Ben Roethlisberger had his six-game suspension reduced to four
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell shortened the suspension of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to four game Friday morning after the pair met face to face.
Roethlisberger planned to ask Goodell to reduce the suspension to three games, but was not surprisingly denied that request.
He will now be eligible to play his first game on Oct. 17 at home against the Cleveland Browns in Week 6 (Week 5 is a bye for the Steelers).
The NFL released the following statement on Roethlisberger’s suspension:
Commissioner Goodell met with Ben Roethlisberger today and notified him that his suspension has been reduced to the Steelers’ first four regular-season games. The reinstatement is contingent on Roethlisberger continuing to adhere to the program established by our advisors and avoiding any further violations of the Personal Conduct Policy. During the suspension, Roethlisberger cannot be at the team’s practice facility, attend games, represent the club publicly in any way, have contact with any member of the coaching staff or other football operations personnel, or engage in any team football-related activities or discussions with teammates away from team facilities.
“You have told me and the Steelers that you are committed to making better decisions,” Commissioner Goodell said in a letter to Roethlisberger. “Your actions over the past several months have been consistent with that promise and you must continue to honor that commitment.”
Steelers President Art Rooney II issued the following statement through the team:
“Commissioner Goodell informed us today that Ben Roethlisberger’s suspension has been reduced to four games. Ben has done a good job this summer of growing as the person that he needs to be, both on and off the field. I am confident that Ben is committed to continuing in this positive direction. As a team, our focus is now on preparing for the regular season and getting off to a good start on opening weekend.”