On Tuesday, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger took a spill and was face down in the turf for a while before being looked at by team trainers.
UPDATE: Roethlisberger is now in the league’s concussion protocol.
Mike Tomlin confirms Roethlisberger being checked for a concussion: “Ben Roethlisberger sustained a hit today in practice. He is being evaluated by team doctors as part of the concussion protocol.” #Steelers #dkps
— Dale Lolley (@dlolley_pgh) August 14, 2018
Beat writers on the scene said he threw a touchdown pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster and then fell backward. It appears Roethlisberger suffered a head injury, perhaps after banging his head on the turf.
Ben holding his head. Was down for a second. Not sure what happened. #Steelers
— Alex Kozora (@Alex_Kozora) August 14, 2018
Roethlisberger lifted a pass to Smith-Schuster and fell backward. Might have gotten his foot stepped on. Was holding his head so he might have banged it off the ground. #Steelers #dkps
— Dale Lolley (@dlolley_pgh) August 14, 2018
Scary moment in Steelers practice during 7 shots. Ben Roethlisberger goes down after throwing a pass. Stays down for a few minutes as entire team gathers around. Not hit. Seems to be ok
— Ed Bouchette (@EdBouchette) August 14, 2018
At this point, it seems like at the very least Roethlisberger will be evaluated for a concussion, based on the reports coming out of practice. He left practice under his own power, but did touch his head multiple times.
Ben Roethlisberger leaving stadium. Went down throwing in seven shots. Best guess I heard is had foot stepped on and fell backwards, maybe hit head. Walked out own power.
— James C Wexell (@jimwexell) August 14, 2018
Ben chatting with head trainer John Norwig, GM Kevin Colbert and others moments before he walks off the practice field, his day over after Seven Shots. No limp— but at one point grabbing his head and lying on the ground for several moments pic.twitter.com/sjrq0NyCpF
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) August 14, 2018
Obviously Roethlisberger’s health is of utmost importance to the Steelers. He’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the game today, and all reports indicate he’s been having the best camp in perhaps his career after showing up in excellent shape.