An "awesome night," former Buffalo Bills' Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly said on Saturday via Instagram. He and a few friends including former Pittsburgh Steelers' running back, Merrill Hoge surprised Ben Roethlisberger for his birthday as the group celebrated in Pittsburgh yesterday evening:
"Two of the great people on this planet," Hoge commented. "What a great night with dear friends!!" View the full post here.
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Kelly, 61, a recent survivor of cancer since 2019, and Roethlisberger's friendship started many years ago as the two began hunting together and having campfire outings. Talk of life and football truly helped blossom their friendship.
TribLive.com
The two have become so close that Roethlisberger named his son "Bodie" after Kelly's late son, Hunter.
After Roethlisberger announced his retirement, Kelly had even more words of praise for the 18-year veteran:
QB love: pic.twitter.com/hGsC1HIL7T
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) January 28, 2022
Roethlisberger will be turning the big 4-0 in a few weeks and Steeler Nation is forever grateful for the time and effort he put into this franchise. In 18 years, Roethlisberger is ranked 1st in over 50 categories in team history, and is ranked 8th all-time in passing touchdowns in league history.
Happy early birthday, Big Ben! We hope you're enjoying retirement and we miss you on the field already.
#SteelerNation
