Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger officially retired from football Thursday.
In a two-plus minute video posted to Twitter with his wife, Ashley, and three kids, Roethlisberger put an end to a surefire Hall of Fame career that spanned 18 years, all in Pittsburgh.
“The time has come to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children,” Roethlisberger said, reading from a prepared statement. “I retire from football, a truly grateful man.”
It could be a landmark season for prominent quarterback retirement decisions. Tom Brady, 44, is weighing walking away from the NFL and Buccaneers despite leading the league in passing yards. Aaron Rodgers, who completed his 17th season in Green Bay, is at a career crossroads and said retirement is on the table.
Roethlisberger, 39, leaves as a two-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowl selection.
He completed 64.4 percent of his passes for 64,088 yards and 418 touchdowns in 249 career games, 247 of them starts for the Steelers. He led the Steelers to 41 fourth-quarter comebacks and 53 game-winning drives in his career.
He leaves with a record of 165-81-1. Roethlisberger was the 2004 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
