Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger honored his promise from last year by shaving his beard and cutting his hair as he nears a return to the field.
Roethlisberger, who underwent surgery about eight months ago to repair his throwing elbow, previously pledged not to shave or cut his hair until he could throw a “legit NFL pass” to his teammates.
The Steelers’ franchise quarterback posted a short video of the vow Monday on social media, followed by a quick highlight reel of throws to running back James Conner and wide receivers JuJu Smith-Schuster and Ryan Switzer on a high school football field. The video then cuts to a fresh-cut Roethlisberger in a barber’s chair.
The 38-second video ends with a declaration from Smith-Schuster: “He’s back.”
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told fans on a conference call last week that Roethlisberger hasn’t experienced any setbacks in his rehab.
“He’s doing great thus far,” Tomlin said. “He’s in great physical condition. Rehabilitation in regards to the injury itself is going well. I hear nothing but positive reports from that standpoint. There have been no bumps in the road.”
Roethlisberger suffered the season-ending elbow injury in Week 2 of last season. In two games in 2019, he completed 56.5 percent of his passes for 351 yards and an interception.
