Roethlisberger offers mea culpa
Ben Roethlisberger apologized to the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans and his family Thursday, hours after being released from a hospital, saying he was fortunate to be alive and pledging to wear a helmet if he again rides a motorcycle.
“In the past few days, I’ve gained a new perspective on life,” the Super Bowl-winning quarterback said in a statement released by the team.
Roethlisberger, 24, who wrecked his bike and cracked his head on a car windshield on Monday, was discharged late Wednesday night.
The youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl was not wearing a helmet when he crashed into a car that was turning left in front of his motorcycle. Pennsylvania’s mandatory helmet law was repealed in 2003.
But Roethlisberger said in the statement that if he rides a motorcycle again “it certainly will be with a helmet.”
Doctors have said two rounds of tests showed no brain injuries, although there was a mild concussion. Doctors used small titanium plates and screws to reassemble Roethlisberger’s broken jaws and repaired other broken facial bones.
The Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, citing confidentiality laws, refused to confirm reports that Roethlisberger does not have a valid motorcycle license in the state.
Palmer protects knee
Carson Palmer dropped back to pass and decided to take it easy, protecting his rebuilt left knee while flinging the ball to a receiver during a minicamp drill. With that mundane move, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback showed how far he has come and how much progress he has to make to meet his goal of playing in the season opener.
Palmer has been immersed in his comeback since he had reconstructive surgery Jan. 10. Kimo von Oelhoffen slammed into his left knee during Pittsburgh’s playoff win in Cincinnati.
Around the league
Wide receiver Plaxico Burress, who missed a mandatory team meeting the day after his New York Giants were eliminated in the playoffs and skipped the team’s off-season workouts, said has no regrets for his absences. … Kansas City offensive lineman John Welbourn, who was suspended the first four games of 2005 for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, announced his retirement. .. At Covington, Ky., Cincinnati receiver Chris Henry pleaded innocent to charges accusing him of providing alcohol to three underage females.