Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger Will Likely Have Much Different Retirement Approach Than Terry Bradshaw

The Pittsburgh Steelers have won an NFL record, six Super Bowls. Four of these saw Terry Bradshaw as the signal-caller while the other two had newly retired quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger leading the offense. The two have certainly had their differences over the years off the field. The two, however, also played in different eras and had drastically different play styles on the field. The main thing they had in common was a competitive drive to win. Now, they are both retired for the first time and we can expect Roethlisberger to veer away from Bradshaw's approach to hanging up the cleats.

Steelers' Bradshaw Retired For a Career In Entertainment

Bradshaw has always been an entertainer of sorts. He appeared on television shows and commercials while he was playing for the Steelers. Immediately after retiring, he joined CBS Sports as an NFL game analyst. The then freshly retired Bradshaw wasted no time hopping into a career on television.

We now have seen him every Sunday on the FOX NFL Sunday since the show's inception in 1994. Bradshaw has even won three Sports Emmy Awards for his role for the show. The 73-year old has also been a part of dozens of commercials over the years, most recently joining Jerome Bettis, Peyton Manning, Eli Manning and Victor Cruz in one of Pepsi's "Road to the Super Bowl"  commercials.

The off the field entertainment doesn't stop with analyzing football or commercials. Bradshaw appeared on the inaugural season of the Masked Singer back in 2019. It's safe to say that Bradshaw has always been one for the spotlight both on and off the football field. The Steelers newest Super Bowl quarterback to retire, however, seems to have just enjoyed the spotlight on the field.

Steelers' Roethlisberger Will Keep Low Profile Early in Retirement

Roethlisberger began his career in the headlines. Just prior to the 2006 regular season, the quarterback was involved in a serious motorcycle accident as he was not wearing a helmet nor did he have a valid license for the motorcycle. From 2008-2010, two different sexual assault allegations were brought up against Roethlisberger which were heavily criticized by millions, but Bradshaw in particular. The Steelers were put in a tough position on whether to commit to Roethlisberger long term after the off the field issues became distracting. They, in fact, almost traded him in the 2010 off-season.

The surplus of negative media attention in his first six seasons certainly led to Roethlisberger avoiding media most times when he wasn't contractually required to be in front of the camera. One can't blame him for being scrutinized by so many for the first half of his career. Roethlisberger went on to mature both on and off the field. It helped his image when Make A Wish Foundation and the Ronald McDonald House stood by his side and agreed to continue welcoming him to be a part of their program's after the second assault allegation charge in 2010.

The Steelers quarterback married his wife, Ashley, in 2011 and they are now enjoying his retirement with their three children and two pups. Aside from his work with the two charities previously mentioned, Roethlisberger is starting the Roethlisberger Family Foundation.

Roethlisberger and Bradshaw are inherently different in so many ways and while Roethlisberger would be great at giving insight as a color announcer, he seems to possibly want to stay away from any kind of role like that for a long time. The future Hall of Fame quarterback will focus on family, faith and maybe a little bit of golf too. Roethlisberger is enjoying driving his kids to school and being his wife's personal assistant according to an interview with Dan Potash back in March.

One thing is certain about these two NFL legends: they both will always be remembered by fans of the Steelers as critical individuals in the celebration of six Lombardi trophies. Their retirements, however, will most likely look very different.

Do you think we will ever see Roethlisberger join the television entertainment industry? Let us know in the comments below!

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