Roethlisberger hit with $5k fine for wearing Apple Watch on sidelines: report
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger played zero minutes Monday night and still got fined by the NFL.
Big Ben wore an Apple Watch on the sidelines as he watched his team drop the Cincinnati Bengals 27-3, and it earned him a $5,000 fine, ESPN's Adam Schefter reports. The league doesn't allow message-transmitting electronic devices and considered it a uniform violation, according to Schefter.
Roethlisberger, who suffered a season-ending elbow injury in Week 2 of the season, could be seen wearing a headset over a baseball cap and a play-calling sheet on his uninjured left arm.
Injured Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, second from right, and Ryan Shazier, left, stand on the sideline during the first half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals in Pittsburgh, Monday, Sept. 30, 2019. (AP Photo
ESPN's sources described the QB as "livid" over the fine, and said he didn't realize he was wearing the device.
The Apple Watch Series 5 allows users with cellular service to make calls and send and receive text messages directly from the watch.
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Roethlisberger signed a two-year contract extension in April, with NFL Network putting the deal at $68 million, with a $37.5 million signing bonus.