One day after injuring what he calls his "bad ankle," Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger sat out practice Sunday, according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
It's a precautionary measure by Steelers coach Mike Tomlin, who downplayed the seriousness of the injury after Saturday's practice.
"He's fine," Tomlin said. "Somebody stepped on his foot. You guys love the Ben updates."
Roethlisberger had just completed a 20-yard touchdown pass to Emmanuel Sanders when his foot was stepped on by an offensive lineman. Roethlisberger limped off the field and had the ankle iced.
Roethlisberger badly sprained the ankle during a game against the Cleveland Browns last December, and the injury limited him for the duration of the 2011 season. The quarterback revealed last week that he's playing with a partially torn rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder, an injury he suffered during a November game against the Baltimore Ravens.
It's unlikely Big Ben looks back on the 2011 season with much fondness.
UPDATE: Tomlin and Roethlisberger both downplayed the injury after practice. Roethlisberger denied he even suffered a sprain to the ankle.
"Ben Roethlisberger is status quo with his ankle, and he should be fine," Tomlin said, via the official team website. "We'll take a look at it, and he will be day to day. We'll see how it goes."
