CJ Goodwin: “Ben is another great dude. My father passed away last year – at the end of March – two weeks before the offseason. But when I came back he was he first person to offer his condolences – he, then Coach T. It was humbling. Ben didn’t have to say anything – I was surprised he knew my dad passed and that he would be the first person to send his kindness.”
Jaylen Samuels: “Well, he helped me on the field. Helped me with routes and plays, that sort of stuff. Off the field it’s my job to watch film and prepare myself to play the best that i can. He has his own part. But he’s a great leader – on and off the field.”
Ryan Switzer: “Well as an example. I got there two days before the season started and before the last preseason game. Look at it from his perspective. Here’s a guy who won two Super Bowls and is a future Hall of Fame quarterback. He sees this young kid come in who was traded twice before the season come there.
But on the sidelines of that preseason game, he sat with me going through film on the iPad. He knew me what, two days. But just off the bat – to do that made me feel good.
I grew up watching the legend of Ben Roethlisberger. When my wife got into a car accident – it wasn’t serious – but Ben reached out to me. He got my cell and called me to make sure she was ok. I’m not saying he took me under his wing, but he did a lot of good. I owe him for not throwing me to the waste side. He gave me a chance to earn his trust.”
Michael Fabus (team photographer): “After winning his first Super Bowl Ben Roethlisberger and his family was invited to Switzerland. He took me along to take pictures of the trip. It was a great time. He was very friendly – we had a few drinks together in the hotel – we stayed in the same hotel. They put us up in 5-Star hotels all around the country. I followed them around and stayed out of their way – I didn’t want to be in their way. But it was a lot of fun.”
Dallas Baker: “’d go to Ben’s (Roethlisberger’s) house and go on his go-carts and zipline. The coaches and players liked me and took care of me. I was like a little brother to them.”
Charlie Batch: “I sat next to Ben nine out of ten years in the meeting rooms. We had conversations on the struggles we faced and just in getting to the NFL. Remember, I played at Eastern Michigan and he played at Miami of Ohio – we knew how hard it was just to get to the NFL from that conference – we knew how special it was for both of us to be sitting in the same room together in the NFL”
Zamir Cobb: “Ben seemed to provide a breath of fresh air. His unwavering enthusiasm was contagious and his energy provided a spark. After Ben proved he could play, the adjustment by the vets is best described as fluid”