Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has officially announced his retirement after 18 seasons in the league—all in black and gold.
In a video shared to Twitter Thursday morning, Roethlisberger thanked fans and reminisced about his days of yore. He was joined by his family while making the announcement.
“I don’t know how to put into words what the game of football has meant to me, and what a blessing it has been,” Roethlisberger said in the two-plus-minute video. “While I know with confidence that I have given my all to the game, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all it has given me.”
“Big Ben” finishes his career with three visits to the Super Bowl (XL, XLIII and XLV), with wins against the Seattle Seahawks (XL) and Arizona Cardinals (XLIII).
He boasts a 165-81-1 (.670) regular-season record as a starter. His 165 wins are the most in franchise history and the fifth-most in NFL history. Roethlisberger owns 70 different regular- and post-season franchise records.
