“I just want to be like my dad, so I’ve had 30 years of being around, to me, the best role model there is when it comes to being a father. I don’t know if a 20-minute sit-down really can do anymore for me than what 30 years of experience has brought to me.”  — Ben on being a father, from his interview with Sally Wiggin that aired this evening.

From WTAE TV – Channel 4:

It’s been a milestone year for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.

He got married last July, celebrated his 30th birthday in March, graduated college in May and announced in June of this year that he and his wife, Ashley, are expecting their first child — a baby boy — later this year.

Channel 4 Action News anchor Sally Wiggin sat down with the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, where he’s preparing for the upcoming season, as well as being a first-time dad.

“Brett Keisel and I sat up here the other night for probably about an hour and just sat outside talking about kids and what it was like, so it’s neat to get experience, to talk to people who have experience like that,” said Roethlisberger.

With concussions looming over the NFL, Roethlisberger said he’ll allow his son to play football, but there will be some restrictions.

“If he wants to, yes. I’m going to support my son in whatever he wants to do. If he wants to play football, I’m all for it. The only thing I will say is I won’t let him play contact football until the fifth grade — that’s when I started playing. Nowadays I think they go full contact way too early. If he wants to play flag football or anything like that early, fine.”


You can read more from the 6:00 PM broadcast of his interview here.

You can watch more of his interview with Sally Wiggin during the 11:00 PM news broadcast.

Video of his full interview will be posted if and when it becomes available!

Starts with a special fan story….


First and foremost I feel honored to share this story with Steeler Nation on Ben’s website.

This is a story about a young man and his courage. Jeffrey Metz was born in San Diego, CA with cerebral palsy. My name is Mickey Metz, Jeffrey’s uncle. I’m originally from the north side of Pittsburgh, but have been living in Orlando, FL since 1985.

We have family in Mt. Pleasant, PA so I decided to invite Jeffrey to go on a road trip to Steelers training camp with me, my son, and my brother. His parents were reluctant to allow him to fly by himself to Orlando because of his physical disability, but Jeffrey won out and flew from Bakersfield, CA to our home in Orlando to start the road trip to Pennsylvania. He flew 3,000 miles and rode for 1,200 miles.

Friday, July 27, 2012, the first day of camp open for the public was the day that changed Jeffrey’s life forever.

We arrived at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA at noon. Upon arriving I sought out several staff members to see if there was any assistance (a wheelchair) for Jeffrey to get to the playing fields and unfortunately they couldn’t provide any. We weren’t sure how to get Jeffrey down the hillside from the handicap parking lot but Jeffrey knew the only chance he had to meet his favorite player, Ben Roethlisberger, was to climb down all the steps to the playing field. So even with a major fear of steps, he made it to the bottom – one slow step at a time, with crutches, to watch the players on the field.

After practice, Jeffrey climbed down the few remaining steps to the field level in hopes that Ben would notice him wearing his #7 jersey. However, Ben walked the opposite way from us to the other side of the grandstand to sign autographs. Still determined, Jeffrey climbed back up the stairs, walked to the other side and then back down the steps to the side where Ben was. Unfortunately, by this time Ben was already a distance away from where Jeffery was. Jeffrey was not giving up! He walked along the hillside […]

Would you like to share them with us?






































“Mr. Ben, will you sign my puppy?”


That little guy is JoJo Gratson! His parents said the moment he saw Ben, he ran to him….and right past Security! Before they could turn him around, Ben saw the boy and walked right over to him. When Jojo handed him the dog Ben asked, “What do you want me to do with this?” Jojo just smiled and handed him the sharpie! Then Ben “started all kinds of conversations with him” while he signed that dog.

Jane Gratson said Ben also told JoJo he had a Steelers dog just like that one!


You can check out more Fan Photos/Stories here, as well as ‘Action’ photos taken by fans here.

‘Lil’ Fans’ like JoJo have their own album here, and there’s also a ‘Lil’ Teammates’ album here!


You can send your photos to us at BigBen7website@gmail.com!



*Thank you to Rob & Jane Gratson, and to Tammy Palmer (who made the Steelers dog!).

From WTAE-TV Channel 4:

Ben sits down for a one-on-one chat with Sally Wiggin.

He talks football, fatherhood, plans after retirement, and opens up about marriage and his wife Ashley!

You can watch it at 6:00 PM!


You can see a short preview of his interview here.


*Podcast of the interview will be posted when it becomes available.

– Ben on working with Todd Haley in camp: “[It] really has been good, it’s been good ebb and flow, talking, changing things; he’s been open to hearing some change, I’ve been open to changes from him. So it’s been really good. Every day we learn something new about either each other, the relationship, the offense, something. We take it, we run with it and we’re not looking back.”

You can read more here.



– Todd Haley on Ben and the No-Huddle Offense: “It’s a quarterback league, and after 16 or 17 years of coaching, I now believe that. You need a guy who’s going to be the field general, move the team up and down the field and control the huddle, handle the defense. Ben is in that group of top guys, and he’s proven it from Day 1 in the NFL…with Ben handling the football on every snap, it makes it fun for all the coaches.”

You can read more here and here.


– Ben was a call-in guest this morning on NewsRadio 1020 KDKA. Topics included training camp thus far, the offense, Mike Wallace, a message for Ron Cook, and being a father!


– No, Ben is not worried about a partial rotator cuff tear that occurred last November. You can watch his interview (video) here.


– Now you can rock gear inspired by the number one film in America ‘The Dark Knight Rises.’ Under Armour has collaborated with Warner Bros. Pictures and the Christopher Nolan-directed film to release a collection inspired by the Gotham Rogues, the football team featured in the film. The collection includes T-shirts, hats, hoodies, sweatshirts, a Varsity jacket and authentic jersey (for men). The entire line is now available on Under Armour’s website. NOTE: The only jersey number available is #12.


– The latest photos from training camp are in the gallery!


– This Friday: A very special fan story!

From NFL.com‘s Greg Rosenthal today:

Andrew Luck started to study NFL quarterbacks a year and a half ago, once he knew that he was headed for the pros. Luck’s list of quarterbacks to model his game after was quite specific and targeted.

The list: Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Philip Rivers and Ben Roethlisberger.

Big Ben’s placement on the list is the most surprising. Luck had no idea he would be learning under Ben’s favorite tutor Bruce Arians when Luck reached the pros.

“He’s just a tough guy when you watch him play,” Luck told Paul Burmeister and Michael Lombardi Tuesday on NFL Network’s Inside Training Camp Live. “He makes so many plays when things seem to break down. You know he always seems to have the right instincts at the right moment and to see how he operates sort of under duress and pressure is fun.”


You catch watch video of Andrew Luck’s interview here.



Also Today:

Check out this discussion on NFL Network, “Is Ben Roethlisberger a top 5 quarterback? “.



Quote of the Day:

“Ben, I can tell through the spring, he’s got his arms around it, he likes it. You can see his eyes light up a little bit when we get into that mode, and I think that’s the sign of a great quarterback. The ones I’ve been around, they want it. ‘Give me control, let me run this thing.’ And he has the ability to do it, as he’s shown in the past and through the spring.” — Steelers Offensive Coordinator Todd Haley, in an interview with the media.