A locker room that supposedly was divided a few weeks back came together in a big way recently, voting quarterback Ben Roethlisberger the MVP of the 2009 Steelers.
He’s the first Pittsburgh quarterback to throw for more than 4,000 yards in a single-season, and he set the franchise single-game record on December 20 with 503 yards in a thrilling, last-second win over the Packers.
For Roethlisberger, who has been dogged by rumors that some teammates don’t like him, it’s the first team MVP award of his six-year career.
But it’s no guarantee of longevity; the 2006 winner, Willie Parker, is likely in his final season with the team.
Roethlisberger became the focal point of a major controversy several weeks ago, when teammate Hines Ward seemed to call Ben out for talking too much about lingering concussion symptoms, which prompted Roethlisberger to miss a key game against the Ravens.
Of course, it’s possible there’s still a North Shore schism -- with 53 men on the team, only 27 votes were needed.
The other 26 guys could have voted for “anyone but Ben.”
