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Steelers fans waited patiently all day on Friday in hopes of a good report from Ben Roethlisberger‘s doctors visit in Los Angeles. Hoping Roethlisberger could begin throwing light objects once given permission from his doctors, it was above and beyond fans expectations when a video was released by the Steelers on Saturday showing Roethlisberger throwing a football. With no other information other than the short video, Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette offered a couple quotes from Roethlisberger on Twitter. The first quote from Cook was how Roethlisberger felt after being able to throw.
Ben Roethlisberger on throwing a football Saturday for the first time since his elbow surgery: "It felt amazing to throw. It was hard to hold the smile in. 2 more throwing sessions while I’m out here in California and then headed back to the burgh."
— Ron Cook (@RonCookPG) February 23, 2020
Giving some small details about the process, Roethlisberger said he would be in Los Angeles through the weekend in order to do more activities before returning home. Roethlisberger also discussed his joy from his good report where he could bypass throwing the tennis ball and go straight to throwing a football.
Ben Roethlisberger on doctor visit Friday: "It was a good report. I got to bypass the tennis ball throwing for a month and go right to the football. Still going to be about 2.5-3 months until I get total clearance from doc but we are doing good!
— Ron Cook (@RonCookPG) February 23, 2020
One of the most notable things from Cook’s quote of Roethlisberger is the timeline in which he is hoping to be totally cleared. While at first glance, fans might be concerned with a projected clearance in May. Although it is already after the NFL draft and right around the time teams are starting their OTA‘s, this was the timeline for Roethlisberger to receive total clearance. One can assume total clearance means no inhibitions in activities with his elbow.
At this point, it’s difficult to say that “Ben is back.” There’s still a lot of rehab and recovery to take place before Roethlisberger is totally cleared to resume all aspects of playing football. But for being the last week of February, Roethlisberger appears to be further ahead than what many expected. So although we can’t say that Ben is back quite yet, he appears to be well on the road to recovery.