Steelers director of Football operations Kevin Colbert said today that he was not aware that quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played in Super Bowl XLIII with a significant rib injury.
Roethlisberger told SI.com that he played against the Arizona Cardinals despite at least two small rib fractures.
"To our knowledge he was ready, willing and able to go," Colbert said. "Obviously he performed admirably."
Roethlisberger threw for 256 yards and a touchdown in the Steelers' 27-23 win. He led the Steelers on a game-winning touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter.
Roethlisberger told SI.com that X-rays taken before the Super Bowl did not reveal the extent of the injury he had sustained in the AFC Championship game. Roethlisberger said an MRI that he got after returning to Pittsburgh following the Steelers' sixth Super Bowl victory showed multiple rib fractures.
Leading up to the Super Bowl, an Internet site said there were rumors that Roethlisberger had gotten X-rays taken on his back. Steelers coach Mike Tomlin had dismissed questions about the rumors and said he did not know of any X-rays that Roethlisberger had undergone.
Tomlin declined to comment about Roethlisberger's admission to SI.com.
