Roethlisberger vows smarter decisions

Associated Press

PITTSBURGH

Ben Roethlisberger issued no apology. He didn’t ask for forgiveness from his fans, and he didn’t lobby NFL commissioner Roger Goodell to reduce his six-game suspension.

What the Steelers quarterback said Thursday in his first comments since being suspended April 21 by the NFL were revealing: He’s ready to make major changes to a lifestyle that cast him as a role model for bad behavior by privileged pro athletes with a sense of entitlement.

“I’ve spent a lot of time evaluating and looking at my life both on and off the field,” Roethlisberger said in brief remarks following a Steelers voluntary practice. “I think this is a time for me to kind of close the chapter of the last couple of years of my life and move on to a new one, kind of a new start. I’m kind of really excited about it.”

Roethlisberger, accused twice of sexual assault in the last two years, pledged to make smarter decisions during what he called “the second chance” he’s received to turn around his life.

He also said he’s working closely with Goodell to rehabilitate his lifestyle and repair an image that’s been tarnished by his boorish behavior. Roethlisberger, known for frequenting nightclubs with an entourage of friends, did not specify what changes he is making.

“Well, a lot of them are personal things, which is just something that I need to do,” Roethlisberger said. “But it’s been neat being able to really reevaluate my life and spend time with my family and kind of reevaluate and refigure what’s important in life. ... It’s a new chapter and I’m looking forward to it and it starts with football and I’m glad to be back out here.”

Roethlisberger did not apologize for his conduct in a Milledgeville, Ga., nightclub, where a college student accused him of sexually assaulting her March 5. But he said he has spent considerable time since then thinking about the type of person he wants to be.

“I’ve put a lot of thought into my life, the decisions that I’ve made in the past,” Roethlisberger said. “I’ve been sitting at home thinking about things, and I’ve been working closely with the commissioner on ways to make changes, corrections. I’m looking forward to the second chance and the second opportunity — not just in football, because I think everybody knows what you’re going to get [from me] in football, but in life. I think that’s kind of what’s more important.”