Ben Roethlisberger recalls being hit by Bart Scott during ex-Steelers QB's early NFL career - "Don't know that I'm alive"

Former NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recalled the most vicious hit he received in his 18-season career.

But while the long-time Pittsburgh Steelers play-caller faced several legendary defensive players, he recalled an unlikely name for the sack he won’t forget.

The two-time Super Bowl champion said in a recent episode of his Footbahlin podcast:

"Yeah, it was all body weight. It was everything. And Bart [Scott] wasn't the biggest, but Bart was like that perfect size of speed and size. He hit me so hard, and I remember laying there and like, I don't know that I'm alive."

"He may have known and felt. I'm sure Bart would love to comment on this story, and I felt like it took everything out of him. That was the hardest hit I ever took, and I laid there because it hurt really bad. But, I didn't miss a play."

Bart Scott is an NFL inside linebacker who played for 11 NFL seasons. The Baltimore Ravens signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2002, and played with the squad until 2008. During the 2009 offseason, he signed a six-year, $48 million deal to join the New York Jets.

Scott last played in the NFL during the 2012 season. He made the Pro Bowl and Second Team All-Pro in 2006 with 103 tackles, 9.5 sacks, 9 pass deflections, and two interceptions.

Ben Roethlisberger described to 2021 NFL Defensive Player of the Year TJ Watt how Scott got to him and how he felt after the hit.

"No. The hardest hit, we talked about it, was early on in my career, in Baltimore. And remember Bart Scott? Bart came around his left, my right side, and Willie Parker, love you to death. But Willie went left instead of right to pick him up. So, I just thought he was picked up."

"So, I was looking left, and he hit me in my chest. Everything went slow motion from there. You know, like, I saw, like, I felt my body get lifted off the ground, and I saw my feet just kinda go past level one, level two, there's the sky, hit the ground, lay there like I can't breathe."

Ben Roethlisberger was as tough as nails

Absorbing Scott’s hit speaks volumes of Ben Roethlisberger’s competitive drive for almost two decades. He continued to play as long as he could throw the football, even if he were visibly hurt elsewhere.

Tom Brady tweeted it best after Ben Roethlisberger announced his retirement.

“Ben defied the TB12 Method in favor of the ‘Throw Some Ice On It’ method his whole career and ended up an all-time great with 6 Pro Bowls and 2 Super Bowls. There’s more than one way to bake a cake!”

The former Miami Redhawks standout collected 5,440 completions for 64,088 yards and 418 touchdowns in 249 regular season games. He also had 5,972 yards and 36 touchdowns in 23 postseason matches.

Aside from two Vince Lombardi Trophies for Steel City, Roethlisberger made six Pro Bowls and led the league in passing yards twice. The Pro Football Writers Association also named him to their 2004 All-Rookie Team.