Roethlisberger’s woes now costing him serious money

When things go bad, they go really bad. Ben Roethlisberger is learning this firsthand, as one of his major sponsors decided to cut ties with him. In 2009, Big Ben earned $15.3 million, $2.5 of which was from endorsements. He’s not going broke, but it’s clear his recent actions are finally catching up with him, even if not legally.

PLB Sports, Inc had a deal with the Pittsburgh QB to make “Big Ben’s Beef Jerky.” It’s the same company that makes Flutie Flakes. However, they decided to end their five-year deal with Roethlisberger “after watching the district attorney’s news conference Monday, in which he laid out sordid details of Roethlisberger’s encounter with a 20-year-old college student.”

The best part of the story is when the president of the company, Ty Ballou, says Roethlisberger’s image is so bad, he’d rather work with Terrell Owens. Ouch!

“I can’t imagine anyone touching Ben Roethlisberger,” Ballou told the NY Times. “Enough is enough. I hope there is a suspension. At some point in time, Ben has got to put himself in the right position and understand what it means to be a celebrity, a quarterback, a Steelers player.”