Whether you took Ben Roethlisberger's retirement talk seriously or not, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback doesn't care.
When asked how close he was to walking away from the NFL, Big Ben replied: "It doesn't matter, I'm here now."
(Sidebar: Built it excuse to link to The Rock's 'It doesn't matter' compilation.)
"Honestly it doesn't even matter. I'm happy to be back here. I'm happy to be back with the team," Roethlisberger said Tuesday, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "I love the city. I love these guys. I love being out here. Football is a passion of mine. It's what I do and it's what I love to do."
When asked about former Steelers offensive lineman Willie Colon's recent comments that Big Ben seriously considered retirement, a smirking Roethlisberger quipped, "What, did you think I was lying?"
Roethlisberger noted that he attended Day One of organized team activities and even did some work with the rookies to show he's all-in on 2017.
The Steelers' 35-year-old quarterback said he's "110 percent committed" to 2017, but made zero promises about the future.
"I never commit to anybody more than one year," Roethlisberger said, via the team's official website. "I think that's all we should always commit to with this sport. Because if we look past this year, then we're cheating ourselves and we're cheating other people. We need to give this year everything that we can, everything that we have because ultimately that's what we have, right here and right now.
"I'm here on Day One. You see me out there taking every rep I'm supposed to take and then some. I actually took some of the rookies' (reps) today. I'm 110-percent committed."
Steeler Nation, prepare yourselves for another round of retirement speculation in 2018.
