On December 31st, Ben announced a grant to the Aurora Police Department, who had recently re-established their K-9 unit with the addition of K-9 Nero and plans to use the funds to finish Nero’s training and outfit him with a bulletproof vest.

A proud Officer Riley wanted to show off his hard working and hard-training partner:


On January 4th, Chris Daley,a retired K9 officer and owner of Blue Mountain Canine Services, emailed us with an offer: to make & donate a collar for each dog that Ben’s foundation donates! Now these aren’t just regular dog collars we’re talking about – they are custom leather made specifically for working dogs with the K9’s name and an American flag laser-etched into the leather on the outside. The department’s name is etched on the inside. The Aurora Police Department was thrilled to receive the gift, and so was Nero.

“Officer Riley put it on Nero and he has not been on duty without the collar!” — Lt. Andy Lumpkins.

Nero wanted to show off his new collar, but he also wanted to look into the camera and look around and…well, just not sit still for a moment, so he received an assist from Officer Riley:

“I sure hope my partner is at least getting my GOOD side in this shot! Sigh!” — Nero.

*Thank you so much to the Aurora Police Department for sharing these great photos, and a special “Thank You: to Chris Daley for your contribution to Ben’s foundation!!

You can check out Mr. Daley’s website here.

From Jeremy Fowler at ESPN.com’s AFC North Blog:

“Ben Roethlisberger is AFC North’s most valuable player”

NFL Nation reporters from the AFC North — Jeremy Fowler, Coley Harvey, Jamison Hensley and Pat McManamon — have reviewed the film and sorted through the analytics to determine the 2015 annual awards for the division. On Friday, we hand out the AFC North most valuable player.

Winner: Ben Roethlisberger

Runner-up: Antonio Brown

Brown gave 136 reasons why he’s an MVP candidate. Andy Dalton had the league’s second-highest passer rating before a thumb injury derailed his season.

But Ben Roethlisberger was clearly the catalyst for the AFC North’s best offense. He earned his divisional MVP award with playmaking ability that few matched in 2015.

Roethlisberger’s 328 passing yards per game led the NFL. He consistently challenged defenses in fearless fashion. For much of the season, Roethlisberger’s passes, on average, traveled nearly 11 yards in the air before reaching a receiver, also tops in the league.

This is not a check-down quarterback. This is one of the most feared, and one of the most difficult matchups for defensive coordinators.

Who else beat the league’s best defense, Denver, with 55 passing attempts? Fifty-five!

The Steelers should consider themselves lucky they went 2-2 without Roethlisberger. Just consider Brown’s production. He averaged 133 yards per game with Big Ben and 59 per game without him. For as great as Brown is, Roethlisberger still stirs the drink.

The Steelers’ streak of six straight games with at least 30 points was truly special, and Roethlisberger’s arm drove that streak. He played through several injuries to stay on the field. He’s thrived in Todd Haley’s system that emphasizes rhythm and timing in the passing game.

Roethlisberger is undervalued in his own locker room, winning one team-voted MVP in 12 seasons. Not here. He’s a logical choice as division MVP.


You can read more from Jeremy Fowler here.



From Curt Popejoy at USA Today:

“Former Steeler Santonio Holmes offers high praise of Ben Roethlisberger”

For whatever reason there are an awful lot of NFL fans and writers that don’t give Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the respect he deserves. He is clearly one of the top quarterbacks in the league, but many refuse to admit it. He’s not as flashy or has the celebrity status of […]

Brett Keisel’s 6th Annual event was a big success in raising funds for Childrens Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC for their cancer programs. Guest barbers included Ben, James Harrison, Cam Heyward, Sean Suisham, and former Pirates infielder Neil Walker.

“Ben Roethlisberger, looking like he could use his own beard shearing, takes the last lock from Keez.” — Randy Baumann via Instagram.

*Actually, it looks like “Keez” is trying to escape from Ben the Barber!




Children’s Hospital ‏@ChildrensPgh
@_BigBen7 shearing @bkeisel99 beard! #ShearDaBeard

“Big Ben gets his turn to ‪#ShearDaBeard ‬!” Photo: IATW Foundation – Thank you to Trish!


So, how well did the guest barbers do in the shaving of #99? Stop by his website to see for yourself!

Hey Steeler Nation! You can combine K9’s with Valentines with the help of Sarris Candies!

“We’re so grateful for Sarris Candies’ generous support. We’re excited to involve a local favorite like Sarris Candies in helping to support our police and fire departments!” – Ben.

Each NFL season, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation distributes grants to police and fire department K-9 units in the city, and surrounding community, of each regular season away game for the Steelers.

The foundation also distributes several grants each year to K-9 units in the Pittsburgh area.

