Roethlisberger Says He’s Happy To Be Back With Steelers ‘Family’

Pittsburgh, PA, United States (AHN) – Ben Roethlisberger, cleared to begin practicing last week, reportedly indicated Thursday that he was happy to be back with his “family” and intend on a making a lifestyle correction.

It was the first public interview given by the embattled Steelers quarterback since NFL commissioner Roger Goodell suspended him six weeks ago.

The two-time Super Bowl winner, who rejoined the Steelers Tuesday, took two questions after practice on the field at the team’s training facility on the South Side before a team spokesman ended the quick interview session.

Roethlisberger, 28, said he’s been working with commissioner Goodell to make the best of his “second chance” in football.

He also stated that for the past two months he has spent rethinking his life and the type of person he wants to be.

“It’s been a long time away, it’s been hard but I put a long time and effort and working hard both on and off the field while I’ve been gone. It’s not the same, I love football to death, Roethlisberger said as reported by Post-Gazette.com.

“But I think it’s meant more to be out here with my teammates, my brothers, my family, if you will. So that’s what has really been neat about being back out here.”

When asked if he sees the public support from his teammates as a new beginning, Roethlisberger answered affirmatively and added “that this is time for me to kind of close the chapter of the last couple years of my life and move on to a new one, kind of a new start.”

The Steelers field general was then asked “what kind of changes” does he want to make. Roethlisberger indicated that “a lot of them are personal things.”

He added that he needs to be smarter about making decisions in his life.

Roethlisberger will serve a suspension of 4-6 games for violating the league’s personal-conduct policy. It will be reduced to four if the Steelers quarterback complies with the conditions established by commissioner Goodell.

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