Amid news of Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, comments the outgoing Steelers quarterback made about his past struggles with alcohol and pornography have resurfaced.
Two summers ago, Roethlisberger, 39, spoke at the ManUp Pittsburgh conference, where he opened up about the personal struggles that defined him for years, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
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“People don’t realize all the time that us athletes, we’re human,” he said. “We sin like everyone else, and I am no different. We make mistakes, we get addicted to things, we sin — we’re human. And I think sometimes we get put on this pedestal where we can’t make mistakes; we do.”
“I’ve fallen as short as anybody,” the NFL star continued. “I’ve been addicted to alcohol. I’ve been addicted to pornography, which makes me then not the best husband, not the best father, not the best Christian I can be. But you have to dedicate yourself and understand that you can get out of it because of the grace of God and Him saying, ‘You’re good enough for me the way you are. You don’t have to be perfect.'”
Roethlisberger went on to say that all people “fall short,” a reference to Romans 3:23.
“That’s OK,” he said. “You can get back into the good graces and all it takes is [to] ask. And how easy is it for us to use our words? We don’t have to go do a bunch of things. We don’t have to go and do a bunch of services and do all this — all we have to do is ask. If we ask for forgiveness, He’s gonna say, ‘OK,’ and that’s — how lucky are we.”
The famous athlete, who credits his return to faith to his wife, Ashley Harlan, whom he married in 2011, said he was raised in a Christian home but strayed from his religious roots when he went to college.
Looking back, he said he never fully abandoned his belief in God but instead failed to dedicate time and energy to furthering his relationship with God. Roethlisberger said that, although he prayed “here and there,” he “wasn’t a strong Christian” during his college career — a decision he said he now deeply regrets.
Some four years ago, Roethlisberger — who was baptized as a child — rededicated his life to Jesus and was rebaptized.
“I just felt that I needed to do that,” he said during last year’s ManUp event. “I wanted to have a closer walk, a better relationship with Jesus, my wife, my kids, my family — become a better person.”
Now, he said, he’s “trying to be a better Christian than I am an athlete at football.”
“I push myself every day to do that,” he explained, adding, “It starts here,” placing his hand on his Bible.
Where is he now?
Roethlisberger announced last week he is ending his NFL career, and he’s crediting God for his success on the field.
“First and foremost, I need to thank the Lord for all the many blessings he’s bestowed on me,” he said in an announcement shared on his social media accounts. “[F]ootball has been a gift, and I thank God for allowing me to play it. Surrounding me with great people and protecting me through until the end with love and honor.”
You can read more about his retirement here.
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