title: Common (rapper)

text: Initially scheduled for an October 1996 release, Common finally released his third album, "One Day It'll All Make Sense", in September 1997. The album took a total of two years to complete and included collaborations with artists such as Lauryn Hill, De La Soul, Q-Tip, Canibus, Black Thought, Chantay Savage, and Questlove – a future fellow member of the Soulquarians outfit. The album, which made a point of eschewing any gangsterism (in response to questions about his musical integrity), was critically acclaimed and led to a major label contract with MCA Records. In addition to releasing "One Day", Common's first child, daughter Omoye Assata Lynn, was born shortly after the release of the album.


title: Common (rapper)

text: As documented by hip-hop journalist Raquel Cepeda, in the liner notes for the album, this event had a profound spiritual and mental effect on Common and enabled him to grow musically while becoming more responsible as an artist. She writes:


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common addresses family ethics several times on "One Day...", and the album sleeve is decorated with old family photos, illustrating the rapper's childhood, as well a quote from 1 Corinthians 13:11, which summarizes the path to manhood:


title: Common (rapper)

text: Following "One Day...", Common signed a major label record deal with MCA Records and relocated from Chicago to New York City in 1999. He began recording almost exclusively with a loose collective of musicians and artists (dubbed the "Soulquarians" by central figure Questlove) throughout 1999, and made a few sporadic guest appearances on The Roots' "Things Fall Apart", and the Rawkus Records compilation, "Soundbombing 2".


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2000, his fourth album, "Like Water for Chocolate", was released to mass critical acclaim. Executive produced by Questlove and featuring significant contributions by J Dilla, (who helmed many tracks except – "Cold Blooded", "Geto Heaven Part II", "A Song For Assata", "Pop's Rap Part 3...All My Children" & the DJ Premier-produced track "The 6th Sense"), "Like Water for Chocolate" transpired to be a considerable commercial breakthrough for Common, earning the rapper his first gold record, and greatly expanding his fanbase among critics and listeners alike.


title: Common (rapper)

text: With both artists hailing from the Great Lakes region of the United States (Chicago and Detroit, respectively), Common and J Dilla established their chemistry early on. Both became members of the Soulquarians collective, and collaborated on numerous projects together, even placing one song, "Thelonius", on both the Slum Village album "Fantastic, Vol. 2", and Common's "Like Water for Chocolate". As Dilla's health began to decline from the effects of Lupus Nephritis, he relocated to Los Angeles, and asked Common to make the move with him as a roommate (Dilla would later lose his battle with the rare disease).


title: Common (rapper)

text: This album saw Common exploring themes (musically and lyrically), which were uncommon for a hip-hop record, as he does on the song "Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela)"; a homage to Nigerian music legend, and political activist Fela Kuti. The most popular single from the album "The Light" was nominated for a Grammy Award.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2002, Common released his fifth album, "Electric Circus". The album was highly anticipated and praised by many critics for its ambitious vision. However, it was not as commercially successful as his previous album, "Like Water for Chocolate", selling under 300,000 copies. An eclectic album, "Electric Circus" featured fusions of several genres such as hip hop, pop, rock, electronic, and neo-soul. The album's style tended to divide critics; some praised its ambitious vision while others criticized it for the same reason. Most of the criticism tended to revolve around the album's experimental nature; some felt Common had strayed too far from his previous sound. This was Common's second and last album for MCA, and the label's final release prior to its absorption into Geffen Records.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Around this time, Common appeared as a guest performer on singer and fellow Soulquarian Bilal's "Love for Sale" album, recording a remake of the 1977 Fela Kuti song "Sorrow, Tears & Blood". Bilal also featured on "Electric Circus", the first of many future collaborations with Common.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In early 2004, Common made an appearance on fellow Chicagoan Kanye West's multi-platinum debut album, "The College Dropout" (on the song "Get Em High"), and announced his signing to West's then-newfound label GOOD Music. West had been a longtime fan of Common and the two even participated in a friendly on-air MC battle, where West took jabs at his lyrical idol for "going soft" and wearing crochet pants (as he does for his appearance in the video for the Mary J. Blige song "Dance for Me"). The pair worked together on Common's next album, "Be", almost entirely produced by Kanye West, with some help from Common's longtime collaborator James Yancey (J Dilla) – also a favorite of West. The album was released in May 2005, and performed very well, boosted by Kanye's involvement and the singles "The Corner", and "Go". "Be" earned Common the second gold record of his career, with sales topping out at around 800,000 copies. "The Source" magazine gave it a near-perfect 4.5 mic rating, "XXL" magazine gave it their highest rating of "XXL", and AllHipHop gave the album 4 stars. The album was also nominated for four Grammy Awards in 2006.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Following the release of "Be" in 2005, several mixed-race artists from the UK hip-hop scene took exception to Common's comments about interracial relationships on the song "Real People." Yungun, Doc Brown and Rising Son recorded a track over an instrumental version of "The Corner" named "Dear Common (The Corner Dub)." Common states that he has heard of the track but never actually taken the time to listen to it, and has not retaliated in song.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common's seventh LP titled "Finding Forever" was released on July 31, 2007. For this album, he continued his work with Kanye West, as well as other producers such as will.i.am, Devo Springsteen, Derrick Hodge, and Karriem Riggins, as well as the only J Dilla-produced track, "So Far To Go". The album features guest spots from artists such as Dwele, Bilal, D'Angelo, and UK pop starlet Lily Allen. The first single from the album was "The People" b/w "The Game". West predicted that "Finding Forever" would win the 2008 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. The album was nominated for Best Rap Album, but did not win, losing to West's "Graduation"; however, Common did win his second Grammy for "Southside," which won the 2008 Grammy for Best Rap Performance by Duo or Group.


title: Common (rapper)

text: On July 31, 2007, Common performed a free concert in Santa Monica, California, on the 3rd Street Promenade to promote the release of "Finding Forever". Common explained to the audience that the title "Finding Forever" represented his quest to find an eternal place in hip-hop and also his wishes to be an artist for the rest of his life. The album debuted at #1 on the national "Billboard" 200 charts.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In an August 2007 interview with "XXL", rapper Q-Tip of the group A Tribe Called Quest stated that he and Common were forming a group called The Standard, and were planning to record an album to be produced by Q-Tip; however, this never came to fruition.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common was instrumental in bridging the trans-Atlantic gap by signing UK's Mr. Wong and J2K to Kanye West's Getting Out Our Dreams recording outfit. Common met the pair during his tour in the UK earlier on in the year. It is speculated that the deal is not only to bring the UK and US hip hop genres together but that to rival Syco Music's cross-Atlantic success with Leona Lewis. He also has a deal with Zune mp3 players. In 2008 Common made an estimated 12 million dollars, making him equal in earnings to Eminem and Akon, tied for the 13th highest grossing Hip-Hop artist.


title: Common (rapper)

text: The eighth album from Chicago hip-hop artist Common was originally scheduled to be released on June 24, 2008, under the name "Invincible Summer", but he announced at a Temple University concert that he would change it to "Universal Mind Control". The release date was pushed back to September 30, 2008, due to Common filming "Wanted". The release date was set for November 11, 2008, however, it was once again pushed back to December 9, 2008.


title: Common (rapper)

text: The album's eponymous lead single "Universal Mind Control", was officially released on July 1, 2008, via the US iTunes Store as part of "The Announcement EP" (sold as "Universal Mind Control EP" in the UK). The song features Pharrell, who also produced the track. "The Announcement EP" included an additional track titled "Announcement", also featuring Pharrell. The video for the lead single was filmed in September by director Hype Williams. In 2009, Common was prominently featured throughout his GOOD Music label-mate Kid Cudi's debut album "", as a narrator and featured artist. In late 2009, it was revealed Common was nominated for two Grammys at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group for "Make Her Say", alongside Kid Cudi and Kanye West, as well as Best Rap Album for "Universal Mind Control".


title: Common (rapper)

text: American producer No I.D., stated that he and Kanye West would be producing Common's album "The Dreamer/The Believer". In July 2011, it was announced that No I.D. would be the album's sole producer. Common made an appearance on The Jonas Brothers' most recent album, "Lines, Vines and Trying Times" as a guest rapper for the group's 2009 song, "Don't Charge Me for the Crime."


title: Common (rapper)

text: On July 6, 2011, Common released his first single, titled "Ghetto Dreams", from his next album. A second single, "Blue Sky", was released on October 4, 2011. On December 20, 2011, Common released his ninth solo album, titled "The Dreamer, The Believer". Although he left GOOD Music in 2011, Common was featured on the label's first compilation album, 2012's "Cruel Summer". Common released a song entitled "Sweet", from "The Dreamer/The Believer", which included lyrics critical of rappers who sing, although this criticism was not aimed specifically at Canadian recording artist Drake. Drake took offense and responded by releasing "Stay Schemin'", a song with Rick Ross and French Montana. Common fans only had to wait two-and-a-half days for him to respond to Drake's diss track. On February 13, 2012, Common commented on the feud by saying "It's over. But it was all in the art of hip hop. He said some things to me so I had to say some things back...I wouldn't say [he started it] but I know I heard something that I felt was directed to me so I addressed it. That's all. But you know, thank God we were able to move forward from it and all is good."


title: Common (rapper)

text: After a quiet 2012, Common announced he would release an extended play (EP) in January 2013, and his first mixtape in April. In February 2013, Common announced his tenth solo studio album would be released in September 2013 and will feature Kanye West and production from Kanye West and No I.D. Later on September 8, 2013, he gave an update to his projects saying the previously announced EP would be released soon, and would feature a song with new Def Jam signee Vince Staples. He also told HipHopDX, his tenth solo studio album would be released in early 2014.


