Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback and future Hall-of-Famer Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement on Thursday following a storied career that spanned 18 seasons and yielded six Pro Bowl appearances and two Super Bowl titles.
Roethlisberger will be always be remembered for his toughness on the field and ability to play through injuries to be available for his teammates in the biggest moments.
Due to the number of injuries he compiled over his career, it really is remarkable that he played as long as he did.
That fact isn't lost on Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady, who in addition to being widely-considered as the greatest quarterback of all time is also respected for his longevity.
At the age of 44, Brady is the oldest player in the NFL. He has become a case study in how to not only extend a playing career beyond what most believed is possible, but to also remain effective in doing so.
Brady finished his 2021–22 campaign with a loss to the Rams last weekend in the NFC divisional round. Brady passed for a career-high 5,316 yards with 43 touchdowns and 12 interceptions during the regular season.
He frequently credits his health and workout regimen, the aptly-named “TB12 Method,” for extending his career and maintaining his performance. He's written a book with his personal trainer Alex Guerrero, and has focused his training around pliability of muscles and tendons.
But as Brady joked on social media on Thursday, there's “more than one way to bake a cake,” in terms of playing the game of football at a world-class level.
Brady congratulated Big Ben on his career and retirement announcement the only way he knew how: through humor.
Roethlisberger's "Throw Some Ice On It" method will lead to an induction into Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in the not too distant future, as he retires a Steelers legend.
- Roethlisberger Retires After 18 Seasons With the Steelers
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- All Steelers: Steelers President Art Rooney II on Retirement of Ben Roethlisberger
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