Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may or may not have sustained a concussion on Sunday, when he received a helmet-to-helmet hit by the Seahawks Micheal Bennett in the Steelers 39-30 loss at CenturyLink Field to the Seattle Seahawks.
Tuesday morning, during his weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan, Roethlisberger felt pretty confident he didn’t have a concussion and that he aced the battery of tests given to him by team doctors and trainers. Later on Tuesday, at Mike Tomlin’s weekly press-conference, the head coach stated that Roethlisberger didn’t pass the tests and that his starting quarterback did indeed suffer a concussion.
Whether it’s been broken toes, a high-fever or now a concussion, there has often been a bit of confusion and miscommunication between player and coach regarding No. 7’s rather long list of ailments during his 12-year career.
However, one thing we do know is that Ben Roethlisberger was officially cleared to practice by team trainers on Wednesday and that he was a full-participant. We also know, thanks to a story by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that Roethlisberger was a bit ‘frustrated’ with the handling of his diagnosis by all involved–including his head coach. “I had no symptoms of a concussion,” said Roethlisberger in a quote courtesy of the Post-Gazette. “No dizziness, no nausea, none of that stuff that comes with it. When I told the doctors, Dr. Maroon and the training staff said I didn’t have a concussion. That’s why I was so confused when coach Tomlin said I had one. They need to get together and tell their players and what’s going on because I was just relaying what the doctors told me.”
Confusion aside, it’s great news for the Steelers and their fans that Roethlisberger practiced on Wednesday and appears to be cleared to play (pending any symptoms that should arise post-practice); the game coming up this Sunday night between Pittsburgh (6-5) and the Colts (6-5) will have huge playoff-implications, as will the remainder of the Steelers contests in what figures to be a hotly-contested wild card race all the way through Week 17.