title: Common (rapper)

text: On January 6, 2014, Common announced his tenth studio album to be titled "Nobody's Smiling" and would be produced entirely by longtime collaborator No I.D.. The album, which Common revealed was originally going to be an EP, is set to feature Vince Staples, James Fauntleroy and "some new artists from Chicago." The concept of the album was inspired by his troubled hometown of Chicago: "We came up with this concept 'nobody's smiling.' It was really a thought that came about because of all the violence in Chicago," he says. "It happens in Chicago, but it's happening around the world in many ways." He continues, "We was talking about the conditions of what's happening, when I say 'nobody's smiling.' But it's really a call to action." On June 4, 2014, it was announced Common signed a recording contract with Def Jam Recordings and No I.D.'s Artium Records. It was also announced "Nobody's Smiling" would be released July 22, 2014. Lonnie "Pops" Lynn was to be featured on this album as well but the recording fell through as Lonnie's health declined. A recording was indeed made and is in process of being released on Dirty Laboratory Productions featuring production by AwareNess.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2016 Common released his eleventh studio album titled Black America Again under Def Jam Recordings, the album featured guest appearances by Stevie Wonder, Bilal, Marsha Ambrosius, BJ The Chicago Kid, John Legend, PJ, Syd, Elena & Tasha Cobbs. The album was primarily produced by Karriem Riggins alongside many other contributors including Robert Glasper.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2018, Common also announced he would be forming a jazz group called August Greene with Karriem Riggins & Robert Glasper, shortly after this announcement an August Greene album was released through a partnership with Amazon Music. The album featured guest vocals (credited and uncredited) by male singer Samora Pinderhughes and featured award-winning singer Brandy Norwood on two songs titled "Optimistic" and "Time" respectively. On August 30, 2019, Common released his twelfth solo studio album titled Let Love, the album was released by Loma Vista Recordings and Concord Records. The album features guest appearances from Samora Pinderhughes, Daniel Caesar, Swizz Beatz, Leikeli47, BJ the Chicago Kid, A-Trak, Jill Scott, Leon Bridges and Jonathan McReynolds and production of the album was primarily handled by Karriem Riggins and the song titled "HER Love (feat. Daniel Caesar was produced by J. Dilla.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2020 Common released a nine-track album titled "A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 1". The album features female singer PJ on seven tracks and also features guest vocals from Black Thought and Lenny Kravitz. In 2021 he released a sequel album, "A Beautiful Revolution Pt. 2", which features guest vocals from Jessica Care Moore, PJ, Black Thought, Seun Kuti, Marcus King, Isaiah Sharkey, Brittany Howard, and Morgan Parker. Production of both albums was handled primarily by long-time collaborator Karriem Riggins, with various other producers credited as session musicians.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2003, Common appeared on the American UPN sitcom "Girlfriends". In the episode "Take This Poem and Call Me in the Morning", he appeared as Omar, a slam poet who competes with fellow poet Sivad (played by Saul Williams) for the affection of Lynn Searcy (played by Persia White). He also had a cameo appearance on an episode of UPN's "One on One", where he played a drama class instructor named Darius. He also made an appearance on the ABC show "Scrubs". In 2007, Common appeared with Ryan Reynolds, Jeremy Piven, and Alicia Keys in the crime film "Smokin' Aces", making his big screen debut as villainous Mob enforcer Sir Ivy. He appeared alongside Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe, The RZA and T.I. in the 2007 crime thriller "American Gangster". On January 20, 2007, one week before the opening of "Smokin Aces", he appeared in a "Saturday Night Live" sketch as himself. The show's host was Piven, his "Aces" co-star.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2007, Common played the role of "Smokin' Aces" co-star Alicia Keys's boyfriend in the music video "Like You'll Never See Me Again".


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2008, he had a supporting role in the film adaptation of the comic book "Wanted" alongside Morgan Freeman and Angelina Jolie. Common also appeared in the movie "Street Kings" with Keanu Reeves, Hugh Laurie, The Game, and Forest Whitaker. Common also starred in the 2010 movie "Just Wright" as a basketball player who falls in love with his physical therapist Queen Latifah. He appeared in the 2009 film "Terminator Salvation" as John Connor's lieutenant Barnes.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2009, Common was cast as John Stewart/Green Lantern in the unproduced film "Justice League: Mortal".


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common starred as a corrupt cop in the 2010 comedy "Date Night" with Steve Carell and Tina Fey. He was also featured in the role of deployed soldier Chino in 2011's "New Year's Eve", the husband of Halle Berry's character, Nurse Aimee.


title: Common (rapper)

text: He was part of the ensemble cast of AMC's "Hell on Wheels", as one of the lead characters, Elam Ferguson, a recently freed slave trying to find his place in the world.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2013, Common played the role of Agent Evans, an FBI agent in "Now You See Me" along with Mark Ruffalo, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Isla Fisher, and Dave Franco. In the 2014 film "Selma", for which he also co-wrote the Oscar-winning song "Glory", Common co-starred as 1960s civil rights movement leader James Bevel. In 2015, he played a hitman in "Run All Night".


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common appeared as a gangster in the 2016 film "Suicide Squad", directed by David Ayer and part of the DC Extended Universe.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In December 2015, Common appeared in the NBC TV special "The Wiz Live!", as the Bouncer guarding the Emerald City.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In February 2017, he appeared alongside Keanu Reeves again, this time as professional hitman/bodyguard Cassian in "".


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common played opposite Mary Elizabeth Winstead in Eva Vives's debut feature, "All About Nina", which had its world premiere at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. It was a major, breakout role for which he has received much critical acclaim ("Variety"'s Peter Debruge calling his performance "easily the strongest of the half-dozen supporting roles he's had this year"). That same year, he appeared as Rear Admiral John Fisk in the action thriller film "Hunter Killer".


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2018, Common starred in the film adaptation of "The Hate U Give", playing Starr's uncle Carlos, a black police officer that is forced to defend his colleague that is involved in the shooting of a black teen.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In September 2022, it was announced that Common would make his Broadway debut in Second Stage Theater’s Between Riverside and Crazy in the winter of 2022.


title: Common (rapper)

text: On October 27, 2015, Common inked a two-year deal with HBO that allowed to start his own film production company, Freedom Road Productions. He stated in an interview in February 2012 that one of his big career goals was to start his own film production company.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2016 Common also worked with Amazon Studios and American Girl, serving as an executive producer for the direct-to-video feature "".


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2006, Common was a model for photos of The Gap's fall season collection, appearing on posters in stores. Later that year, he performed in The Gap's "Holiday in Your Hood" themed "Peace Love Gap." In February 2007, Common signed a deal with New Era to promote their new line of Layers fitted caps. Common also stars in a television commercial for the 2008 Lincoln Navigator. He appears in NBA 2K8 in NBA Blacktop mode. In the fall of 2008, Common appeared in an ad for Microsoft's Zune, comparing his new song, "Universal Mind Control", to "Planet Rock", a song from hip-hop pioneer Afrika Bambaataa. Also, he featured in the Diesel campaign for a new fragrance called "Only The Brave". His song "Be (intro)" is featured in a commercial for BlackBerry .


title: Common (rapper)

text: In December 2008, Common launched a new clothing line in partnership with Microsoft titled "Softwear", based on 1980s computing.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common was invited by First Lady Michelle Obama to appear at a poetry reading on May 11, 2011, at the White House. His poetry was found to be greatly influenced by Maya Angelou's works. This invitation caused furor with the New Jersey State Police and their union, who cited some of Common's previous lyrical content, most notably the song "A Song For Assata" about Assata Shakur, a member of the Black Liberation Army (and step-aunt of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur) who was convicted in 1977 of the first-degree murder of New Jersey state trooper Werner Foerster. At another poetry reading, Common had stated, "flyers say 'free Mumia' on my freezer", a reference to Mumia Abu-Jamal, who was controversially convicted of killing Philadelphia Police Officer Daniel Faulkner in 1981.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Jay Carney, the White House Press Secretary at the time, stated that President Obama opposed these particular lyrics, but supported what Common stood for more broadly. Common responded by saying: "I guess Sarah Palin and Fox News doesn't like me." On [Facebook]], he also stated, "The one thing that shouldn't be questioned is my support for the police officers and troops that protect us every day." Common later discussed the matter with Jon Stewart during a September 14, 2011 appearance on Comedy Central's "The Daily Show".


title: Common (rapper)

text: In September 2011, Common published his memoir, "One Day It'll All Make Sense", through Atria Books. As the book details how his close relationship with his mother influenced his life, it is partially narrated by her.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common released his second memoir, "Let Love Have The Last Word", in May 2019. The book highlights his relationship with his daughter Omoye, romantic relationships, his parents, and his struggle to cement his perspective in the concept of love.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common is a vegan and he is a supporter of animal rights and PETA. He appeared in a print advertisement for PETA titled "Think Before You Eat," and in a documentary titled "Holistic Wellness for the Hip-Hop Generation" where he promoted vegetarianism.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common is also part of the "Knowing Is Beautiful" movement, which supports HIV/AIDS awareness. He is featured in the video for "Yes We Can," a song in support of the candidacy of Barack Obama, which made its debut on the internet on February 2, 2008. Common has pledged to stop using anti-gay lyrics in his music.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common is the founder of the Common Ground Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to empower underprivileged youth to be contributing citizens and strong leaders in the world. The foundation includes programs dedicated to leadership development & empowerment, educational development, creative expression, as well as a book club. In 2014, Common Ground inaugurated the AAHH! Fest music festival in Chicago's Union Park. After a one-year hiatus, AAHH! Fest returned in 2016, but was canceled one week before showtime in 2017. An official announcement stated the fest would return September 15, 2018.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In 2017, Common performed concerts in several California prisons, as well as on the grounds of the California State Capitol. This concert tour inspired him to found Imagine Justice, another non-profit organization, devoted to empowering communities and fighting injustice. The organization intends to address mental health and wellness, civic engagement, and leveraging the power of art to inspire and spark change; it plans to execute high impact initiatives.


