With Ben Roethlisberger facing a National Football League suspension as early as Wednesday, the Pittsburgh Steelers grabbed themselves an insurance policy.
The Steelers traded a seventh-round selection in the NFL Draft to Tampa Bay on Tuesday in exchange for quarterback Byron Leftwich, who served as the backup for “Big Ben” when the Steelers won the Super Bowl in 2009.
Leftwich knows the system the Steelers use and could be up to speed by the time the Steelers open the season September 12 against Atlanta.
Full story: Steelers reclaim quarterback Leftwich – Yahoo! News
UPDATE: The bad behavior of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback’ Ben Roethlisberger resulted Wednesday in a six-game suspension by the NFL and reportedly has triggered what once would have been unthinkable: The Steelers are testing the market to trade him.
According to an ESPN report, Pittsburgh has been contacting teams selecting in the top 10 of this year’s draft, which begins at 4:30 p.m. PDT Thursday, to gauge interest in the two-time Super Bowl winner. By Wednesday afternoon, the network reported the Steelers had talked to St. Louis, San Francisco, Oakland, Jacksonville, Seattle and Cleveland. The 49ers are the only club without a top-10 pick (13 and 17).
In a conference call with reporters, Steelers President Art Rooney II was vague on the subject but didn’t deny his team was shopping the quarterback, who last month was accused of sexually assaulting a 20-year-old college student in Georgia but will not face charges.
Full story: Steelers reportedly shopping Roethlisberger after NFL hands down six-game suspension – L.A. Times