Ben Roethlisberger says report about his knee is 'phony'

Ben Roethlisberger is denying a report about his knee injury.

CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora reported last weekend that the Pittsburgh Steelers were concerned about Roethlisberger’s knee injury. You may recall that the veteran quarterback hurt his knee on a tough hit against the Cowboys in early November.

When speaking with the media on Wednesday, Roethlisberger shot down La Canfora’s report:

“I’m 38 years old. I’ve played football for 17 years. I’ve had multiple surgeries. I saw that report. I don’t know where it came from. I think it was the one that said the Steelers were concerned. I would love to know who that was or who told him because the week before against Washington I was having issues with my knee, landed on it, had something going on, but other than just an old knee and arthritis, my knee actually feels really good this week, especially after playing on an artificial surface. Typically, that is another issue that makes it kind of ache. After last week, it feels pretty good. That report to me is just one of those phony kinds of things that people sometimes want to make up. I actually feel pretty good.”

La Canfora isn’t the first one to say that Roethlisberger has been dealing with a knee injury. What would you expect the quarterback to say? Make an excuse and tell opponents that he is weak? Or brush it off so nobody thinks about it? Roethlisberger is doing the latter.

After missing all but two games last season due to his arm injury, Big Ben has played in 13 games this season. He has passed for 3,292 yards, 29 touchdowns and just nine interceptions this season.