title: Common (rapper)

text: In May 2020, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Common launched a social media campaign through Imagine Justice, dubbed #WeMatterToo, with dozens of advocacy and activist groups calling attention to the threat that the pandemic poses for incarcerated men and women and intended to create greater public awareness about conditions facing incarcerated populations. The campaign includes the production of short films that will include recordings of inmates expressing their concern about the coronavirus spreading inside prisons.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Along with other rappers and activists, Common appeared in the award-winning documentary short film "#Bars4Justice", which was shot in Ferguson, Missouri and produced by "Nation19" Magazine. Common performed with Andra Day in the opening musical performance for the March for Our Lives anti-gun violence rally in Washington, D.C. on March 24, 2018. He also performed at the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's death in Memphis, at an event co-hosted by the labor union UNITE HERE. Common was later accused of joining anti-union efforts by crossing a UNITE HERE picket line in Boston.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common is a pescatarian. He is a lifelong fan of the Chicago Bulls and Chicago Bears. He is a Christian, attending Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago. On May 4, 2019, Common served as spring commencement speaker at the Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University (FAMU) and after his address, was awarded an honorary DFA degree. While at FAMU, he studied in the School of Business and Industry.


title: Common (rapper)

text: Common was in a relationship with comedian and actress Tiffany Haddish from mid-2020 to November 2021. He has one daughter, Omoye, born in 1997.


title: Ray J

text: William Ray Norwood Jr. (born January 17, 1981), known professionally as Ray J, is an American singer, actor, and television personality. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Carson, California, he is the younger brother of recording artist and actress Brandy Norwood and the first cousin of rapper Snoop Dogg. In January 2017, he competed in the nineteenth season of the UK reality television programme "Celebrity Big Brother".


title: Ray J

text: William Ray Norwood Jr. was born in McComb, Mississippi to Willie Norwood and Sonja Bates-Norwood. His older sister Brandy is a multi-platinum recording artist. Early in his life, he moved with his family from McComb, Mississippi to Los Angeles, California, and in 1989 started appearing in television commercials for different companies. In 1989, at the age of eight, Norwood began auditioning for and appearing in television commercials; he played the foster son in "The Sinbad Show", from 1993 to 1994. This period in Norwood's life would shape his acting career. According to Bradley Torreano of AllMusic, "his easygoing image and boyish looks appealed to the producers of Brandy's television show, "Moesha", giving him a role on the UPN series as Dorian "D-Money", a role he played from 1999 until the show ended in 2001.


title: Ray J

text: He signed to Elektra Records in 1995 and he began to record his debut album "Everything You Want" the same year. The album, released in March 1997, spawned the lead single "Let It Go", which appeared on the "Set It Off" soundtrack. "Let It Go" peaked at number 25 in the U.S. and number 11 in New Zealand. The second single peaked at number 54 on the U.S. R&B chart. In 1997, he was dropped from the label. In 1998, he appeared on the Dr. Dolittle soundtrack with the single "That's Why I Lie". He produced for toy company Mattel, putting together the music for several commercials and a few of the demos for his second record.


title: Ray J

text: Ray J recorded "Another Day in Paradise" with Brandy, which was a Top Ten success in Austria, UK, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland, Belgium, Norway, Ireland, the Netherlands and number 11 in Australia and France. The song was the lead single of the R&B/Hip Hop tribute "Urban Renewal", in which he co-produced and performed songs. Norwood also worked with the Neptunes, Rodney Jerkins and Lil' Kim, and several other producers and singers for his second studio album "This Ain't A Game". The album was recorded over 18 months, and was released on June 26, 2001, with Atlantic Records. The lead single "Wait A Minute" peaked at #30 on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and #8 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. "Formal Invite" followed at #54 on the R&B chart.


title: Ray J

text: After a two-year break, Norwood returned to recording studios, adding the finishing touches on his third studio album "Raydiation" with help from producers such as Rodney Jerkins, Timbaland, R. Kelly, and Rob Egerton. A joint venture by Sanctuary Records and Ray-J's own label, independent Knockout Entertainment, the album was finally released on September 27, 2005, in North America after several delays, debuting at number forty-eight on the "Billboard" 200 chart, selling 18,321 copies in the first week. The album's lead single "One Wish" was a top 20 success in the US, UK, Ireland, and New Zealand. "Raydiation" eventually sold over 400,000 copies domestically.


title: Ray J

text: In 2005, Norwood joined the cast of UPN's "One On One", where he played the character D-Mack for the final season. On both shows, Ray's character was related to Brandy's (cousin/half-brother on "Moesha", brother on "One on One").


title: Ray J

text: In February 2007, a pornographic home video he made with former girlfriend Kim Kardashian in 2003, "Kim Kardashian, Superstar", was made public. Kardashian sued Vivid Entertainment for ownership of the tape. In late April 2007, Kardashian dropped the suit and settled with Vivid Entertainment for $5 million.


title: Ray J

text: Knockout Entertainment announced a multimillion-dollar album deal with Koch Records and Shaquille O'Neal's "Deja 34" entertainment company. The first album for this deal is Ray J's fourth album "All I Feel", which features The Game and Yung Berg among others. It was released on April 1, 2008. The album's first single is "Sexy Can I" featuring rapper Yung Berg peaked at number three on the Top Singles (Hot 100) for six weeks. A video for the track, directed by R. Malcolm Jones, was shot in December 2007. J stars in the Black Christmas movie "Dark Christmas" under the direction from Deon Taylor.


title: Ray J

text: In 2009, Norwood starred in his own VH1 reality dating show, "For the Love of Ray J". The show premiered on February 2, 2009. For his show on March 24, 2009, he released the soundtrack/studio album called "For The Love Of Ray J". On November 2, 2009, the show's second season premiered. In 2010, Norwood and his sister Brandy Norwood premiered the VH1 reality series "" along with their parents. The show debuted in April 2010 and chronicled the backstage happenings of both siblings, while taking a bigger role in their family's management and production company, R&B Productions.


title: Ray J

text: On June 19, 2011, Ray J, along with his sister Brandy and his father Willie Norwood Sr., released "A Family Business", which serves as a soundtrack to their hit reality TV show, "", and was released through Time-Life Music. He released a single from the album called "Turnin' Me On". The song will be featured on his upcoming album as well.


title: Ray J

text: On February 11, 2012, Whitney Houston died of "accidental drowning", as ruled by the coroner. Ray J was in San Diego when she died and arrived at the Beverly Hilton, where Houston died, at the time paramedics and police officers came to the scene. While waiting for more information, he became angered upon hearing one of the officers make a "disrespectful comment" about Houston, prompting him to force entry into the suite prior to being restrained. Though he initially did not publicly address her death, Ray J broke his silence on February 17, 2012, when he told "US Weekly" that while the "world had lost an icon", he had lost a "close friend". Ray J's sister Brandy described him at the time of Houston's death as being "very distraught" and "disconnected" as well as referring to it as "a very hard time in his life."


title: Ray J

text: Ray J and Houston became very close in the last years of her life, leading to speculation of a romantic relationship between the singers. However, Ray J stated that he and Houston were friends, and that they had never dated. On May 21, 2012, Ray J was found in his hotel room, unable to get out of bed and was rushed to a hospital by ambulance. The day before, he was said to have had a confrontation at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards when Whitney Houston's sister-in-law Pat Houston called security on him when she saw Ray J was seated next to Bobbi Kristina Brown, Whitney's daughter. Ray J went to the Beverly Hilton on August 1, 2012, for a panel during the TVOne portion of the 2012 Summer Television Critics Association tour. It was his first time there since Houston's death.


title: Ray J

text: Ray J team up with Bobby Brackins for the track "I Hit It First" which was released on April 6, 2013. "I Hit It First" caused controversy for allegedly aiming its lyrics at Kim Kardashian and Kanye West. The song has since debuted at #51 on the "Billboard" Hot 100. "ATM" was released as a single on August 5, 2014, and it features Migos. Ray J is hosting Oxygen's new reality game show series "Bad Girls All-Star Battle". In May 2014, Kardashian and West married. Ray J was reported to have sent a check that totaled his profits off of the sex tape that year as a wedding gift.


title: Ray J

text: On January 3, 2017, Ray J took part as a "new star" housemate on season 19 of "Celebrity Big Brother". He walked off the show after a week. He also threatened legal action after his exit from the show.


title: Ray J

text: On March 15, 2020, Ray J and Princess Love took part in The Conversation on Zeus Network. In May 2020, Love filed for divorce.


title: Ray J

text: As the founder of Raytroniks, Ray J introduced a line of consumer electronics to the United States market. The product categories included electric bikes, smartphone fans, and smartwatches. In particular, the Scoot-E-Bike brand which Ray J developed grew exponentially after implementing a viral organic marketing strategy. Ray J secured product placements through celebrities such as Sean Combs, Brandy, Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Justin Bieber, Stephen Curry, Cara Delevingne, and professional athletic teams, including the L.A. Clippers and Los Angeles Rams.


title: Ray J

text: In November 2017, Ray J co-founded a direct-to-consumer electronics brand called Raycon. Raycon sells wireless audio products such as earbuds and headphones. Ray J oversees brand and strategy.


title: Ray J

text: In August 2016, Ray J married Princess Love at Los Angeles' Cathedral of Saint Vibiana. The two star on VH1's . Their daughter, Melody Love, was born on May 22, 2018. Their son, Epik Ray, was born on January 7, 2020. In May 2020, Love filed for divorce.


title: Ray J

text: On September 17, 2011, Fabolous tweeted about Ray J playing his song "One Wish" on a piano inside Floyd Mayweather Jr.'s house during a documentary on Mayweather and Victor Ortiz. Ray J confronted Fabolous in Las Vegas just before he was set to take stage at the Palms Casino and is alleged to have punched him in the face. He was arrested following the incident and in an interview with Power 105.1's The Breakfast Club, he explained why he took offense to Fabolous's tweets, stating that he played on the piano "every day" and referred to Mayweather as his "big brother" since the pair grew up together. Ray J demanded an on-air apology from Fabolous and threatened him, stating that he would "smack" him again. A number of celebrities were present during the incident, including 50 Cent, Mayweather and Kevin Hart. Three years later Ray J took full responsibility for the incident. He acknowledged that he had learned from the experience and felt terrible about it as well. According to Ray J, he went through a time of deep depression following the encounter, all the while trying to figure out what led him to act out the way he did and "how can I now grow and be better?"


