a m*ther f*cker for you someday....
 
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