Ben Roethlisberger and the Pittsburgh Steelers played and won against the Cleveland Browns on Monday, January 4th. The final score was 26-14. This will most likely be his final game in the Steelers stadium, Heinz Field.

Roethlisberger has played 18 years in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Although he hasn’t officially said it, it was clear from his emotions that this would be Roethlisberger’s last game in Heinz Field. He had tears in his eyes at the end of the game. He was also seen sitting on the Steelers bench even after the game had ended and the players had left to the locker rooms. Roethlisberger became very emotional in a post-game interview talking about how he is thankful for the many opportunities and experiences he had in the NFL. He showed his praise toward his team and the Steelers fans.

When asked how he feels about Ben Roethlisberger retiring, Steeler fan Nicholas Matarazzo said, “Hall of Fame quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers legend; he was great but everything great has to come to an end.”

Roethlisberger did not always have the brightest career though. He was accused on two accounts of sexual assault in 2009 and 2010. The 2009 instance was settled out of court in 2012 and Roethlisberger faced no repercussions from the NFL. Due to a lack of evidence in the 2010 accusation, he was not prosecuted and the case was dropped. The only consequences he faced were missing a few of his games.

Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers play their make-or-break game on January 9th against the Baltimore Ravens. If the Steelers win, they will have a chance to renew their season and continue in the playoffs. If they lose, their season is over. A loss would mean that next week would be Roethlisberger’s last game in the NFL.

It is no doubt that “Big Ben” Roethlisberger will go down as a top quarterback in the history of the NFL. After winning 2 Super Bowls, having 63,800+ passing yards in his career, and ranking fifth in career passing yards, it is clear that he had a very successful career.