title: Ray J

text: On May 30, 2014, Ray J was at a bar of the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California when a woman accused him of inappropriately touching her posterior. Police were called and deemed the touching incidental but he was asked to leave by the hotel staff. Ray J became angered because he contends he spent tens of thousands of dollars at the hotel over the last year. At some point, he allegedly became belligerent and according to the police, spat at an officer and kicked out a police car window in the process of being arrested. The charges against him included vandalism, resisting arrest and battery against a police officer. Ray J posted $20,000 bail and was released. The Los Angeles County district attorney on July 21, 2014, filed charges against Ray J and a police spokesman said his initial hearing would take place on July 25.


title: Ray J

text: On July 22, 2014, prosecutors stated the arrest had turned into four criminal charges. He was charged with sexual battery, vandalism of a police car, battery against a police officer and resisting arrest. They claimed he willfully touched the woman's "intimate part" for the "specific purpose of sexual arousal, sexual gratification and sexual abuse." On August 19, Ray J pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charges. He was stopped by two police officers on August 6, 2014, in the San Fernando Valley. The officers claimed he was using his cell phone while driving, Ray J insisted that he was struggling to connect his Bluetooth. He was given a warning about texting and driving. The officers reportedly wanted him to step out of his vehicle, which he did, but Ray J claims they simply wanted to take a couple of photographs with him. The LAPD began an internal affairs investigation into the encounter with the two officers.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Benjamin Todd Roethlisberger Sr. (; born March 2, 1982), nicknamed "Big Ben", is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 18 seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Miami (OH) and was selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger earned the AP NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award in 2004 and his first Pro Bowl selection in 2007. In 2006, he became the youngest Super Bowl–winning quarterback in NFL history, leading the Steelers, in his second season, to a 21–10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XL at the age of 23. Roethlisberger led the Steelers to a second Super Bowl title in four seasons as they defeated the Arizona Cardinals in Super Bowl XLIII, 27–23, after completing a game-winning touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds left in the game. He appeared in his third Super Bowl in Super Bowl XLV, but the team lost by a score of 31–25 to the Green Bay Packers.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger was one of the most prolific passers in NFL history. Upon retirement, he ranked 5th all-time in NFL career passing yards (64,088), 8th all-time in touchdowns (418), and 5th in completions (5,440) among quarterbacks with a minimum of 1,500 career attempts. He also had the fourth-highest career winning percentage (.710) as a starter in the regular season among quarterbacks with a minimum of 100 starts and was one of six quarterbacks in NFL history to have beaten at least 31 of the current 32 NFL teams.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Known for playing outside the passing pocket in what he calls "backyard football", Roethlisberger grew up idolizing John Elway and has often been compared to him, wearing number 7 in his honor.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: At Findlay High School in Findlay, Ohio, Roethlisberger was captain of the Trojans' football, basketball, and baseball teams. Roethlisberger did not play quarterback until his senior year, giving way to the coach's son, Ryan Hite. Instead, Roethlisberger played wide receiver. "I'm a nationally known knucklehead in many people's eyes," Hite conceded in a 2004 interview to the "Toledo Blade" but insisted his decision had not been an act of nepotism, or miscalculation. "We did a bunch of drills and my son throwing to Ben was a better combination," he said.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Ken Roethlisberger, a former Georgia Tech quarterback, never publicly criticized Hite for playing Ryan ahead of his son Ben. He has stated, "It was a coach's call. You make good ones, you make bad ones. And I'm not even saying this was a bad one. We can say it was now, but how do we know for sure?" Ryan Hite went on to Denison University where, as a wide receiver, set numerous career and single-season records by the time he graduated from college.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger played college quarterback at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. After arriving at Miami in 2000, he was redshirted his first season. In the 2001 season, he made his collegiate debut against Michigan, completing 18 of 35 passes for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the 31–13 loss. Against Akron, he broke the school single-game passing record with 399 passing yards, with 70 of those yards coming on a Hail Mary to Eddie Tillitz to win the game by a score of 30–27 as time expired. When Miami played Bowling Green, he had two touchdowns and 305 passing yards and broke the MAC freshman passing yardage record in the 24–21 victory. Against Hawaii, he broke school records for attempts, completions, and yardage, when he went 40 of 53 for 452 yards and three touchdowns in the 52–51 loss. He finished his first year with the Redhawks with 3,105 passing yards, 241 completions, and 25 touchdown completions while leading them to a 7–5 record.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger's second season as the RedHawks starter was marked with a 7–5 record once again. He broke the MAC single-game record for passing yards in a 48–41 loss against Northern Illinois on October 12 when he threw for 525 yards and four touchdowns. He won the MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week for three punts that landed inside the 20 in the 27–13 victory over Toledo. He established the Miami single-season record with 3,238 passing yards and 271 completions in 2002.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: After starting the season with a loss to the Iowa Hawkeyes, Roethlisberger led the Miami RedHawks to an unbeaten record in the MAC, 12 consecutive wins, a #10 ranking in the Associated Press poll, and a 49–28 victory over Louisville in the 2003 GMAC Bowl. He finished his 2003 season with a conference-leading 343 completions, 4,486 passing yards, and 37 passing touchdowns, breaking school single-season records in all three categories. He was named as the MAC Offensive Player of the Year for the 2003 season.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: His jersey number number 7 was retired by the RedHawks during homecoming on October 13, 2007; the festivities included the RedHawks football game against Bowling Green. Roethlisberger became the third athlete in Miami football history to have his number retired, joining John Pont and Bob Hitchens. Roethlisberger's number being retired was the first time in 34 years Miami retired a football jersey number.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Because ESPN began broadcasting MAC games on Tuesdays and Wednesdays—days without other football on television—in 2000, nationwide "MACtion" audiences watched Roethlisberger's teams. The success of the 2003 Miami Redhawks led to the expectation that he would be drafted early. At the combine, Roethlisberger scored a 25 on the Wonderlic. During the GMAC Bowl, commentators discussed some of his skills that would translate to success in the NFL. Roethlisberger was one of the players invited to attend the draft along with others in the "Green Room" and was featured on the show "Hey Rookie, Welcome to the NFL".


