Today, Ben announced the first grant of the 2013-14 season from the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund. The Foundation will be distributing a grant to the Bellbrook Fire Department northeast of Cincinnati, OH where the Steelers will play the Bengals on Monday, September 16th.

The grant funds will benefit not only the Bellbrook Fire Department’s four K-9 teams, but will also assist with updating the aging Vectren Bellbrook Fire Department Search and Rescue Canine Agility Site, managed by the organization, Ohio Disaster Search Dogs. In the past 10 years, the site has hosted K-9 teams from across the nation to provide integral training and practice.

During the 2013-14 NFL season, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation will be distributing grants to K-9 units of police and fire departments in the cities and surrounding communities of each regular season away game for the Steelers. The Foundation will also distribute several grants to the Pittsburgh area and will consider a grant to a non-NFL market city in the United States for each playoff game in which the Steelers compete. Ben’s Foundation invited police and fire departments across the country to submit proposals detailing their needs.

This marks the seventh season that the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation has distributed grants to K-9 units. The mission of the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation is to support K-9 units of police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on support for service dogs in Pittsburgh, PA. Roethlisberger and the Foundation also strive to support Make-A-Wish.

The Foundation distributed more than $135,000 in grants to K-9 units around the country during the 2012 NFL season and has distributed in excess of $950,000 since 2007.

“It’s week one. We lost a game in week one. Yeah, we didn’t play very well at all on offense, but there’s no time to panic right now. The AFC north is all even. Everyone is atop the lead. We’ll see how it all irons out after this week. I think the Browns and Ravens play. There will be someone at the top at the end of this.” — Ben

A few highlights:

Will it be weird to look at James Harrison on the other side of the line of scrimmage?

Yeah, it’s already different watching film and seeing him in a different uniform. I’m sure he’ll have his black visor on so we won’t be able to see his face too well.


Do the Bengals use Harrison similarly to how you used him?

They’re a different defense, so no.


How long does it take to adjust to a new center?

It is going to take some time. We’ll get as much work in as we can. We were off to the side today in between periods trying to work on the silent count, different snaps and things. I think if we get good work in this week we’ll be just fine.


Do you expect to see some time with Fernando Velasco as well?

Honestly, I don’t know. It’s up to Coach Tomlin to see how fast he can progress as a natural center. We’ll see how fast they want to move him along.


Are there any adjustments you have to make in terms of making the calls when Beachum is in there?

Nope. He knows his stuff, and he’ll be just fine.


Ref: What happened Sunday now that are you are removed from it:

The best part about being removed from it is that we can put it behind us. Obviously, we didn’t make enough plays. We didn’t play well enough, and just didn’t get it done, point blank.


You can watch video of his interview here.

…for your continued prayers for little Steelers fan Richard Culliver! They’re working in a big way!!

Remember Richard? On October 4th, 2012, Richard was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor called Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma. His story was posted here in a “Shout Out” on October 10th, 2012.

Jason “Moose” Cunningham and the members of Augusta SteelMasters, a Steelers fan club based in Augusta, Georgia stepped up. SteelMasters purchased game tickets and assisted with the lodging for Richard and his family to make the trip to Tennessee’s LP Field from their home in South Carolina to see the Steelers play the Titans that week. Moose and the Culliver family shared the experience with us through photos and a story.

The experience left Richard feeling like a celebrity, in fact he asked his mother:

“Mommy, I’m gonna cry. I’m famous! Do I need a Twitter account now?”

On October 22nd, after the Steelers beat the Bengals 24-17, Ben held on to the game ball, signed it, and sent it to Richard. He was asked by the media if there was a special reason he held on to the game ball as he ran off the field:

“That was the first time we’ve done the victory formation, I believe this year, to take a knee to end it, and I wanted to keep that. There’s a little boy that’s very sick that has been on my website, and has been checking in…and I want to send that to him.”

