“I still love this game, I am still passionate for it. I want to go out and win for the fans, the city.” — Ben.

From his interview with the media this morning:

“I was driving in (to practice) today and crossed the Veterans Bridge and was thinking to myself, man, I am already nervous for this season,” said Roethlisberger. “You always have a little bit of jitters and nervousness for the first game. The way I feel now is more than how I have felt in a long time. I am sure it’s going to intensify as the week goes on, then Monday night I am sure I am going to be shaking like a leaf. It’s one of those things you get out there and hopefully it all comes back to me really quick.

“There is going to be rust, no doubt about it. Hopefully we can get it knocked off sooner rather than later. That is what makes it fun. If I wasn’t nervous, if I didn’t have that anxiousness, you shouldn’t be out there. If there is not a love for the game, if you don’t have that. Since I have those nerves already it shows I still love this game, I am still passionate for it. I want to go out and win for the fans, the city.”

Without a preseason, yes, there definitely will be some rust, but it won’t just be Roethlisberger. He will be working with a lot of new faces on offense, including some younger guys he is going to have to manage. But he said the first step is managing himself.

“I am more worried about myself than the other guys,” said Roethlisberger. “I have to manage myself as the quarterback, the guy who is handling the ball every play. Making sure we are in the right play. Not trying to do too much. It’s going to be on me to get myself under control, then help […]

There is still plenty of time for your department to complete & enter a grant request during the 2020 grant cycle of the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation at The Giving Back Fund.



This marks the 14th season of grants for Ben’s foundation. The majority of the grants distributed will help police and fire department K-9 units to purchase dogs and dog safety vests, but other types of K-9 specific needs will be considered.

This year, Ben has opened up the eligibility to include all towns and communities in the United States and invites police and fire departments to submit proposals detailing their needs.

The Foundation began accepting proposals on September 1st, and will continue to accept them through the remainder of the year. The plan is to make rolling announcements in that time frame and beyond.

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.

In addition, Ben’s foundation has hosted a number of events to benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, his high school alma mater, and other organizations close to his heart.

Ben’s foundation has distributed in excess of $2.2 million since 2007, $1.8 million of which has specifically benefited K-9 programs.

Full grant guidelines and application cover page are available at https://www.givingback.org/ben-roethlisberger-foundation-application-2020/.

Applications and supporting documents must be mailed and postmarked between September 1st and December 31st.


For more information about the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation or The Giving Back Fund, please contact Jessica Duffaut at www.givingback.org.

*Photo of the Roethlisbarkers taken by Ashley Roethlisberger.