'I Can't Breathe!' Steelers Ben Roethlisberger on Ravens ‘Hardest Hit’

Roethlisberger was known as a physical player, unusual for a signal-caller, and used his 6-5, 240-pound frame to his advantage. But former Ravens linebacker Bart Scott was not intimidated.

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is one of the most celebrated players in NFL history. Unless that is, you reside in Baltimore or cheer for their beloved Ravens.

The two-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowler played for 18 seasons in the league, all with that team from Pittsburgh.

Roethlisberger was known as a physical player, unusual for a signal-caller, and used his 6-5, 240-pound frame to his advantage. He sometimes even intimidated defensive players who found themselves trying to tackle him.

But one former Ravens linebacker was not intimidated. Bart Scott played for Baltimore from 2002 through the 2008 campaign before joining the New York Jets in free agency in 2009.

Roethlisberger recently appeared on the Footbahlin podcast with Steelers outside linebacker T.J. Watt, where he revealed the most painful and bone-crushing hit he ever experienced.

That came in a Week 12 matchup with the Ravens in 2006:

“No. The hardest hit, we talked about it, was early on in my career, we were in Baltimore. And remember Bart Scott? Bart came around his left, my right side, and Willie Parker, love you to death. But Willie went left instead of right to pick him up. 

"So, I just thought he was picked up. So, I was looking left, and he hit me in my chest,” Roethlisberger said. “Everything went slow motion from there. You know, like, I saw, like, I felt my body get lifted off the ground, and I saw my feet just kinda go past level one, level two, there’s the sky, hit the ground, lay there like I can’t breathe.”

Roethlisberger finished his career in Pittsburgh in 2021, while Scott retired from the Jets and the NFL for good in 2012. Scott was named to the Pro Bowl in 2006 and second-team All-Pro the same season.

Scott amassed 729 tackles, 25 sacks, four interceptions, six forced fumbles, and 27 passes defended over the course of his 11 seasons. But one of those sacks is the one that stands out in the mind and body of Roethlisberger.

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