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: During the 2004 NFL Draft, Roethlisberger was the second-highest touted quarterback behind Ole Miss' Eli Manning. He was projected to be taken by the New York Giants as the fourth overall pick, with the San Diego Chargers taking Manning first overall. While the Chargers drafted Manning, the Giants instead selected NC State quarterback Philip Rivers as part of a trade deal that sent Manning to the Giants and Rivers to the Chargers. The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Roethlisberger 11th overall, making him the highest-drafted quarterback to play for the team that picked him, and the highest draft pick the Steelers used on a quarterback since selecting Terry Bradshaw first overall in 1970.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: The Steelers almost didn't select Roethlisberger, as head coach Bill Cowher and director of football operations Kevin Colbert had planned to select Arkansas guard Shawn Andrews. However, Steelers owner Dan Rooney overrode both Cowher and Colbert upon seeing that Roethlisberger was still available and the Steelers not wanting a repeat of passing on a franchise quarterback, as they had done in the 1983 NFL Draft when they drafted Gabriel Rivera while local product Dan Marino was still available. Roethlisberger was being interviewed live on ESPN by Suzy Kolber when he received the phone call from Cowher, confirming his selection before it was officially announced by Paul Tagliabue.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger was one of 17 quarterbacks taken in the 2004 NFL Draft, along with Manning and Rivers. All three would enjoy lengthy and successful careers with the teams that signed them and have been compared favorably to the aforementioned 1983 Draft, which included Hall of Fame quarterbacks John Elway, Jim Kelly, and Marino. A two-time Super Bowl winner and six-time Pro Bowler, Roethlisberger leads the three in wins, winning percentage, and postseason appearances. In addition, he had the longest career of the three.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On August 4, Roethlisberger signed a six-year contract to the Steelers worth $22.26 million in salaries and bonuses, with an additional $17.73 million available via incentives. He was touted by Steelers head coach Bill Cowher in a press conference as a franchise quarterback.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: He started his rookie season as the third quarterback on the depth chart behind veterans Tommy Maddox and Charlie Batch. When Batch was injured in the preseason, however, Roethlisberger took over the backup quarterback role. Maddox started, and won, the season opener against the Oakland Raiders and started versus the Baltimore Ravens, but after an ineffective outing and third-quarter injury to Maddox, Roethlisberger stepped in for his first NFL action. Despite spurring a mild comeback, the Steelers lost to the Ravens by a score of 30–13. In his regular season debut against the Ravens, Roethlisberger completed 12 of 20 passes for 176-yards and two touchdowns, and two interceptions. During the game, he threw his first career touchdown, on a three-yard pass to Antwaan Randle El and also threw his first career interception to Ravens linebacker Adalius Thomas. Maddox's injury changed the Steelers' original plan for Roethlisberger, which was for him to sit on the bench or play sparingly during the first season or two in order to learn the team's system. Instead, he started the third game of the season against the Miami Dolphins, finishing the 13–3 victory with 12 of 22 completions, 163 passing yards, one touchdown, and an interception. In Week 6, in a 24–20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, he was 21 of 25 for 193 passing yards and two touchdowns to earn his first AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: As a rookie, he went 13–0 in the regular season (14–1 including playoffs) as a starting quarterback, helping the Steelers become the first AFC team to have 15 wins (2–1 under Maddox [first two and last game], 13–0 under Roethlisberger) in a single regular season, surpassing former Steeler Mike Kruczek for the record for the best start by a rookie (6–0) and exceeding the mark for total wins as a rookie, set by Chris Chandler and Joe Ferguson. On January 5, Roethlisberger was unanimously selected as the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year by the Associated Press, the first quarterback in 34 years to be so honored. In addition, he was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On October 31, he had one of his biggest games, leading the Steelers to a 34–20 victory over the defending Super Bowl champion and previously undefeated New England Patriots, ending their NFL-record 21-game winning streak. He completed 18 of 24 pass attempts for 196 yards, two touchdowns, and no turnovers. The next game, the Steelers defeated the also previously undefeated Philadelphia Eagles 27–3, with Roethlisberger going 11 of 18 for 183 yards, with two touchdowns and one interception.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On December 5, he led the Steelers to a 17–16 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was near-perfect on the night, completing 14 of 17 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns. Jeff Reed's 37-yard field goal in the final minute gave the Steelers and Roethlisberger their tenth straight win.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Two weeks later, Roethlisberger faced off against the New York Giants and the first overall pick of the 2004 draft, Eli Manning. Roethlisberger posted his first career 300-yard passing game, with 18 of 28 passes for 316 yards and a touchdown. He led his fifth game-winning drive of the season, capping a drive with a Jerome Bettis touchdown run for a 33–30 victory. Eli Manning threw an interception with 3:19 remaining to seal the game for Pittsburgh.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In the of the playoffs against the New York Jets, Roethlisberger threw two interceptions. One interception was returned for a touchdown, and the other was thrown with 2:03 left in the fourth quarter, which set up a potential game-winning field goal by Jets kicker Doug Brien. Brien missed the kick as time expired (his second missed kick in the last two minutes of the game), forcing the game into overtime. In overtime, Roethlisberger led the Steelers down the field and put them in position for the game-winning field goal, a 33-yard attempt that was made by Jeff Reed, sending the Steelers into the AFC Championship for the fourth time in 10 years.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On January 23 in the in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger completed 14 of 24 pass attempts for 226 yards and two touchdowns, but he also threw three costly interceptions, one of which was returned 87 yards for a touchdown by Rodney Harrison. The Steelers lost the game to the eventual Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots, by a score of 41–27.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In the 2005 regular season, the Steelers finished with an 11–5 record. After securing an AFC Wild Card spot en route to victory in the Super Bowl, the Steelers pulled off upsets at Indianapolis and Denver in the AFC playoffs in addition to wins over the higher seed Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: During the course of the regular 2005 season, Roethlisberger missed four games due to various knee injuries. The Steelers went 9–3 with Roethlisberger at quarterback and 2–2 without him. He led the league in Yards Per Attempt with an 8.90, and finished third in passer rating behind Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer with a 98.6.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: The Super Bowl run began on January 8 as Roethlisberger helped lead the Steelers to a playoff win over the Cincinnati Bengals—an AFC North rival that had beaten the Steelers by seven points in the regular season to win the division championship. The rematch featured two teams with identical records, having split their regular season series since each team won on the road. Early in the game on Carson Palmer's first throw, a tackle by former Bengal Kimo von Oelhoffen resulted in Palmer's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) being completely torn. The Bengals' backup quarterback, Jon Kitna, came in and led the Bengals to leads of 10–0 and 17–7. However, the 17–7 lead midway through the second quarter was the last time in the 2005 postseason that the Steelers trailed an opponent by more than three points. After Kitna failed to produce, the Steelers took advantage by taking the next 24 straight points, and the win, in a 31–17 victory in Cincinnati.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Their second road win came on January 15 when Roethlisberger led the Steelers against the Indianapolis Colts in the , the NFL's top team throughout the season and a heavy favorite to represent the AFC in Super Bowl XL. Roethlisberger threw for 197 yards and recorded a game-saving tackle on Colts' defensive back Nick Harper, who had just recovered a Jerome Bettis fumble with less than two minutes left in the game. Pittsburgh led early but had to survive a Colts comeback to win 21–18, after an errant call that the NFL later admitted was a mistake, which overturned a Troy Polamalu interception that would have secured the game for the Steelers. Roethlisberger's tackle on Harper, dubbed by many as The Tackle II or The Immaculate Redemption, was compared by many to "The Immaculate Reception" in 1972, when Franco Harris made a miraculous reception and scored the game-winning touchdown against the Oakland Raiders. The victory marked the first time in playoff history that a sixth-seeded NFL playoff team defeated the top-seeded team.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On January 22, 2006, the Steelers defeated the Denver Broncos by a score of 34–17 in Denver to win the and advance to Super Bowl XL. Roethlisberger completed 21 of 29 passes for 275 yards and threw two touchdown passes and scored one touchdown himself on a four-yard play-action bootleg. His run was the last touchdown of the game, sealing the win for the Steelers.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: The Steelers won Super Bowl XL 21–10 over the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit on February 5. Roethlisberger had one of the worst passing games of his career, completing just nine of 21 passes for 123 yards and two interceptions; his passer rating of 22.6 was the lowest in Super Bowl history by a winning quarterback. Though he did convert eight third-down situations in the game to help the Steelers win, none of them was bigger than his 37-yard pass to Super Bowl XL MVP Hines Ward on a third-and-28 that set up the Steelers' first touchdown (a one-yard quarterback sneak by Roethlisberger on third and goal). With the victory, Roethlisberger, at 23 years old, became the youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl, a record previously held by Tom Brady of the New England Patriots.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: After an off-season motorcycle crash in which he was seriously injured, Roethlisberger missed the opening game of the 2006 season after having an emergency appendectomy on September 3. Backup Charlie Batch started and led the Steelers to a victory over the Miami Dolphins. Roethlisberger played the following game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. His return resulted in a sub-par performance as he threw two interceptions with no touchdowns in a 9–0 loss. In Week 3, Roethlisberger completed fewer than half of his passes for three interceptions and no touchdowns in a 28–20 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. The final interception came in the final seconds of the game, in the end zone, ending Pittsburgh's comeback attempt.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 5 against the San Diego Chargers, Roethlisberger looked sharp throughout the first half, leading three scoring drives. However, in the second half, he threw two interceptions, both of which shifted momentum away from the Steelers and led to the Chargers' 23–13 win. In Week 6 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger had his first big game of the season, completing 16 of 19 passes for 238 yards with two touchdowns (his first of the year) and no interceptions during a 45–7 rout of the Chiefs. During Week 7 in Atlanta, Roethlisberger continued his success, going 16 of 22 for 237 yards and three touchdowns. However, during the third quarter, Roethlisberger was helped off the field after sustaining a concussion following a controversial hit by Falcons defensive end Patrick Kerney. Roethlisberger was replaced by Charlie Batch, and the Steelers went on to lose 41–38 in overtime.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On October 29 against the Oakland Raiders, Roethlisberger threw four interceptions in a 20–13 upset loss. The loss was his fifth of the season—two more than he had in his first two seasons combined as a starter—and gave him a total of 11 interceptions, versus just six touchdowns, on the season. In a Week 9 rematch of the 2005 AFC Championship against the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 433 yards but had three of the six Steelers turnovers in a 31–20 loss. Roethlisberger and the Steelers got back on a winning track in a home game a week later against the New Orleans Saints. He passed for 265 yards and three touchdowns in a 38–31 win.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 11, Roethlisberger overcame three first-half interceptions by throwing for 224 yards and two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, leading the Steelers to score 21 points and come back to beat the Cleveland Browns, 24–20. The following week, Roethlisberger and the Steelers were held scoreless in a 27–0 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. Roethlisberger finished 21 of 41 for 214 yards and two interceptions. He was sacked nine times, including once by Ravens linebacker Bart Scott, which sent him to the sidelines briefly. He also fumbled once, which the Ravens returned for a touchdown in the second half. Roethlisberger bounced back the following game, throwing for 198 yards and two touchdowns in a 20–3 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Pittsburgh kept their playoff hopes alive in Week 14 with a 27–7 victory against the Browns. Roethlisberger went 11 of 21 for 225 yards with one touchdown, and rushed for one more. In Week 15, Roethlisberger threw for 140 yards and a touchdown in a 37–3 rout of the Carolina Panthers. The following week, Baltimore eliminated Pittsburgh from the playoffs. In the 31–7 defeat, Roethlisberger was intercepted twice and threw for 156 yards.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger ended the season on a good note by defeating the Cincinnati Bengals by a score of 23–17 in overtime and eliminating them from playoff contention in what was Bill Cowher's final game as the Steelers' head coach. He was 19 for 28 passing with 280 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. In overtime, Roethlisberger completed a slant pass to rookie Santonio Holmes, who went 67 yards for the game-winning touchdown.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns, Roethlisberger threw four touchdown passes in a game for the first time in his NFL career as he led the Steelers to a win in the debut of new Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. Against the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4, Roethlisberger looked to get a win over his former offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt, who was then the head coach of the Cardinals. However, Roethlisberger had his first loss of the season as he was intercepted twice; once in the red zone, and then on a desperation pass with six seconds left in the game.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 9 against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger passed for a career-high five touchdown passes, which tied the team record held by Terry Bradshaw and Mark Malone. All five touchdowns were thrown in the first half, making Roethlisberger one of two quarterbacks in the 2007 season (the other being Tom Brady), and only the fifth quarterback since the 1970 merger, to accomplish such a feat. He also posted a perfect 158.3 passer rating. Against the Browns in Week 10, Roethlisberger helped the Steelers erase a 15-point deficit against the rival Browns in a 31–28 victory. He passed for 278 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 12 against the Miami Dolphins, Roethlisberger set a Steelers record, completing 85.7% of his passes (18 of 21) as the Steelers beat the Miami Dolphins, 3–0—a feat made all the more remarkable given the weather conditions. Pittsburgh was hit with a torrential storm, delaying the Monday night game 30 minutes due to lightning, while turning the new sod on the field, laid earlier that week, into a soggy mess. In many parts of the field, players sunk several inches with each step. After one of the game's punts, the ball infamously stood straight up, stuck in the ground upon impact. With the game scoreless in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger led a game-winning field goal drive for the only points of the night.