Ben Roethlisberger has had a reputation for playing through injuries during his NFL career, and it sounds like he dealt with another extremely painful one earlier this season.
Roethlisberger was listed on the injury report with a hip injury after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Week 4 game against the Green Bay Packers. He admitted a week later that it was impacting his mobility and ability to step into throws. Steelers wide receiver Ray-Ray McCloud shared some more details about Roethlisberger’s hip injury while speaking with reporters on Thursday. He said Big Ben was in so much pain he couldn’t tie his own shoe.
“I remember one game, he was on the sideline and it looked like he had four hip pads on,” McCloud said, as transcribed by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. “And the game before that, I think he had a bruise going from his knee all the way up to almost his rib from his hip. And I remember he didn’t practice all week. He couldn’t tie his shoe.
“He went into the game and took every hit that came his way, never complained. And he came to the sideline (and said), ‘Next series, next series, next series.’ And just that mentality of do whatever it takes, I think that makes him who he is.”
That helps explain why the Steelers were said to be concerned about Roethlisberger early in the season. The two-time Super Bowl champion’s toughness has never been in question, but his body has seemingly broken down in recent years. That is probably the biggest factor that contributed to the hint Roethlisberger dropped this week.
