Ben Roethlisberger is one of the best NFL quarterbacks of all time. Roethlisberger entered the league in 2004 as an 11th overall pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers and won Rookie of the Year. He became the youngest quarterback to win the Super Bowl in NFL history, leading the Steelers to a 21-10 victory over the Seattle Seahawks at the age of 23. He has broken NFL and Pittsburgh Steelers franchise records, setting him up for the Hall of Fame. However, for this piece, we will focus on Ben Roethlisberger's wife, Ashley Harlan.
Ben Roethlisberger’s wife: Ashley Harlan
Ashley Harlan was born on July 24, 1983, in Lawrence County, Pennsylvania. Her parents are David W. Harlan and Jeannie Harlan. She is the only daughter and she has two brothers, Brandon and Brent Harlan.
During her high school years at Laurel High School, she played many sports such as basketball, softball, and volleyball. Many assumed that Harlan would choose a career in sports, considering that she was a winner of the WPIAL Class AA Championship.
However, after graduating high school in 2004, Harlan transferred to Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, where she pursued a degree in Health Science. Afterwards, she attained a Masters of Physician Assistant a year later.
Harlan is currently working as a physician assistant in the Cardiac Surgery Department at the UPMC Presbyterian Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
As far as Ashley Harlan and Ben Roethlisberger’s love story goes, the two met in 2005 during a National Football League training camp. Her brother, a die-hard fan of the NFL quarterback, introduced the two and they just both hit it off.
However, as many relationships go, theirs has had some rocky moments.
They were in an on-off situation due to multiple sexual allegations against Ben Roethlisberger. The biggest one was in 2008 when Ben was accused of sexually assaulting Andrea McNulty during a celebrity golf tournament in Lake Tahoe.
Despite all of that, the accusations against Roethlisberger were dropped in 2011 due to lack of evidence.
After all the trials and tribulations that the couple went through, Ben and Ashley tied the knot on July 23, 2011, at Christ Church in Groves Farm, Pennsylvania. It was a colorful celebration with 500-650 guests. In fact, it was a double celebration as Harlan’s 28th birthday was the day after their wedding.
Ben Roethlisberger and Ashley Harlan are proud parents of three: Todd Roethlisberger, Baylee Marie Roethlisberger, and Bodie Roethlisberger.
The couple is definitely passionate about charitable works. Ashley Harlan and Ben Roethlisberger established a foundation, the Ben Roethlisberger Foundation, to give help to the Ronald McDonald House and UPMC’s Children Hospital in Pittsburgh.
For one of their wedding anniversaries, Ashley Harlan urged well-wishers to support the non-profit organization. This is a continued effort by her, as she is constantly trying to help others.
The couple is currently going strong. Ashley Harlan has been there for her husband throughout their relationship, and she has definitely held her own as a mom, a career woman, and a philanthropist. In her own way, she's made a path for herself that won't be defined by what her spouse has done on and off the field. She's her own person — and, at least from an outsider's point of view, a good one at that.
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