Since then, we have been keeping up with Richard through his Facebook page, Richards Journey and tonight…


We have a wonderful update to share from Richard’s mother, Stephanie:

“What an amazing day!!! Praise God for all he’s done and is doing in our lives!!

Today his tumor is so small you can barely see it. It’s way smaller than when he was diagnosed!!

So we only saw his doctor for a few minutes. We will go back soon for a followup. For now this is what we know:

We will get Richard back in school. He will begin therapies to improve his motor skills. He will also come off of hospice care (That one is sad because we love them all so much and will miss seeing them).

We will go […]

The Ben Roethlisberger Show made its grand debut this morning as part of Sportsradio 93.7 The Fan’s Vinnie & Cook.


Ben discusses Sunday’s game, the injury to Maurkice Pouncey, his respect for Kelvin Beachum, his hopes of getting Heath Miller back soon, the Monday Night Football game against the Bengals, facing James Harrison, and the Pirates winning season!


From CBS-Pittsburgh this afternoon:

Ben shares his thoughts on what went wrong in a season-opening loss to the Tennessee Titans. “We weren’t consistently good enough,” he explains. “It was bad, but it wasn’t all bad. There were some good things we did on offense, but it wasn’t consistently good enough to get it done, and that’s what is frustrating.”

While the offensive line had its struggles, Ben explains why he still believes in that unit, and admits that he is proud of Kelvin Beachum, who stepped in for an injured Maurkice Pouncey.

“Steeler Nation needs to appreciate what it took and what he did,” he says of Beachum. “I haven’t taken one snap with him in practice. That guy has been playing tight end, guard, and tackle for the last two weeks, and in the heat of battle we ask him to come over from practicing tight end all week to becoming your starting center. You have to take your hat off to that guy.”

The last time the Steelers met the Cincinnati Bengals, Ben’s late interception led to Pittsburgh loss.

Ben says he hasn’t forgotten.

“You watch ESPN, and when they’re talking about the Monday night game they show me with my head down and I know exactly when that was. I have a lot of things to motivate me, and this game last year is one of them. I’m going to prepare to have my best game and do what I can to have my best game.”


You can listen to the full podcast here!

Catch the Ben Roethlisberger Show every Tuesday at 11:00 am with Vinnie & Cook on Sportsradio 93.7 The Fan!

The Pirates secure their first winning season since 1992 with 1-0 win over the Texas Rangers!


From Michael Sanserino at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette this evening:

The Pirates clinched a winning season, their first in 21 years, with a 1-0 victory Monday night against the Texas Rangers, putting an end to a two-decade stretch of ugly baseball that turned one of the game’s most celebrated franchises into one of the most ridiculed.

With their 82nd win of the season, the Pirates (82-61) are assured of a winning season for the first time since 1992.

Now they have their sights set on a National League Central Division crown — they trail the St. Louis Cardinals by one game in the standings with 19 games remaining. At the very least, the Pirates are in good position to secure a playoff berth for the first time since that 1992 campaign.


You can read more here!


*That’s Benjamin Jr. enjoying his first Pirates Game this summer! Lets Go Buccos!!

…at 11:00 AM for the debut of Big Ben’s new weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan!

“I am looking forward to spending time every week on The Fan talking about every game and sharing my insights with Steeler Nation.” — Ben, on his new gig.

From KDKA – Channel 2:

Ben Roethlisberger will make regular weekly appearances on KDKA-FM, Sportsradio 93.7 The Fan for the upcoming NFL season.

The Ben Roethlisberger Show will take place Tuesdays at 11 a.m. with The Fan’s Vinnie & Cook Show, starting on Tuesday, September 10th.

“We’re thrilled that we have been able to have Ben join us every week in what we hope will be the start of a long partnership,” said Ryan Maguire, Program Director for Sportsradio 93.7 The Fan. “The Fan has can’t miss programming that will super serve Steeler Fans every week. Big Ben will provide our listeners insight on the team they can’t get anywhere else.”


You can read more here.