Two-time Super Bowl-winning QB Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers might’ve evaded sexual assault charges from a district attorney in Georgia this week, but his ongoing offseason shenanigans are starting to catch up with him.
While he did give the obligatory apology yesterday, Big Ben has now lost a major sponsor according to TMZ. The saddest part? It’s called Big Ben’s Beef Jerky, which is produced by a company called PLB Sports. PLB has been selling the product for the last five years but has now halted production of the jerky and has reportedly ordered all the remaining Big Ben product to be “destroyed.”
While the QB’s sponsorship level is perhaps nowhere near that of Tiger Woods, this seems like an all-too-familiar path. Last year, when Roethlisberger faced another sexual assault charge in Lake Tahoe, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette pondered at the time how this would affect his relationship with sponsors like Dick’s Sporting Goods, PLB and Nike. At least we now know how one of them reacted, but will Nike stand by their man like they did with you know who?
More: “Tiger Woods’ Libido Costs Loyal Sponsors $12 Billion”