We have never advocated making athletes, actors, musicians or any other performers into heroes in the eyes of our children or the community.

None of us is perfect, and even if we are well above average at whatever it is we do, there will always be something that can cast a shadow over whatever sunshine we bring to the world.

Most everything happening in the world was at least shadowed if not completely ignored Monday night for a football game. Not your normal weekly extravaganza put on by the NFL and the Pittsburgh Steelers, but two hours of pre-game talk and video to honor a very good, some would say great, football player.

As a lifetime Steelers fan who has been fortunate to see the great teams of the 1970s, and individual stars such as Bradshaw, Harris, Lambert, Bleier, Swann, Greene, Ham and Blount, even during the leaner years they produced players worth of admiration and praise.

Then came a new crop of great Steelers, including Bettis, Polamalu, Faneca and a guy named Roethlisberger. Big Ben, Number 7, QB7 they called him. He was a big man and his legend is bigger than life. He was the leader of the Steelers for 18 mostly successful years. But all wasn’t perfect.

Ben suffered at times earlier in his career with off-the-field issues. He apparently wasn’t as good at riding a motorcycle as he was reading a blitz. He wasn’t always on his best behavior in bars, restaurants, resorts or even golf courses. The stories are many but how many are true? Was he a womanizer and abuser?

Rumors would sideline him just as likely as a blindside hit from a blitzing linebacker. He ducked and dodged and sprinted out of trouble like a future Hall of Famer at times, but in the public eye, he seemed to out-grow those issues before they ruined his career or his life even if all or none of the rumors were true.

What changed for him? Some say a thing called marriage, which would be significant. Others say your basic progression which we call maturity.

We watched every minute of the game Monday night and heard plenty of people sing his praises. It was truly a great way to close the story of Ben the football player.

Sports history will say he was a Hall of Fame player. Steelers history will say he was one of the two best Quarterbacks in Steelers history. No one can argue that.

But we say there are some other positives as well. Not a peep came out of his mouth against his once star receiver Antonio Brown and the headline-worthy problems he has encountered. Never in his career did he blame a teammate for losing a game. His frequent response to a loss was “I have to play better.”

He frequently spoke glowingly of his offensive linemen who were charged with keeping his jersey clean despite the 350-pound linemen seeking to destroy his health on every play. Ben Roethlisberger was loyal to his team, the Steelers ownership, the league and the fans.

Many fans (prior to Monday night) have been clamoring for change at the QB position. They resented Ben not being able to give them as good a show as he once could. Good No. 7 just wasn’t great No. 7 any longer, and they weren’t accepting of that.

But Ben kept his professionalism and offered nothing more than “I have to play better.” Yes, Ben was one of the greatest Steelers, but more importantly he seems to have become a better person over time.

He couldn’t have been more humble after the end of Monday’s game. Maybe the photo of him leaving the locker room holding hands with his wife and children was staged. We don’t know. But it still spoke volumes toward where he is now in his life. After 40 years, he is comfortable walking away. His life is full and he knows that he has others to thank for it just as much as his talents.

Best of luck to you now that you are moving on to your life’s work. Thanks for the memories and thanks for the lessons we learned from you off the field. May you make your children as proud of “Dad” as they are of “Ben.”

— RV