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger threw his 29th touchdown pass of the season in Week 15 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, breaking the team single-season touchdown pass record previously held by Bradshaw. In Week 16 against the St. Louis Rams, Roethlisberger became the first quarterback in NFL history to have two perfect passer rating (158.3) games in the same regular season, completing 16 of 20 passes for 261 yards and three touchdowns. It was his third career-perfect passer rating game, tying Peyton Manning for the most such regular-season games in NFL history. He earned his second AFC Offensive Player of the Week nod for the 2007 season.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: To cap his comeback season, Roethlisberger was selected to his first Pro Bowl, joining five other Steelers teammates on the AFC squad. Roethlisberger's 32 touchdown passes ranked third in the NFL, behind Tony Romo and Tom Brady, while his 104.1 passer rating was second only to Brady. Roethlisberger also set a new Steelers single-season record with 32 touchdown passes.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In a rematch of the Week 15 game, the Steelers were defeated by the Jaguars in the AFC , 31–29. In the loss, Roethlisberger passed for 337 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions. Roethlisberger finished third in Comeback Player of the Year voting, behind the Patriots' Randy Moss and the Dallas Cowboys' Greg Ellis, who won the award. Roethlisberger played in his first Pro Bowl in Hawaii.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On March 4, 2008, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Roethlisberger agreed to an eight-year, $102 million contract. Roethlisberger had two years left on his original that he signed after the draft. He has stated that he wants to retire as a Steeler.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 1 against the Houston Texans, Roethlisberger completed 13 of 14 passes for a career-high 92.9 completion percentage (minimum 10 attempts), and finished with 137 yards passing and two touchdown passes in the 38–17 win. Byron Leftwich took over in the fourth quarter when Roethlisberger was on the sideline with a shoulder injury. The next week against the Cleveland Browns, he had the first pass reception of his career: a negative-seven-yard completion to himself after a deflected pass in the second quarter. In a 15–6 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3, Roethlisberger was sacked eight times, fumbled twice, threw one interception, and was called for a safety in the fourth quarter. He did not finish the game, as his throwing hand was injured.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 4 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Steelers trailed 13–3 at halftime. Roethlisberger threw a touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes in the third quarter to start a comeback. He completed two passes to Mewelde Moore for 31 yards in overtime, setting up Jeff Reed for the winning 46-yard field goal. The next week, Roethlisberger threw for 239 yards in the first half—a career-high for one half—and directed the game-winning drive, passing for an eight-yard touchdown to Hines Ward to defeat the Jacksonville Jaguars by a score of 26–21. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week and the FedEx Air Player of the Week for his performance.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger had one of the worst performances of his career in a Week 9 23–6 win over the Washington Redskins, posting career lows in passer rating (15.1), completions (5), passing yards (50), yards per attempt (2.94) and completion percentage (29.4%). In Week 13 at New England, in consistent rain, Roethlisberger completed 17 of 33 passes for 179 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. After falling behind, 10–3, in the second quarter, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to 30 unanswered points in a 33–10 victory.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 14, Roethlisberger had his 49th victory as a starting quarterback, breaking the record for the most wins by a quarterback in their first five NFL seasons. The Steelers clinched the AFC North in Week 15 with a win over the Baltimore Ravens, and with a loss to the Tennessee Titans the following week clinched the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. The Steelers defeated the San Diego Chargers in the and the Baltimore Ravens in the en route to the Super Bowl.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Super Bowl XLIII against the Arizona Cardinals, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to one of the more dramatic victories in Super Bowl history. On the first two offensive drives, Roethlisberger passed for 122 yards on seven of eight passing attempts, which was one yard shy of his total amount from his first Super Bowl start. The Steelers led, 10–0, and went into halftime up, 17–7. The lead grew to 20–7 before Arizona mounted a comeback. Trailing for the first time in the game, 23–20, with 2:30 remaining in the game, Roethlisberger took the field to start the winning drive. After a holding penalty on the first play, Roethlisberger marched the Steelers 88 yards in eight plays, hooking up with game MVP Santonio Holmes four times for 73 yards on the drive, including the six-yard touchdown pass that put the Steelers ahead with 0:35 remaining. Overall, Roethlisberger finished 21 of 30 for 256 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He had a passer rating of 93.2.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 3 against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Steelers were dominant in the first half and led, 20–9, in the fourth quarter, but the defense surrendered the lead with 14 seconds left. Roethlisberger got the ball back with two seconds remaining and his Hail Mary attempt was incomplete. It is his first NFL loss in the state of Ohio, snapping an 11–0 record. He improved his record of 10–0 against the Cleveland Browns by throwing for 417 yards and 2 touchdowns in Week 6. In Week 11 against the Kansas City Chiefs, he had thrown for 398 yards and three touchdowns before leaving the game in overtime after taking a knee to the helmet on a scramble attempt. He suffered the fourth concussion of his NFL career. After sitting out the overtime loss in Week 12 at Baltimore, Roethlisberger started against the Oakland Raiders in Week 13 and passed for 278 yards and two touchdown passes. He threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Hines Ward with 1:56 remaining, only to have the Raiders answer back with a winning touchdown with nine seconds left. The Steelers could not hold three leads in the fourth quarter. They led 10–6, 17–13 and 24–20. It was the fifth loss of the season in which they surrendered the lead in the final quarter.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On a frigid Thursday night in Cleveland in Week 14, Roethlisberger was sacked 8 times and did not lead a touchdown drive in his first career loss to Cleveland, ending a perfect 10–0 record against the rival Browns. It is the first time he lost four straight starts.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers, Roethlisberger broke several franchise passing records in ending the five-game losing streak for the Steelers with the biggest passing day in franchise history. His first pass of the day was a 60-yard touchdown to Mike Wallace, and his last pass was a game-winning 19-yard touchdown to Wallace on the final play of the game. He passed for 503 yards, three touchdowns, and had no turnovers. He broke Terry Bradshaw's single-season record of 3,724 passing yards, and set a new mark for single-season completions (302). After leading a FG drive to take a 30–28 lead, the defense again surrendered the lead and the Steelers trailed, 36–30. Roethlisberger used all 2:01 he had left to drive the team 86 yards for the winning touchdown with no time remaining. Roethlisberger was named AFC Player of the Week for his effort; the fifth time he has won that award in his career.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 16 against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger's 259-yard effort helped him become the first quarterback in franchise history to pass for over 4,000 yards in a single season. With the game tied at 20 in the final quarter, he led the Steelers on the game-winning field goal drive as they improved to 8–7.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger finished the season with 4,328 yards and 26 touchdown passes. He was 9–6 as a starter and his 100.5 passer rating was the second time in his career he had a season with a rating over 100. He was sacked 50 times in 2009. Despite the three game win streak to end the season, the Steelers did not make the playoffs after tie-breakers eliminated them. Roethlisberger was voted as team MVP by the Steelers for the first time in his career. He was selected as the first alternate to the Pro Bowl, but declined the invitation to rest his right shoulder which was injured in the Miami game.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns, after being suspended for the first four games of the season under the NFL player conduct policy, Roethlisberger returned to the Steelers. In his first game of the season he completed 16 of 27 passes for 258 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 7 against the Miami Dolphins, with the Steelers trailing, 22–20, with 2:37 remaining in the game, Roethlisberger was at the center of controversy when he ran a QB draw and dove for the end zone, appearing to score a touchdown in the process. The play was ruled a touchdown on the field, but reviews showed Roethlisberger had fumbled short of the end zone. However, the review failed to provide conclusive evidence as to who recovered the ball after the fumble. By rule, possession was given to Pittsburgh, resulting in the game-winning field goal. Roethlisberger passed for 302 yards and 2 touchdowns in the game. "Just a bizarre kind of play. You hate to win it that way, but you'll take a win," Roethlisberger said.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 8 against the New Orleans Saints, Roethlisberger, playing in his 90th regular season game, reached the 20,000-yard passing mark, but failed to throw a touchdown pass as the Steelers lost on Halloween night in the Superdome. Roethlisberger improved to 8–2 as a starter on "Monday Night Football" in Week 9 against the Cincinnati Bengals, and 63–27 over his first 90 regular season starts (tied with Jim McMahon for third-highest win percentage through a player's first 90 starts). Roethlisberger passed for a season-high 387 yards and 3 touchdowns in the Week 10, 39–26 loss, to the New England Patriots, but also had an interception returned for a score and was sacked five times as he tried to rally the Steelers from a 23–3 deficit in the second half.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In his first win over the Oakland Raiders in Week 11, Roethlisberger passed for 275 yards and three touchdowns, and rushed for a career-high 55 yards and a touchdown. Celebrating a second-quarter touchdown pass, Roethlisberger was punched in the face by Raiders' defensive lineman Richard Seymour, who was then ejected. Roethlisberger was questionable to start the Week 13 game against the Baltimore Ravens with a foot injury, but did start the game and suffered a broken nose on the first series after a hit to the face from Haloti Ngata. Trailing 10–6 in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger threw a go-ahead touchdown pass to Isaac Redman with 2:51 remaining and the Steelers held on for the 13–10 win as he finished with 253 yards passing.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns, the Steelers clinched the AFC North and the #2 seed in the AFC playoffs. In the 41–9 victory, he finished with 280 passing yards and two touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He finished the season with a 9–3 record in 12 starts, passing for 3,200 yards, 17 touchdowns and a career-low five interceptions.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Late in the first quarter of the AFC against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger was sacked and fumbled the ball, and after both teams thought the pass was incomplete, it was eventually picked up by Cory Redding for a Baltimore touchdown. The Steelers trailed, 21–7, in the third quarter before Roethlisberger completed touchdown passes to Heath Miller and Hines Ward to tie the game at 21. With just over two minutes left, the game was tied, 24–24, and the Steelers faced a 3rd and 19. Roethlisberger completed a deep pass to rookie wide receiver Antonio Brown for 58 yards and Rashard Mendenhall's rushing touchdown put the Steelers ahead for good, 31–24, with 1:33 left. It was Roethlisberger's third game-winning drive in a playoff game. He finished with 19 completions on 32 attempts for 226 yards and 2 touchdown passes.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In the against the New York Jets, Roethlisberger rushed for a touchdown in the first half as the Steelers built a 24–0 lead, before the Jets scored 19 unanswered points. With two minutes remaining in the game, Roethlsiberger faced a 3rd and 6. He scrambled right and completed a 14-yard pass to Antonio Brown to seal the victory for Pittsburgh, sending them to their third Super Bowl appearance in the last six seasons. Roethlisberger completed 10 of 19 passes for a season-low 133 yards and two interceptions in the 28–21 victory.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers, Roethlisberger was hit as he attempted a pass to Mike Wallace in the first quarter, and it was intercepted for a touchdown by Nick Collins. The Steelers trailed, 21–3, in the second quarter before Roethlisberger completed a touchdown pass to Hines Ward to make it 21–10 at halftime. The Steelers closed to within 21–17 in the third quarter, but were unable to score on their next three drives. After falling behind, 28–17, in the fourth quarter, Roethlisberger threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace, and then pitched the ball to Antwaan Randle El on an option run for the two-point conversion to make it 28–25. Taking over at his own 13 with 1:59 left and down 31–25, Roethlisberger was unable to lead the game-winning drive against Green Bay this time after his pass fell incomplete to Wallace on 4th and 5 at his own 33-yard line, ensuring the first Super Bowl loss of his career. Roethlisberger finished the 31–25 loss 25 of 40 for 263 yards, 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. "I feel like I let the city of Pittsburgh down, the fans, my coaches and my teammates," Roethlisberger said, "and it's not a good feeling." In the off-season, he was ranked 41st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2011.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 1 against the Baltimore Ravens, Roethlisberger set career-worsts for turnovers (5) and largest margin of defeat (28) in his first loss against the Ravens since 2006. In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, he became the fourth quarterback to reach 70 wins in his first 100 starts, as he threw for 298 yards and did not turn the ball over. He took a shot to his right knee in the second quarter, but returned after missing two plays to finish the game.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In a 23–20 Week 3 win against the Indianapolis Colts, Roethlisberger threw for a career-high 171 yards in the first quarter, turned the ball over three times in the second quarter, then led the Steelers to the 20th fourth quarter comeback of his career, passing Terry Bradshaw for the most in Steelers' history. In Week 5 against the Tennessee Titans, Roethlisberger threw five touchdown passes for the second time in his career. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for the seventh time in his career. In Week 7 against the Arizona Cardinals, Roethlisberger set the franchise record for longest pass with a 95-yard touchdown pass to Mike Wallace. He finished with 361 yards and 3 touchdowns in his first regular season win over the Cardinals. Roethlisberger beat the Tom Brady-led Patriots for the first time in seven years in Week 8, completing 36 of 50 passes for 365 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the eighth time in his career. In Week 12 against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger's career-best streak of 18 consecutive games with 200+ yards passing came to an end as he finished with 193. In Week 13 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Roethlisberger moved past Terry Bradshaw in the Steelers' record books; first for most times sacked, then for most pass completions in team history.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In the second quarter of the Week 14 game against the Cleveland Browns, Roethlisberger's leg was injured on a sack and he left the game. He returned for the second half and played the rest of the game, despite limping on his high-ankle sprain. He threw a game-clinching 79-yard touchdown pass to Antonio Brown late in the fourth quarter as the Steelers won 14–3. Roethlisberger finished with 280 yards passing on just 21 attempts for a career-high 13.33 YPA (min. 15 attempts). On the injury, Roethlisberger said, "It was one of the most painful things I ever felt. It felt like the middle of my leg was just, cracked ... it felt like my foot was outside of my leg." In Week 15 against the San Francisco 49ers, Roethlisberger started the game while suffering through a high-ankle sprain. During the game, it was clear that Roethlisberger was still showing signs of the injury due to him limping between plays. He finished the game without any touchdowns but had 330 yards passing while throwing three interceptions.