Roethlisberger's goals about faith as much as football

The life of a professional athlete can be difficult to navigate, especially for those who have stardom early in their careers. Think about it. Young men are instantly put in the spotlight, and the public attention can be intoxicating. However, the modern athlete has to deal with an entirely different set of circumstances than those who played just 15 years ago.

Think about social media, and how quickly news can spread of athletes being in a public location. The stories of fans seeing members of the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins at local establishments regularly are long gone. Now, athletes have to keep a low profile if they want any semblance of privacy for themselves and their families.

Ben Roethlisberger knows all too well the challenges which accompany superstardom. Drafted in 2004, It was a Week 2 game when Roethlisberger came in for an injured Tommy Maddox, and never looked back. Roethlisberger rattled off 15 straight wins, en route to a Rookie Offensive Player of the Year award.

And thus, Big Ben was born.

Steelers fans had been waiting for their next franchise quarterback, the next coming of Terry Bradshaw, and Roethlisberger was their man. But it came at a price.

Recently, Roethlisberger joined Mike Tomlin for the ManUp Pittsburgh event which went out to nearly 1,500 men (virtually, due to the coronavirus pandemic). “ManUp encourages and teaches men to be godly leaders for their families, and raises awareness of the devastating impact of fatherlessness among youth today,” the official ManUp website states.

During Roethlisberger's segment, he opened up about his faith, his struggles and how his goals now focus almost as much as his faith as it does football.

“I think now more than ever, it’s cool to be a Christian,” Roethlisberger said. “It’s OK, especially for professional athletes. One of the things that I want to tell guys and tell people out there is that I could be a really good athlete and a Christian. It’s not one or the other. You can do both. I want that to be known, especially to all you young men out there. It’s cool to be a Christian and be an athlete. Go ahead and be the best athlete you can possibly be, and see if you can be a better Christian.

“That’s what I’m trying to do now. I’m trying to be a better Christian than I am athlete and football player. I push myself to do that every day and it starts here (puts his hand on his Bible).”

But it wasn't always easy for Roethlisberger throughout his career. He admits he has fallen short in many ways, including addictions.

“I’ve fallen as short as anybody. 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.’

“That’s what I think is important in my message to all the men out there watching this is that we all fall short. That’s what happens, but it’s OK. You can get back into the good graces, and all it takes is an ask. And how easy it is for us to use our words? … If we ask for forgiveness, He’s going to say, ‘OK.’ How lucky are we?”

Roethlisberger's life certainly changed when he got married and started his family, and he opened up about how he took his faith to the next level at the same time.

“Three years ago, I got baptized,” Roethlisberger said. “I was baptized as a kid, my parents took me as a baby. But I didn’t make that decision. So three years ago now, I made the decision to be baptized because I felt like I needed to do that. I wanted to have a closer walk, a better relationship with Jesus, with my wife, with my kids, with my family — become a better person. So I think the person that brought me to Him was Jesus. Jesus is the One who brought me back to Him, and I’m so thankful for it because I feel I’m a better Christian, a better husband and a better father today because of His forgiveness of me.”

Every human being goes through different phases of their life as they grow and mature. It is clear Roethlisberger not only is at ease at this stage of his career, but is also working on becoming a better man as well.