PITTSBURGH " The Pittsburgh Steelers have no knowledge that Ben Roethlisberger played the Super Bowl with two broken ribs, as the quarterback told a Web site.
According to SI.com, Roethlisberger said his fractured ribs did not show up on X-rays taken before he led the Steelers to a 27-23 win over Arizona on Feb. 1, but were revealed only during a MRI test he had last week.
"Luckily, in the game, I didn't take any big hits to make 'em hurt," Roethlisberger told SI.com. "But I knew all along there was something wrong. There wouldn't have been anything that could have been done about fractured ribs anyway. It was just suck it up and play.
Roethlisberger did not miss any practices before the Super Bowl, although a pool report from the Wednesday practice said he attempted during the middle of the workout to stretch his torso. He missed one practice during the off week before the Super Bowl because of what the team said was a back injury.
"There's not a whole lot to say," Steelers spokesman Dave Lockett said Monday. "Ben was fine to go. He was cleared to play. He didn't miss any (practice) time. There was no doubt he was going to play."
The Steelers said it would have been difficult for Roethlisberger to play any better than he did in leading the decisive 78-yard drive that ended with a precisely thrown 6-yard touchdown pass to Santonio Holmes with 35 seconds remaining, Several plays before, Roethlisberger " leading his sixth game-winning drive of the season " hit Holmes on a 40-yard completion.
Roethlisberger did not mention any possible injury during post-game interviews.
It is uncertain if the validity of Roethlisberger's claim will be proven.
NFL teams do not routinely require players to undergo MRI or other medical tests during the offseason, and Roethlisberger isn't due back in Pittsburgh until offseason workouts begin in April. By then, any problem that occurred before or during the Super Bowl might not show up in tests.
Roethlisberger has previously exaggerated or misstated injuries he supposedly suffered during his career.
The day after the January 2005 AFC championship game, Roethlisberger said he broke two toes during the 41-27 loss to New England. Coach Bill Cowher emphatically denied that, saying the quarterback merely aggravated a toe injury from college. Roethlisberger never brought up the issue again.
Roethlisberger also said in 2006 that he played the Steelers' Super Bowl-winning season of 2005 with a broken thumb.
Roethlisberger missed no playing time after supposedly being hurt on Nov. 28, 2005.
After Cowher resigned following the 2006 season, Roethlisberger acknowledged he and the coach didn't always get along.
" in part, apparently, because Cowher felt the quarterback exaggerated the extent of injuries.
It also was reported that Roethlisberger sustained a spinal cord concussion against Cleveland on Dec. 28, but the team said only that he had a concussion.
"Ben's health is often the subject of inaccurate reports," coach Mike Tomlin said before the Super Bowl. "He's fine."