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Because of Roethlisberger's leg injury from Week 14, the team opted to sit him and start Charlie Batch in the Week 16 game against the St. Louis Rams, giving Roethlisberger more time to recover.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 17 against the Cleveland Browns, just three weeks after the Browns injured Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger once again took the field to face the same opponents in their home stadium. The Steelers opted to start Roethlisberger over Batch because of the possibility that Baltimore could drop its final game, and a win by the Steelers would take back the division title. Despite his injury, Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff believed Roethlisberger gave them their best chance at victory. Big Ben completed 23 of 40 passes for 221 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. Baltimore went on to win their final game and secured the division title, leaving Steelers with the number 5 seed to face Denver in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In the against the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger and the Steelers offense battled a tough Denver defense, trailing 20–6 at the half but tying it at 23–23 before the end of regulation. The game-tying touchdown came on a 2nd and 10 with 3:47 remaining in regulation, in which Big Ben made a vintage play eluding pass rushers before connecting with Jerricho Cotchery on a 31-yard pass. Despite the heroic efforts of Roethlisberger and company, Tim Tebow's magical season continued with his best single-game performance to date, capped off with an 80-yard completion to Demaryius Thomas to end overtime after one play. Roethlisberger completed 22 of 40 passes for 289 yards, with 1 touchdown and 1 interception in the 29–23 overtime loss to end the 2011 season. He was named to the Pro Bowl for the 2011 season. He finished ranked 30th by his peers on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2012.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger threw for 3,265 yards, 26 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions in thirteen games as the Steelers finished the 2012 season with an 8–8 record. One of his best individual games in the 2012 season came against the Oakland Raiders in Week 3. He had 384 passing yards and four touchdowns in the 34–31 loss. He missed three games due to injury, being replaced by Byron Leftwich, who went 0–1, and Charlie Batch, who went 1–1. It was the Steelers first season missing the playoffs since 2009 and their first with a non-winning record since 2006. He finished ranked 61st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2013.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger threw for 4,261 yards and 28 touchdowns in 16 games in 2013 as the Steelers finished the season with an 8–8 record. In Week 11, in a 37–27 victory over the Detroit Lions, he had 367 passing yards and four touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week. The Steelers would go on to miss the playoffs after the San Diego Chargers defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 27–24 in overtime in Week 17. This would also be the first time they missed the playoffs in back-to-back seasons since 1999 and the first time under Mike Tomlin. Roethlisberger was ranked 31st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2014.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roesthilsberger started the 2014 season with a 4–3 record in the first seven games. On October 26, 2014, against the Indianapolis Colts, Roethlisberger completed 40 of 49 passes for a career-high 522 yards and six touchdowns as the Steelers defeated the Indianapolis Colts 51–34. With the win, Roethlisberger became just the fourth quarterback in NFL history to get 100 wins in his first 150 starts. He also became the first NFL quarterback to pass for over 500 yards twice in a career. He earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his effort against the Colts. In the next game, a 43–23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens, he had 340 passing yards and six passing touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second consecutive week.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In the Steelers Week 15 matchup against the Atlanta Falcons, Roethlisberger completed 27 of 35 passes for 360 yards in a 27–20 victory. The victory made Roethlisberger only the sixth quarterback in NFL history to have defeated at least 31 different teams, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Kerry Collins, Brett Favre, and Peyton Manning; like Brady (at the time), Roethlisberger has only played with one team and thus has not played against the Steelers. The Steelers lost 41–38 in Roethlisberger's only other matchup against Atlanta in 2006, and he was suspended for the Steelers 15–9 overtime victory against the Falcons in 2010.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: During 2014, Roethlisberger passed for career highs in yards with 4,952, completion percentage with 67.1, completions with 408, and attempts with 608. Roethlisberger also matched his career high in passing touchdowns with 32, as well as posting a passer rating of 103.3, the second highest of his career. His 4,952 yards were tied for most on the season with Drew Brees, but Roethlisberger reached the mark with fewer completions.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: The Steelers had an 11–5 record and finished first in the AFC North. They then lost in the of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens by a score of 30–17. He was named to his third career Pro Bowl for the 2014 season. He was ranked 26th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2015.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On March 13, Roethlisberger signed a five-year contract extension with the Steelers. Roethlisberger went 26 for 38 for 351 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception during a 28–21 loss against the New England Patriots to kick off the 2015 NFL season. However, Roethlisberger and the Steelers won their next two games against the San Francisco 49ers and the St. Louis Rams. In the 43–18 victory over the 49ers, he had 369 passing yards and three touchdowns to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: During the September 27 game against the St. Louis Rams, Roethlisberger suffered a sprained MCL and a bone bruise. Roethlisberger missed the Steelers' next four games, during which Michael Vick and Landry Jones combined to go 2–2.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger sustained another injury against the Oakland Raiders on November 8, 2015, suffering a left mid-foot sprain. Due to this injury, he did not start the following week against the Cleveland Browns, although he was listed as active for the game. However, early in the first quarter, Landry Jones sprained his left ankle, resulting in Roethlisberger entering the game in relief for only the second time in his career. Roethlisberger threw for 379 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a Steelers win and an AFC Offensive Player of the Week award; his 379 passing yards were the most by a quarterback in relief since Don Strock threw for 403 yards for the Miami Dolphins against the San Diego Chargers in the Epic in Miami playoff game in 1982. On November 29, Roethlisberger threw for 456 yards against the Seattle Seahawks, but he also threw two interceptions, and the Seahawks took a 39–30 win.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: The Steelers clinched a playoff spot with a 10–6 record, finishing second in the AFC North behind the Cincinnati Bengals. They defeated the Bengals by a score of 18–16 in the , but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Denver Broncos in the by a score of 23–16. Roethlisberger was named to his fourth career Pro Bowl and was ranked 21st by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2016.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger started off the 2016 season with a 2–1 record in the first three games. He had back-to-back 300-yard passing performances against the Kansas City Chiefs and New York Jets in Weeks 4–5, and combined for nine touchdowns in that span. For his effort against the Chiefs, he earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week. However, the following week on the road against the Miami Dolphins, Roethlisberger left the game after suffering a knee injury. He underwent surgery on October 17 for a torn meniscus and missed the following week against the New England Patriots. The Steelers made the playoffs, winning the AFC North with an 11–5 record. They defeated the Miami Dolphins by a score of 30–12 in the and beat the Chiefs 18–16 in the . However, the Steelers lost 36–17 to the Patriots in the . He passed for 314 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and one interception.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger was named to his third consecutive and fifth career Pro Bowl on December 20, 2016, and was ranked 22nd on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2017, just one spot below his ranking from the previous year.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger helped lead the Steelers to a 3–1 record to start to the 2017 season. In Week 5 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Roethlisberger threw a career-high five interceptions as the Steelers lost by a score of 30–9. In Week 11 against the Tennessee Titans, he completed 30 of 45 passes for 299 yards and four touchdowns as the Steelers won 40–17. In that game, Roethlisberger recorded his 4,000th career completion on a three-yard pass to tight end Jesse James. On December 4, Roethlisberger became the eighth quarterback to reach 50,000 career passing yards in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals. In Week 14 against the Baltimore Ravens, he completed 44 of 66 passes (both single-game career highs) for 506 yards and two touchdowns in a 39–38 win, becoming the first player in NFL history with three career 500-yard passing games. With the win, the Steelers clinched a playoff berth and the AFC North title. His 44 completions set an NFL record for the most completions in a non-overtime game and were the second most in NFL history behind Drew Bledsoe's 45 completions in 1994. His performance in Week 14 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: During Week 15 against the New England Patriots, Roethlisberger finished with 281 passing yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. In the closing seconds of the fourth quarter, two controversial moments occurred; Roethlisberger threw a potential game-winning touchdown to tight end Jesse James, but was overturned after James seemingly lost control when the ball touched the ground. Two plays later, Roethlisberger faked a spike to pass, which was intercepted by Duron Harmon, resulting in the Steelers losing 24–27.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On December 19, 2017, Roethlisberger was named to his fourth consecutive and sixth career Pro Bowl along with his star receiver Antonio Brown and three of his starting offensive lineman among others.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: The Steelers finished the 2017 season with a 13–3 record, clinching the AFC North division. In the AFC , the Steelers faced the Jaguars. Although the Jaguars had the #1 passing defense in 2017, Roethlisberger finished with a playoff career-high 469 passing yards, five touchdowns, and an interception, but the Steelers lost 42–45. He was ranked 18th by his fellow players on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger started the 2018 season with 335 passing yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions in a 21–21 tie against the Cleveland Browns. In Week 2, in a 42–37 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger passed for 452 yards, three touchdowns, and had a rushing touchdown. He became the third player since 1950 with at least 450 passing yards, three passing touchdowns, and a rushing touchdown in the same game. He passed John Elway for seventh-most passing yards in NFL history. In Week 3, Roethlisberger completed 79% of his passes for 353 yards and three touchdowns in a 30–27 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, earning him AFC Offensive Player of the Week. In Week 10 against the Carolina Panthers, Roethlisberger had more touchdowns than incompletions on a statline of 22-of-25 for 328 yards and five touchdowns in his NFL-record fourth game with a perfect quarterback rating. His performance in Week 10 earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in 2018. In a Week 12 loss to the Denver Broncos, he passed for a season-high 462 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. In Week 16, a 31–28 loss to the New Orleans Saints, he passed for 380 yards and three touchdowns in a loss that hurt their playoff chances. Despite a win in Week 17, the Steelers missed the playoffs for the first time since 2013, finishing second in the AFC North with a 9–6–1 record.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger led the league in passing yards (5,129) for the second time in his career. He led the league in completions (452), attempts (675) and interceptions (16). His 5,129 passing yards and 34 touchdown passes set franchise records, both of which were held by Roethlisberger in his 2014 season.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On April 24, 2019, Roethlisberger signed a two-year contract extension with the Steelers worth $68 million with a $37.5 million signing bonus, keeping him under contract through the 2021 season.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In Week 2 against the Seattle Seahawks, Roethlisberger injured his right elbow and was unable to play in the second half of the game. His backup Mason Rudolph relieved him as the Steelers lost 28–26. Subsequently, the team announced the following day that Roethlisberger would be placed on the season ending injured-reserve list after undergoing surgery on his injured elbow. After the season, it was revealed that Roethlisberger's injury was much more serious than originally anticipated, as he tore off three flexor tendons from his throwing arm, and he is believed to be the first quarterback to attempt a comeback from such an injury.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger made his return from injury in the Week 1 game against the New York Giants, where he threw for 229 yards and three touchdowns in the 26-16 win. In Week 3 against the Houston Texans, Roethlisberger threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns during the 28–21 win. During the game, Roethlisberger broke Mike Webster's record for the most games played with the Steelers with 221 games. In Week 5 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Roethlisberger threw for 239 yards and three touchdowns, all to Chase Claypool, during the 38–29 win. With the victory, he helped lead the Steelers to their first 4–0 start since 1979. In Week 9 against the Dallas Cowboys, Roethlisberger threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns during the 24–19 win. The victory over the Cowboys marked an 8–0 start to the season for the Steelers, the best in franchise history.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On November 10, 2020, Roethlisberger was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 after being deemed high risk due to Vance McDonald contracting COVID-19 but was activated four days later. In Week 10, against the Cincinnati Bengals, he had 333 passing yards and four passing touchdowns in the 36–10 victory. Roethlisberger was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance. In Week 13 against the Washington Football Team, Roethlisberger threw for 305 yards, two touchdowns and an interception during the 23–17 loss. This was the Steelers' first loss of the season.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethilsberger finished the 2020 season with 3,803 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and ten interceptions as the Steelers finished 12–4 with an AFC North title. Against the Cleveland Browns in the , Roethlisberger completed 47 passes off 68 attempts, for 501 yards and four touchdowns, but threw four interceptions in a 48–37 loss. Roethlisberger's 47 pass competitions set an NFL record for most completions in a game (passing Drew Bledsoe and Jared Goff's record of 45 passes) while also throwing for the second most passing yards ever in a playoff game.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger signed a renegotiated contract with the Steelers on March 4, 2021, that saw him take a $5 million pay cut. A day before the Week 10 game against the Detroit Lions, the Steelers placed Roethlisberger on Reserve/COVID-19 list after testing positive for the virus. In the 2021 season, Roethlisberger threw for with 3,740 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and ten interceptions, and also had an additional rushing touchdown as the Steelers finished the season with a 9–7–1 record. In the against the Kansas City Chiefs, Roethlisberger threw for 215 yards and two touchdowns in the 42–21 loss.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: After Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady unretired in March of that year, some wondered if Roethlisberger would also come back for another season. Roethlisberger was quick to silence those questions when he told WDVE Radio in Pittsburgh "First off, my coach and GM don't want me back. Second off, I'm pretty content with where I'm at."


