Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians says Ben Roethlisberger will be a ‘Steeler for life’
Nov 12, 2013, 4:42 PM
As Pittsburgh prepared for their game last Sunday against the Buffalo Bills, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reported that Steelers’ quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was expected to approach the organization for a trade in the offseason.
Yahoo! Sports NFL insider Michael Silver went on to say that if Pittsburgh did shop the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Arizona would be a likely landing spot because of his close relationship with Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians, who served as Big Ben’s offensive coordinator for five seasons.
Roethlisberger himself denied the report, calling it “one of the biggest B.S. stories” he’s ever heard.
Meanwhile, Arians was asked about the rumor and his relationship with Roethlisberger Monday on Arizona Sports 620’s “The Dan Bickley Show with Vince Marotta.”
“He’s like a second son to me,” Arians said. “We play a lot of golf together — he flew out here in March and we played golf and he lives around the corner from me down at Reynolds Plantation in Georgia. My children and he are very close.”
Arians continued by shooting down any Roethlisberger-to-Arizona rumors.
“He’s going to be a Steeler for life,” Arians said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt.”
Pittsburgh drafted Roethlisberger out of Miami of Ohio with the 11th overall selection in the 2004 NFL Draft. He’s the franchise’s all-time leader with 32,378 passing yards and has led the Steelers to three Super Bowl titles, including SB XLII when they defeated the Cardinals in Tampa, 27-23.