K-9 units are often woefully underfunded and depend on public donations to continue their important work protecting the community and their human partners.

Sarris Candies wants to help you with your Valentines Day gift-giving and at the same time, you can help Ben’s foundation support our public service heroes!

Just use the group code of 77-7777 on Sarris Candies’ website, (www.Sarriscandiesfundraising.com) to purchase any of Sarris’ expansive candy fundraising catalog products, like the Heart Deluxe Assortment, Cordial Strawberries, yummy Valentines Day Oreos or go sporty with the Pittsburgh Black and Gold Assortment….and of course, Smooches (pictured)!!

Sarris will then donate 25% of the purchase price to Ben’s foundation.

“Giving back to the community in which we live has long been a core belief here at Sarris Candies and we’re excited to have the opportunity to have a little influence and encourage people to support and donate to such a worthy cause in our community.” — Bill Sarris, President of Sarris Candies.

The Foundation distributed more than $130,000 in grants to K-9 units around the country during the 2014-15 NFL season and has distributed in excess of $1.3 million since 2007.


For more info or to make a donation to the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation please contact Jessica Duffaut at The Giving Back Fund.


*Photos: Sarris Candies and the Sacramento Police Department.

A Bellevue police dog, Ozzy, gets a custom-fitted bulletproof vest courtesy of the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation.

From Lynn Thompson at the Seattle Times:

Last week, when two mail-theft suspects ditched a stolen car and ran from police, one of Bellevue’s newest officers was called to track them down.

In nine months on the job, K-9 officer Ozzy has apprehended 11 suspects.

The 95-pound German shepherd was at Bellevue City Hall on Thursday, showing off his new Kevlar, bullet-resistant vest, before an admiring crowd of city employees and media.


Ozzy was the only one of three Bellevue police dogs without a protective vest. Lt. Andrew Popochock, who supervises the K-9 unit for the Bellevue Police Department, said that the dogs often are sent into high-risk situations with suspects armed with knives or guns. They also train with Bellevue’s SWAT team.

“Just like we want protection for our officers, dogs need protection as well,” he said. Ozzy’s vest was constructed of the same materials as police protective vests and was custom-fit to the dog.

Straps and buckles keep the vest secure, but still allow for movement. Ozzy had to reach 2 years old before it could be certain he wouldn’t outgrow the vest.

Popochock said police dogs and their handlers receive more than 400 hours of training, learning obedience, bite work, tracking, locating evidence and how to tell which scent is fresh at a crime scene.

The $2,400 vest was purchased with a grant from the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation and the Bellevue Police Foundation. Roethlisberger is well-known to Seahawks fans as the quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers who dashed Seattle’s first Super Bowl bid in 2006.

Last November, a few days before the Seahawks-Steelers game, the foundation announced awards to the Bellevue and Renton K-9 units.

“Ben is a big dog fan,” Popochock said. ”He’s done a lot of good in communities around the country and a lot of good for police dogs.” As far as the Super Bowl loss in 2006, he said, “We’re over that.”


If you’d like to donate to Ben’s foundation or just learn more, click here.

From Jeremy Fowler, ESPN.com:

This is a big week for Alan Faneca, the former Pittsburgh Steelers guard who’s a Hall of Fame finalist. ESPN.com will have a story on Faneca’s exceptional performance on and off the field later this week, but in the meantime Faneca shared his views on Ben Roethlisberger, his quarterback from 2004-07.

He’s seen an evolution with Roethlisberger, and he’s not just talking about his throwing ability.

“He definitely has taken the organization and the team and put it on his shoulders,” said Faneca, who played for 10 years with the Steelers, six times an All-Pro. “That’s come a long way from when he first got into the NFL, just as we all evolve. He’s definitely grown into that guy. It’s great to see. He’s taken the team emotionally and physically by what he does on the field.”

Not that Roethlisberger couldn’t lead before, Faneca said, but he believes Roethlisberger has “expanded” on his leadership capacity, as evidenced by him calling on Martavis Bryant to “toughen up” after the wide receiver’s slow stretch before the playoffs. Bryant responded with 267 offensive yards and a touchdown in two playoff games.

Roethlisberger has talked about his lack of maturity as a young player. The Steelers had a veteran-laden team that went 15-1 in Roethlisberger’s rookie year, followed by a Super Bowl the next season.

“As he got more years in, he just started assuming more of a leadership role,” Faneca said. “I’ll see him pull guys over during the pregame and circle them up, a ‘Let’s go, get after it’ moment. It’s just nice to see. He seems more motivational, trying to get guys centered, calling out guys. Knowing when to poke and prod is a thing you learn along the way. On top of that, just going out there and playing how he plays, pulling off the quasi-impossible on those third-and-longs to keep them in the game.”


You can read more here.