Ben Roethlisberger will not continue his in-season weekly radio show on 93.7 The Fan. He will, however, do a "sometimes weekly" spot on 102.5 WDVE, the Steelers' flagship station's morning show. Roethlisberger's switch to 102.5 came at the recommendation of team president Art Rooney II, according to The Atheltic's Mark Kaboly.
Roethlisberger, during an interview with Kaboly, explained why he decided to make the switch.
"It's just run its course on The Fan," he said. "Those things happen. A lot of times you do shows like that when you are in the middle of your career and trying to have a platform. Now, it's just different. Plus, it took a toll on my family. Sometimes I forgot I was going on and (The Fan host Ron Cook) would text me and ask if I was OK. Now I can make it on my time and what I want to talk about."
Roethlisberger's show at The Fan required him to give up a portion of his only day away from the team's facility during the regular season. Now, he can call into 102.5 whenever he pleases while discussing topics that he wants to discuss. While his new radio spot will still include some X's and O's, it will likely contain more stories about his life outside of football.
Big Ben would occasionally use his show on The Fan to give the fans added insight into his personal life. His story last fall about his oldest son asking for a James Conner for Christmas went viral (his son did receive a Conner jersey from Santa, in case you were wondering).
Roethlisberger would also use the show to speak directly to the fans, like the time he thanked a young group of fans who continued offering him and the team encouragement from the stands during Pittsburgh's come-from-behind victory over the Baltimore Ravens on Christmas Day, 2016. Big Ben would also praise the fans if he felt that their presence made a difference during home games. He would also apologize to the fan base at times if he felt that his performance in the previous game was below the line.
Big Ben also told Kaboly that he still wants to use his radio platform to support/stand up for teammates that may not have the same platform. He added that he will try to avoid being overly critical of teammates when being transparent about what happened in the team's most recent game.
"I am still going to give the fans what they want to hear," Roethlisberger said. "That's part of the fun of doing it. They want to hear something about us. It's not going to be much different other than I am not going to have my name on it. Just like when I am talking to you now or talking to the radio, I have to be smart and don't say anything that might offend anybody."
It appears that Ben and Steelers fans are getting the best of both worlds with regard to his new radio agreement. While fans can still get added insight from their franchise quarterback, Roethlisberger's quotes on 102.5 are much less likely to go viral on social media as did his ones on The Fan, something that is more than OK for Big Ben and the Steelers.
