Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin announced Wednesday that Ben Roethlisberger has gone under the knife.
The team's starting quarterback underwent what Tomlin described as "minor surgery" on his right knee Wednesday as the result of slight discomfort during the offseason.
"We advised him to get the surgery done to ensure he will be completely healthy for the start of training camp," Tomlin said in a statement released by the team. "This surgery will have no long-term effects on his health."
NFL.com's Albert Breer cited a source briefed on the injury to report that Big Ben underwent an arthroscopic procedure on the knee. The scope was performed to clean up meniscus damage, according to the source.
Roethlisberger had a similar operation on his left knee seven years ago, during the 2005 season, and missed four games. That lines up with the typical rehab timetable for this level of procedure, Breer said.
Roethlisberger has fully practiced this spring, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and said in late May that he was fully healthy on the heels of a painful shoulder and rib injury that sidelined him for three games last season. That obviously was not case.
Roethlisberger has been battered for years behind a sometimes shaky offensive line, but the 31-year-old signal-caller often has toiled through the pain. That grows more challenging as the years go by.
Take a deep breath, Steelers fans. We'll pass along more information as it becomes available.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.