PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was badly hurt in a motorcycle crash Monday. Pittsburgh media are quoting police as saying Roethlisberger suffered multiple injuries, including the loss of most of his teeth, fractured left sinus cavity, 9" laceration on the back of his head, broken jaw, and severe injuries to both knees.
Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition, said Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital. "He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Jones said before the surgery. "He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable."
Steelers president Art Rooney said the team was "encouraged by the early reports from the medical team" at the hospital. "I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery," he said.
The 24-year-old Roethlisberger likes to ride without a helmet, a habit that once prompted coach Bill Cowher to lecture him on the dangers. Police say Roethlisberger was not wearing a helmet when he crashed.
The crash happened at an intersection at the edge of downtown at about 11:30 a.m. A pool of blood was still visible there by early afternoon. Police spokesman Lt. Kevin Kraus said police and homicide units were investigating the crash, something standard when there is an accident with critical injuries. Kraus would give no details on the extent of Roethlisberger's injuries or if anyone else was injured.
Steelers backup quarterback Charlie Batch was at the emergency room. He had no comment.
A silver Chrysler New Yorker with damage to the front passenger fender was removed and Roethlisberger's bike was loaded onto a flatbed truck. Police were detouring traffic around the crash scene as onlookers and media gathered.
In only his second year in the NFL, Roethlisberger became the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship. He was 23 when he did it last February.
Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet. He has pointed out Pennsylvania's 35-year-old state law requiring helmets to be worn was amended to make helmets optional.
In May 2005, Cowher warned him about safe riding after Cleveland tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. was injured in a motorcycle accident. Winslow tore knee ligaments and was lost for the season.
"He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said at the time. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."
Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Terry Bradshaw, who quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s. Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: "Ride it when you retire."
PITTSBURGH -- Pittsburgh Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger, who last season became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to lead his team to a Super Bowl title, was injured Monday morning in a motorcycle accident and was taken to a local hospital with head injuries of unspecified severity.
A doctor told the Associated Press that Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition in an operating room.
"He was alert and conscious," said Ernie Roman, shift commander for the Allegheny County emergency service, told AP.
ESPN.com's John Clayton reports that Roethlisberger was conscious while undergoing treatment for gashes on his forehead -- and that early indications are the injuries are not life-threatening.
Roethlisberger, the team's first-round choice in the 2004 draft, was transported to the trauma unit of nearby Mercy Hospital, but his condition is unknown.
Witnesses told authorities that Roethlisberger's motorcycle collided with a car near a downtown intersection and that Roethlisberger's head hit the windshield and was bleeding.
Steelers officials have confirmed the accident, which occurred on Second Avenue near the intersection of 10th Street in Pittsburgh, around 11:30 a.m. The route is one often taken in traveling to the Steelers' facility in the Southside section of the city.
The Associated Press reported a silver Chrysler New Yorker with damage to the front passenger fender was removed and Roethlisberger's bike was loaded onto a flatbed truck. Police were detouring traffic around the crash scene as onlookers and media gathered.
The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that Roethlisberger wasn't wearing a helmet.
In the wake of a motorcycle accident sustained by Cleveland Browns tight end Kellen Winslow last spring, Roethlisberger spoke about his own fixation with motorcycles and his penchant for riding without a helmet.
Roethlisberger continued to ride after Winslow's accident and that angered Terry Bradshaw, who quarterbacked the Steelers to four Super Bowl victories during the 1970s.
Visiting the Steelers' training camp last summer, Bradshaw remarked: "Ride it when you retire."
In May 2005, Steelers coach Bill Cowher lectured Roethlisberger on the dangers of riding without a helmet.
"He talked about being a risk-taker and I'm not really a risk-taker. I'm pretty conservative and laid back, but the big thing is to just be careful," Roethlisberger said at the time. "I'll just continue to be careful. I told him we don't ever ride alone, we always ride in a group of people, and I think it makes it even more safe."
One of his agents, Ryan Tollner, is in route to Pittsburgh for what was supposed to be a pre-planned trip and will arrive later Monday.
One witness told KDKA-TV that Roethlisberger was conscious but appeared disoriented before he was taken from the scene to Mercy Hospital.
ESPN.com writers John Clayton and Len Pasquarelli contributed to this story. Information from The Associated Press was also used in this report.
NFL.com wire reports
PITTSBURGH (June 12, 2006) -- Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger has been in a motorcycle accident in Pittsburgh this morning.
Witnesses are telling authorities that the player's motorcycle collided with a car near a downtown intersection and that Roethlisberger's head hit the windshield and was bleeding.
