Ben Roethlisberger may miss the game against Denver to see the birth of his child. (Timothy T. Ludwig-US PRESSWIREi)
Ben Roethlisberger is about to become a dad, and he’s not taking the life-changing event lightly. That includes being present for his son’s arrival — even if that means missing a game.
“I’m not missing the birth of my child,” he said, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “There’s no chance. I know some fans probably don’t want to hear that, but there’s no chance.”
Roethlisberger would not share the exact due date of his first born, but it’s somewhere in the middle of the season according to the 30-year-old veteran.
The Steelers have two veteran backups — Byron Leftwich and Charlie Batch — who have been starters and each has filled in for Roethlisberger during his absence in recent seasons. He missed the first four games of the 2010 season and has missed at least one game in each of his previous eight seasons with the exception of 2008.
The Steelers midseason schedule includes multiple road games, and it’s to be determined how the team plans to handle Roethlisberger’s game-day status until the moment arrives. Pittsburgh plays at Tennessee on Oct. 11 (Thursday) and the next week at Cincinnati in back-to-back primetime games. The Steelers are home in weeks eight, 10 and 11 and at the Giants for Week 9 on Nov. 4.
Fantasy Analysis: Monitor Roethlisberger’s situation if you have him as a No. 1 QB. If he is unable to play, you’ll need to find another option.
