Roethlisberger Has Emergency Appendectomy, to Miss Opener
Sep 3, 6:42 PM (ET)
By ALAN ROBINSON
PITTSBURGH (AP) -Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had an emergency appendectomy after becoming ill before practice Sunday and will miss Thursday night's season opener against Miami.
Coach Bill Cowher said Roethlisberger will be evaluated each week, and he is not certain how long the quarterback will be out.
Charlie Batch, the former Lions starter who was 2-0 as a fill-in last season when Roethlisberger hurt his knee, will start against the Dolphins in the NFL's first game of the season.
The appendix attack is yet another medical setback for Roethlisberger, who nearly died in a June 12 motorcycle accident only to make a remarkably fast recovery. He missed no practice time during training camp and played better in the preseason than he did a year ago before leading the Steelers to their first Super Bowl victory in 26 years.
Roethlisberger missed four games last season because of knee injuries, one that required surgery, and injured his right thumb late in the season. He later said he broke it, though the Steelers never have confirmed that, but he missed no playing time because of that injury
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