Roethlisberger has said in the past that he prefers not to wear a helmet when riding.
One witness told KDKA television that Roethlisberger was conscious but appeared disoriented before he was taken from the scene to Mercy Hospital. A Steelers spokesman is at the hospital and confirmed Roethlisberger is being treated there, but wouldn't provide additional details.
Q and A
rudy: Jerry how bad is it?
Jerry Micco: The question of the day, Rudy. We're not sure the exact extent of injuries, though reports are coming in as we speak. It's probably bad enough that he'll miss some time and take several weeks to recover, but nothing appears to be life-threatening at this point. But it's a head injury and one never knows how those can progress.
Ryan: Has anyone heard anything about the extent of Ben's head injuries?
Jerry Micco: No one knows the extent of his injuries, yet. I'd imagine we'll have this shortly.
Penzrule: Is there any talk about possible brain damage?
Jerry Micco: With any head injury, you could have brain damage. A concussion could cause brain damage. I think once the surgery is finished, and a day or so passes, doctors will have a better assessment of that.
StillerfaninDC: Is there any truth to the rumors that Ben seriously injured both knees?
Jerry Micco: Nothing I've heard all day from folks says knees were involved.
(AS of 5pm. They say its BOTH KNEES)
Rosie: Do you think this will cause the legislature to retract the "no helmet" law?
Jerry Micco: Probably not, but if folks don't want to use a helmet to ride, they'll avoid it at all costs. Maybe the publicity from this will convince some folks that wearing a helmet is a safe thing to do. I don't know if it would have helped in this situation, but it certainly couldn't hurt.
wjas: Will the Steelers now demand that Roethlisberger wear a helmet? Can this be something that can be negotiated at his next contract?
Jerry Micco: The NFL can and does use broad language in contracts saying players can't engage in "dangerous activities." Describe what dangerous is? Riding a motorcycle might fit the bill. Hang gliding. Water skiing? A lot of things can hurt folks. It's a pretty ambiguous part of any contract, but I don't think the Steelers will insist on this. I think Roethlisberger may have gotten the message the hard way, though.
SouthernSteel: Unbelievable... how can someone who the franchise depends on be so irresponsible? Maybe now hillbilly boy from NW Ohio can think about wearing a darn helmet. Thank god for the Steelers that he should be fine after the short-term. He could have easily been killed.
Jerry Micco: Well, sometimes it's hard to convince people that what they want to do individually isn't always in the best interests of their team. he's a young guy and has a mind of his own. Sometimes people learn from mistakes. Usually they don't wind up in a hospital, but sometimes they do.
Charlotte: Is Ben out of surgery yet?
Jerry Micco: Not to my knowledge. We have Gene Collier at Mercy Hospital to give us updates, though.
StillersfaninDC: The bike was a Suzuki Hyabusa! There are pictures of it on espn.com
Jerry Micco: I stand corrected then. It's a Suzuki.
Albert_in_DC: Any news about the driver of the car involved in the accident?
Jerry Micco: The only news we have is that it's a woman and the car had Maine tags on it. We're working on that story, too.
cwilliam14: Is the broken jaw the most serious injury that Ben has?
Jerry Micco: I've heard about the jaw, but I'm not sure of his other injuries. We'll have to see once he gets out of surgery.
rhino: why was there nothing in his contract specifically against riding a bike?
Jerry Micco: I'm not sure that a team can tell a person not to ride a motorcycle. There are certain things that a team can and cannot do. They could try to put that into a contract, but my guess is Ben and his agent would fight it. Maybe next time around they'll do it, we'll see.
JeorgeD: What are Steelers options for quarterback, I know it's too early. But are we going to have to look for a possible trade?
Jerry Micco: Right now, Charlie Batch is option one. A trade may be in the offing, but that's a ways down the road. I heard he may be out for seven weeks, which puts him back into play in early August.
Bitsarama: Any word on who was charged at fault in the accident?
Jerry Micco: The police have not released that information as of yet.
CoreyC443: Thank goodness it's not life threatening. Has anyone at the PG spoken with trauma experts or physicians regarding the extent of the reported injuries and whether they would ever clear someone with those injuries to resume a football career?
Jerry Micco: We are doing a story on the injuries and talking to medical folks about how injuries like the ones Ben has apparently received, could curtail his career or not. We'll be looking at stories like this for the next couple of days.
matt1996: I heard in an extrodinary move of team unity Coach Cowher has graciously agreed to donate his jaw to Ben's recovery. Can you confirm that?
