Ben Roethlisberger says he almost quit football after his last game in Philly
Apparently, Big Ben was tired of getting beat up
When Ben Roethlisberger takes the field against the Eagles on Sunday, he's going to be trying to do something that no Steelers quarterback has ever done in the Super Bowl era: win a game in Philadelphia.
Although Big Ben has only played in Philly once during his 13-year career, he remembers that game vividly, and that's mainly because he almost decided to quit football after the 15-6 loss in 2008.
During an interview with 93.7 the Fan, a CBS Sports Radio station, in Pittsburgh this week, Roethlisberger talked about how close he came to retirement after being sacked eight times and almost breaking his hand in the nine-point loss.
"I'm not a big 'remembering games' type guy, especially losses, but that's one that I do remember vividly," Roethslisberger said of the 2008 game. "I remember getting sacked eight or nine times. I remember driving home from the airport after that game and thinking to myself like, 'Do I want to keep doing this? Do I really want to keep playing football?'"
As it turns out, Steelers fans should probably send a thank you note to Brett Keisel, because he's the guy who talked Big Ben out of quitting.
"No joke, I called Brett Keisel and we were talking, and he was like, 'Why don't you just stop over?'" Roethlisberger said. "It was kind of on my way home. I stopped over at his house and sat down in his basement for a couple of hours and we just talked and had a couple of beers and I was literally like, 'This is not fun, this is not really worth it.' We talked and got over it."
This basically means that Keisel is the retroactive MVP of the Steelers' 2008 season. If Keisel hadn't talked Roethlisberger out of retirement, then the Steelers wouldn't have gone on to win the Super Bowl that year, and if they don't go on to win the Super Bowl that year -- you know what, I'm not even going to finish this thought.
Pick Six Newsletter
Get the day's big stories + fun stuff you love like mock drafts, picks and power rankings.
Thanks for signing up!
Keep an eye on your inbox for the latest sports news.
Sorry!
There was an error processing your subscription.

Join our Free $1,000,000 Parlay Challenge
-
NFL DFS: Best DraftKings, FanDuel picks
SportsLine's Mike McClure, a DFS pro with almost $2M in winnings, gives optimal lineup advice.
-
Jets downgrade Le'Veon Bell to out
Bell was questionable for Sunday's game with the illness, but won't be able to play as he hasn't...
-
Stafford's injury causes $110K in fines
The Lions earned a $75,000 fine, but coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn were...
-
Patriots reunite with kicker Nick Folk
Folk will return to kick for the Patriots in Sunday's big matchup with the Chiefs
-
Injuries: Engram, Bell, Hilton ruled out
Here are all the injuries you need to know about heading into Week 14
-
Pederson denies practice upset players
Pederson, who did not have a meeting with Eagles leadership council this week, held a rare...
-
Recap: Bears take down Cowboys on TNF
The Cowboys' offensive problems continue, as their losing streak reaches three
-
Seahawks vs. Vikings live updates
Both teams are vying for first place in their respective divisions
-
Broncos vs. Chargers live updates
Live scores, highlights and updates from the Broncos vs. Chargers football game