Ben Roethlisberger has had no small influence on the NFL. The Super Bowl-winning quarterback has been consistent in Pittsburgh like clockwork. Roethlisberger might be the greatest Steelers quarterback since Terry Bradshaw and arguably of all-time.
Big Ben's rough-and-tumble backyard football style of play has made his bank account the only thing bigger than his name. Big Ben has been worth big bucks for years, a constant in the yearly Forbes' "Richest Athletes" lists.
So what is his net worth, and how did Big Ben's net worth get so... big?
NFL Career
4 straight minutes of Vintage Big Ben ? pic.twitter.com/UJ8YOdASpl
— Barstool Yinzers (@BarstoolBurgh) May 30, 2021
Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger was born in Lima Bean, Ohio. He is the child of Jane and Kenneth Todd Roethlisberger and has a sister named Carlee. Ben and Carlee dominated athletics at Findlay High School, with both siblings playing basketball.
Roethlisberger loved the court but idolized John Elway and the Denver Broncos. He tossed away his hoop dreams and went to Miami University in Ohio on a football scholarship. Big Ben started at quarterback as a redshirt freshman in 2001.
Roethlisberger led the Redhawks to a combined 14-10 in his first two college football seasons, but a 13-1 record in 2003. Miami may have lost the GMAC Bowl to Louisville that season, but they won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) and Roethlisberger finished ninth in Heisman Trophy voting. With many of Miami's records in his pocket, the MAC Offensive Player of the Year entered the National Football League.
With the 11th overall pick of the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers selected Ben Roethlisberger. You might say they've had a productive relationship ever since. He's won as many Super Bowls as the No. 1 pick in the 2004 NFL Draft, Eli Manning.
Big Ben made his nickname official during his rookie year when he led the Steelers to a perfect 13-0 season. The Steelers lost the AFC Championship game to the New England Patriots, led by breathing fountain of youth Tom Brady. Still, Big Ben won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He'd have his own Super Bowl ring soon enough.
It was the following season. Roethlisberger achieved football's top prize in his second season as a starter. Terrible Towels everywhere twirled when the Steelers beat the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL. They did so again three years later when the Steelers beat another flock, the Arizona Cardinals, in Super Bowl XLVIII. Big Ben may have thrown more Super Bowl interceptions than touchdowns, but at least he has two rings.
Big Ben has also appeared in six Pro Bowls since moving to Pennsylvania. He's led the NFL in passing yards twice and has the most career 500-yard passing games in NFL history. He's still the Steelers starting quarterback in 2021, having just restructured his big contract with the AFC powerhouse. Big Ben goes big or goes home, on and off the field.
Controversies
RELATED: Ben Roethlisberger Admits He Was Addicted to Alcohol & Porn
Roethlisberger's NFL career continues today, but that doesn't mean his reputation has survived intact.
After becoming the youngest QB to win the Super Bowl, Roethlisberger began to make characteristically youthful mistakes. Despite the beef between them, wide receiver Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger are more similar than they are different.
The franchise quarterback was involved in a motorcycle accident in 2006. Roethlisberger wasn't wearing a helmet, a mistake that resulted in the QB getting rushed to a hospital in critical condition. Fans, teammates and coaches were concerned, if not slightly angered. Terry Bradshaw didn't hold back at all.
Two years after the accident, an incident occurred in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, which resulted in a 2009 lawsuit against Big Ben. Andrea McNulty alleged Roethlisberger raped her while she was working as a hotel concierge. Both parties reached an out-of-court settlement in 2011, and Roethlisberger was never formally charged.
Before he could settle his case with McNulty, Big Ben accrued another rape allegation in 2010. The incident occurred in a Georgia College & State University (GCSU) dive bar bathroom. The alleged victim filed a formal statement with the Milledgeville Police Department while remaining anonymous. After the case went public, the anon accuser sent a letter to the Baldwin County district attorney asking to drop charges against Roethlisberger. Baldwin County officials say they didn't have enough evidence to convict NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger anyway.
These incidents didn't occur inside a vacuum. Though the Super Bowl winner escaped conviction, the NFL handed Big Ben a four-game suspension the following season. As a result of the allegations, Roethlisberger also lost one of his biggest sponsorship deals.
Endorsements, Contracts and Personal Life
Remember Ben Roethlisberger's Dick's Sporting Goods commercial. #Steelers pic.twitter.com/eiQ352Vxxp
— BlitzburghUSAVideos (@sdextrasmedia) March 29, 2020
After the second rape allegations, PLB Sports dropped Big Ben from "Big Ben's Beef Jerky." How much Big Ben lost in beef jerky money is unknown, but what is known is this: he maintained his endorsements with Nike, Sprint, Panini Trading Cards, Swiss Origin, Fanatics and Big Ben's BBQ. To be fair, he owns the last company.
Ben Roethlisberger has signed four NFL contracts with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He signed two six-year deals in a row from 2004-2015, followed by a four-year deal, then a two-year deal in 2019. As of March 2021, Big Ben just signed another contract extension with the Steelers, albeit a restructured one. And with every contract, of course, comes a new signing bonus.
Ben Roethlisberger married Ashley Harlan in 2011, a year after his second rape allegation. Despite the negative publicity, Harlan and Roethlisberger have maintained a stable marital status. The pair has three children named Benjamin Roethlisberger Jr., Baylee Marie Roethlisberger and Bodie Roethlisberger.
The Roethlisbergers live in the expensive Sewickley Heights neighborhood nearby fellow Pittsburgh sports legends Sidney Crosby and Mario Lemieux. Roethlisberger also owns a lake house on Lake Oconee, southeast of Atlanta. Roethlisberger's dabbling in the real estate market has only increased his net worth.
Ben Roethlisberger Net Worth
Benjamin Jr. celebrated his 8th birthday with an outdoor family party last night, and he wanted to share his favorite photos with us: https://t.co/ZbmfpbeSjY #HappyBirthdayBenjamin ????? pic.twitter.com/dtY7pr6ZsU
— BigBen7.com (@_BigBen7) November 21, 2020
American football player Big Ben Roethlisberger has raked in quite a bit of dough during his 17 seasons in Pittsburgh. He's made more than $250 million in NFL salary alone. His new contract is structured for Big Ben to earn less, but it is because he's already worth so much that he's willing to take less to help the Steelers spend more.
Ben Roethlisberger's estimated net worth is $100 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. That makes him easily one of the most valuable NFL players in the league.
