Super Bowl XLV: Why Ben Roethlisberger Needs To Win Another Ring

Ben Roethlisberger has been a fan favorite in Pittsburgh since his rookie year in 2004. However, his popularity outside of Pittsburgh has dropped and his image tarnished by multiple off the field incidents. Even with two Super Bowl titles (XL, XLIII) under his belt, Roethlisberger still is not regarded in the same echelon as Brees, Brady, or Manning. Brees and Manning only have one Super Bowl title each. 

A win in this Sunday's title game will catapult Big Ben into the elite class of quarterbacks in the NFL. 

He'll finally get the respect that he rightfully deserves as a player. 

Roethlisberger's image took a first blow when he crashed on his motorcycle without wearing a helmet in June of 2006. He received a great deal of criticism from fans and fellow players due to a similar incident suffered by Kellen Winslow II the prior year.

And while his image was bolstered by leading the Steelers to victory a second time, allegations of two off-field incidents have truly put a large dent in his reputation.

In the summer of 2009, a civil suit was filed accusing Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting Andrea McNulty in his hotel room in Lake Tahoe in June 2008. 

The case was eventually thrown out of court, but Big Ben's troubles did not end there.

Roethlisberger was again accused of sexually assault in 2010, this time a 20 year old female in the bathroom of a nightclub in Milledgeville, Georgia. 

The two allegations lead to Commissioner Roger Goodell to suspend the Steelers' quarterback without pay for the first six games of the current season, which was later reduced to a four game suspension. 

However, Ben has been given a chance to rehabilitate his image, and a victory on Sunday would cement his status as an elite quarterback. With a win in Super Bowl XLV, Roethlisberger will be known as a three time Super Bowl Champion. Fans and members of the NFL community will put aside his off-the-field transgressions.

There couldn't be more on the line for Big Ben on the grandest stage of them all.

Super Bowl Sunday.