Some comments made by Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Hines Ward before the team’s Monday Night Football overtime loss to the Baltimore Ravens are raising eyebrows.

It would seem that Ward doesn’t have much regard for his QB’s well-being.  In a pre-recorded interview with Bob Costas that aired before the game, Hines Ward had this to say regarding Ben Roethlisberger sitting out the game due to the fact that he was still experiencing concussion-related symptoms:

“This game is almost like a playoff game. It’s almost a must-win. I could see some players or teammates questioning, like ‘It’s just a concussion. I’ve played with a concussion before,’” Ward told Costas in an interview taped Saturday at the team’s suburban-Baltimore hotel as a prelude to the Steelers-Ravens game.

“It’s almost like a 50-50 toss-up in the locker room: Should he play? Shouldn’t he play? It’s really hard to say. I’ve been out there dinged up; the following week, got right back out there. Ben practiced all week. He split time with Dennis Dixon(notes). And then to find out that he’s still having some headaches and not playing and it came down to the doctors didn’t feel that they were going to clear him or not – it’s hard to say. Unless you’re the person [himself]. … I’ve lied to a couple of doctors saying I’m straight, I feel good when I know that I’m not really straight.”

Roethlisberger did practice with the team throughout the week but was still experiencing exercise-induced headaches.  The team’s neurosurgeon, therefore, (wisely) recommended that he not play. Roethlisberger and Pittsburgh’s coaching staff complied.

So what is Ward bitching about?  There is mounting evidence that these types of injuries can have long-term effects that go beyond just the length of a player’s career.  These injuries can affect someone’s very livelihood decades down the road.

I wonder if Hines Ward will experience a sudden receiving drought when Big Ben does return to the gridiron.

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