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger set an NFL rookie record in 2004 with five comeback wins in the fourth quarter, and six game-winning drives in the fourth quarter/overtime (including one playoff game). Roethlisberger has the most comeback wins (19) and game-winning drives (25) through the first seven seasons of a player's career. He is the only quarterback in NFL history to reach 20 comeback wins before the age of 30. Upon his retirement following the 2021 season, Roethlisberger was tied for the 2nd most game-winning drives of all time (53), and in sole possession of 2nd most game-winning drives including the playoffs (57).


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In his 18 seasons, Roethlisberger has many individual accomplishments that are record performances in Steelers history.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On December 8, 2013, he passed Terry Bradshaw for most passing touchdowns for a Steelers quarterback.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger started a foundation with the following mission statement: "The Ben Roethlisberger Foundation seeks to (a): provide support for police and fire departments throughout the United States with a particular emphasis on service dogs and (b): to enhance the quality of life for residents of Findlay, Ohio and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania."


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In 2005, Roethlisberger donated one game check to aid the tsunami relief fund. He has also donated over $100,000 to fund police dogs in Pittsburgh.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In October 2014, Roethlisberger and his wife donated $1 million to his alma mater, Miami University, for an indoor sports center.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger was born in Lima, Ohio, the son of Ida Jane (née Foust) and Kenneth Todd "Ken" Roethlisberger. His father is a former pitcher and quarterback at Georgia Tech. He is of part Swiss descent; his surname, Roethlisberger (Swiss-German spelling: "Röthlisberger"), is of Swiss origin, with roots in Geissbühl, a farming hamlet in the municipality of Lauperswil, Switzerland. His younger sister, Carlee Roethlisberger, played basketball for the University of Oklahoma.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: On July 23, 2011, Roethlisberger married Ashley Harlan, a physician assistant from New Castle, Pennsylvania. He and his wife have three children, Ben Jr., Baylee, and Bodie.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger is a Christian. Roethlisberger grew up as a Christian but recommitted to his faith in 2017. Roethlisberger has said "Go ahead and be the best athlete you can possibly be, and see if you can be a better Christian. That's what I'm trying to do now. I'm trying to be a better Christian than I am athlete and football player."


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger is a spokesman for Swiss Roots, a campaign intended to help Americans of Swiss origin reconnect with their Swiss ancestral heritage. In May 2006, Roethlisberger and his family traveled to Switzerland for a week.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: In 2012, Roethlisberger returned to Miami University to complete his college degree, graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Education on May 6, 2012. Roethlisberger walked with the other graduates at the commencement ceremony, with his parents, grandmother, and wife Ashley in attendance. He had planned on finishing his degree sooner, but the Steelers having deep playoff runs earlier in his career prevented him from registering for classes in time for the winter term, only being able to do it after the Steelers were eliminated in the Wild Card round against the Denver Broncos the previous season. Roethlisberger became the second member of the Steelers in less than a year to return to college and complete his degree, with teammate Polamalu doing the same thing the previous off-season during the 2011 NFL lockout.


title: Ben Roethlisberger

text: Roethlisberger was suspended for four games during the 2010 NFL season for violating the league's personal conduct policy.