Ben Roethlisberger announces he is retiring from the NFL: 'The time has come to clean out my locker'

• Ben Roethlisberger officially announced his retirement from the NFL.
• Roethlisberger spent all 18 years of his NFL career with the Steelers, winning two Super Bowls.

Ben Roethlisberger announced he is retiring from the NFL.

The star quarterback led the Pittsburgh Steelers — his only team — to two Super Bowl championships during his 18-year career.

"I don't know how to put into words what the game of football has meant to me or what a blessing it has been," Roethlisberger said in a video announcement shared on Twitter. "While I know with confidence I have given my all to the game, I am overwhelmed with gratitude for all it has given me."

He recalled his upbringing, as a boy from Ohio with "NFL dreams," and said he was "blessed with the honor of 18 seasons as a Pittsburgh Steeler."

"The journey has been exhilarating," he said, "but it is time to clean out my locker, hang up my cleats, and continue to be all I can be to my wife and children."

He added: "I retire from football a truly grateful man."

Roethlisberger finishes his career fifth on the all-time passing yards list, trailing only Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Brett Favre. His retirement leaves the Steelers with a question mark at quarterback for the first time in nearly two decades.