PITTSBURGH — Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger revealed today that he has a fatal condition that could claim his life at any moment. The QB said doctors have give him between days and more than 700 months to live depending on his luck.
“Obviously, it’s sobering to get that kind of news,” Roethlisberger told reporters. “I can’t remember the exact term of what I have. I’m not a doctor. But it was something like mortali- … mortaliby or something? I don’t know. But I’m just going to have to take it one day at a time and do my best.”
The 34-year old quarterback announced the diagnosis one day after saying he will consider retiring before next season, ending a career that has been filled with injuries — many of which Roethlisberger returned from long before the timeframe he initially set for recovery.
“I’ll try to draw strength from the past as I take on the future,” he said. “I’ve had a lot of bumps and bruises in my career, but I’ve always come back from them. And I’ll try to wake up tomorrow and get through my mortaliby diagnosis. Hopefully, my struggle will help raise awareness across the country about mortaliby.”
Roethlisberger also disclosed that he does plan to suit up for the Steelers in 2017 “as long as I’m not dead by then. I just want to appreciate the time I have and, in turn, I hope the time I have left at quarterback is appreciate by all the fans.”
