Ben Roethlisberger Reacts to the Heinz Field Name Change

The former Pittsburgh quarterback was one of many who didn’t take a liking to the venue’s new name.
In this story:

Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is among those who isn’t exactly in favor of the franchise’s new stadium name. 

The team announced Monday that the stadium, known as Heinz Field since it opened in 2001, has been renamed Acrisure Stadium.

Roethlisberger, who retired at the end of the 2021 season after playing the entirety of his Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Steelers, made his thoughts on the new name perfectly clear on social media Monday.

“I can’t believe it, it doesn’t seem right or real! Home will always be Heinz Field!” Roethlisberger wrote on Twitter. “I will never forget the last game, and all the amazing fans at FOREVER HEINZ!”

Roethlisberger, 40, finished his accomplished career with two Super Bowl wins, six Pro Bowl nods, the 2004 Rookie of the Year award and the fifth-most passing yards (64,088) in NFL history. He played 124 career regular-season games at Heinz Field and posted a 93–21 record in those contests.

The decision to rename the stadium comes after Heinz opted to not extend its naming rights contract with the Steelers, despite team owner Art Rooney saying he was “optimistic” that a deal would get done earlier this offseason. Heinz expects to continue its relationship with the Steelers and plans to reveal new details about the partnership in the coming days. 

Acrisure, a Michigan-based insurance brokerage firm, inked a 15-year naming-rights deal on Monday, but terms of the agreement were not made public. 

"We are excited to partner with Acrisure for the naming rights to our stadium," Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a statement. “Acrisure provided us with an opportunity to ensure our stadium continues to be a valuable asset for our fans as well as keeping up with the market value of NFL stadiums. We are very appreciative to partner with Greg Williams and his company, and we look forward to a long, beneficial relationship for years to come.”

Watch NFL live all season long with fuboTV: Start a 7-day trial today!

More NFL Coverage:

Bears Rookie WR Addresses Concerns About His Age
Tyreek Hill Is Very Honest About Pressure on Tua in 2022
Report: Cowboys, Dalton Schultz Discussing New Contract
• All Steelers: One NFL Analyst Still Believes Steelers Should Trade for Jimmy Garoppolo

For more Pittsburgh Steelers coverage, go to All Steelers


Published
Zach Koons
ZACH KOONS

Zach Koons is a programming editor at Sports Illustrated who frequently writes about Formula One. He joined SI as a breaking/trending news writer in February 2022 before joining the programming team in 2023. Koons previously worked at The Spun and interned for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He currently hosts the "Bleav in Northwestern" podcast and received a bachelor's in journalism from Northwestern University.