Ben Roethlisberger Was Just Fined $5,000 for Wearing an Apple Watch

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may not be active as he recovers from an elbow [...]

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger may not be active as he recovers from an elbow injury, but he has not escaped the microscope of the NFL. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Big Ben actually received a fine this week. He was spotted wearing an Apple Watch on the sidelines of Monday's game, and the league responded by docking him $5,000.

Per league rules, wearing the Apple Watch was a "uniform violation" due to the fact that all electronic devices that transmit messaging are banned on the sidelines. This includes cell phones and smartwatches. The NFL viewed the watch as a violation, which brought about the fine.

Roethlisberger is reportedly "livid" after receiving the fine and is set to appeal the league's decision. His issue is that he never received any advance warning that he would be disciplined for wearing the Apple Watch. Instead, he found out when the fine letter arrived. He was not given the opportunity to remove the watch and avoid any infractions.

As sources close to Roethlisberger told Schefter, the Steelers quarterback was actually unaware that he was even wearing the Apple Watch during the game. He was unable to use his right arm, so his wife dressed him for the game. This included strapping the watch to his wrist before he left. It was only when he was seen on the sidelines in street clothes that the watch caught the attention of those in charge of sending out fines.

Ultimately, it's unlikely that Roethlisberger's fine will be reduced or erased upon appeal, but he will certainly be striving to achieve this. He is already missing the rest of the season due to the elbow injury and subsequent surgery, and Big Ben won't want to give up even more money for an infraction that wasn't knowingly committing.

Interestingly enough, this isn't the first time that Roethlisberger has been under the microscope due to the reported use of an electronic device on the sidelines. Back in 2015, the Steelers quarterback was spotted using what appeared to be a smartphone during a game against the Ravens. This was in the wake of "Deflategate," and extra attention was being paid to teams in an effort to catch potential violations.

However, it was later revealed that Roethlisberger had simply removed the wristband that contains the play calls and was consulting it prior to an offensive series. He avoided a fine by the league back in 2015 but may not see the same outcome this season.

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