Jerry Micco: At least someone can find humor, dark as it is, from this accident. Let's just hope that Ben learns from the experience.
Susie12101: Has it been confirmed that Ben was not wearing a helmet?
Jerry Micco: I believe it has been confirmed that he was not wearing a helmet.
Spaceman: Do you think he'll continue to ride his biker after this?
Jerry Micco: I think he'll continue to ride his bike. Now, he may wear a helmet, but Ben seems like his own man. But things like this can put a scare into someone. We'll have to see.
Bruce: Jerry, I'll blame Ben for not wearing a helmet. That's an easy one. But that helmet law....it would've helped him in this case. This will certainly be publicity to that effect.
Jerry Micco: I'm sure some legislator may use this incident to bring the law back up in the legislature.
seese34: Rumor has it a plastic surgeon was summoned. Do you know what exactly this was for?
Jerry Micco: I have no information that a plastic surgeon was summoned. But considering he went head first into the windshield, then, apparently, hit the pavement with his head and/or face, that's a real possibility.
CharlotteSteelerFan: When the Steelers drafted Omar Jacobs do you think this may have been in the back of their minds? -- Honestly no helmet it was only a matter of time before something happened ...
Jerry Micco: I don't think this specific incident was in the backs of their minds, but they needed a No. 3 QB and Jacobs was a good fit for the round he was drafted.
slug863: Jay Williams, Kellen Winslow, now Roethlisberger. Do you think athletes can be convinced to put away cycles until their careers are over?
Jerry Micco: I think a lot of athletes, particularly young gifted ones, see themselves as invincible. I think they'll always push the envelope of what they can and cannot do. Maybe they'll wake up a bit more based on these injuries you cited, but people get busted for drugs, etc., all the time. And it still keeps happening.
Susie12101: Has the Steeler organization or Bill Cowher made any comments about Ben's situation?
Jerry Micco: Art Rooney II made a statement to the media saying they are encouraged by the intial reports from the medical team at Mercy.
sburr11: Lets pretend its worst case scenerio, do the Steelers go into the season with Batch as their starter? or do they trade for someone else?
Jerry Micco: I think they'd use Batch, but look for a No. 2 from a group of guys who might be cut during camp. Hey, is Tommy Maddox still on the market? And I'm only kidding just a bit.
sburr11: How long do you think before we will actually get concrete answers to the severity of the injuries?
Jerry Micco: I'm going to say that by 5 or 5:30 we should have something up on Post-Gazette.com. As soon as we get anything, we get it up on the Website.
dwb6622: Rooney II and the comments from Bettis are positive, should we feel comfortable about that?
Jerry Micco: I think everyone is cautiously optimistic. He may have dodged a bullet here, but it's going to take a couple of days to know for sure.
sburr11: Any word on Ben's family? Are they handling it well?
Jerry Micco: I believe they are on their way here or may already be here. We're working to get reaction from them as soon as we can.
Rick_: I can't believe Ben was in a bad accident and people are talking about contracts and legislation. How about we just hope he will be ok?
Jerry Micco: That's a good though, Rick. But even those who ask those questions probably are all keeping Ben in their thoughts. He's a very popular athlete in this area, and I think everyone wants to see him under center for the opener against the Dolphins.
Rosie: As a former rider, and looking at the photos, this was one of the worst type accidents to be involved in without a helmet.
Jerry Micco: That's my understanding, too, Rosie. I've never ridden, but I know people how have and it's the one that's most common and one they fear.
mackhammer: Jerry, did you speak with Jerome Bettis today? He reportedly expressed his relief that Ben will be fine.
Jerry Micco: I didn't speak with Jerome, but Ed Bouchette is attempting to contact him and other Steelers.
cedise: Is Coach Cowher or anyone from the organization at the hopital?
Jerry Micco: I believe some teammates have made it to the hospital. I'm not sure about Cowher, but I'm sure if he's anywhere close by he'll be there. He really cares about those guys.
Joe1: Do you think this stop him from starting the season?
Jerry Micco: I think he'll start the season on time unless the head injury is more serious than we originally thought. But first, let's see how he does the next couple of days. He's going to go slow for a while here.
Jerry Micco: I'm sorry folks, I need to attend our 4:30 editorial meeting. I tried to get to as many questions as I could and I appreciate all of you taking the time to talk. We'll be posting news as soon as we get it on Post-gazette.com, and we'll have many stories in tomorrow's P-G. Thanks for taking the time!
