Ben Roethlisberger placed on COVID list, will miss Sunday’s game against the Lions

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will miss Sunday’s matchup against the Detroit Lions after being placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, the team announced Saturday night. The team did not say if Roethlisberger tested positive for the disease or if he was considered a close contact with somebody else who had.

Roethlisberger recently said on “The Dan Patrick Show” that he is vaccinated, according to CBS Sports. This makes him eligible to return for next Sunday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Had he been unvaccinated, he would have had to sit out both games, as per the NFL’s COVID protocols, which require unvaccinated players who test positive to sit out for at least 10 days after the test was performed or they first started experiencing symptoms.

Roethlisberger will be replaced by backup Mason Rudolph, who last played in week 17 of the 2020 season.

Roethlisberger is the second quarterback to miss a game due to COVID protocols in as many weeks. Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers missed last week’s game after testing positive for the virus. Rodgers later revealed he is unvaccinated after telling reporters in August that he had been “immunized.”

Rodgers was later fined $14,650 for attending a Halloween party in violation of the league’s protocols. The Packers were fined $300,000 for failing to discipline Rodgers and receiver Allen Lazard, who was also fined for attending the same Halloween part, for their violations.

Rodgers is set to return this week.

The Steelers host the Lions at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday.