Ben Roethlisberger's Suspension Reduced From Six To Four Games By Roger Goodell

Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Friday morning in New York City, and as was expected, his suspension was reduced to four games, as reported by NFL Network's Jason La Canfora.

La Canfora added that Big Ben is already on his way back to Pittsburgh.

Roethlisberger was suspended earlier in the offseason for six games by Goodell, with the caveat that the punishment  could be reduced to as few as four games if the quarterback did all that was asked of him.

This means Roethlisberger will first be eligible to play at home against Cleveland in Week 6 (Oct. 17); the Steelers have a bye in Week 5.

It is especially good news for Pittsburgh, who watched Byron Leftwich leave Thursday nights preseason exhibition with a knee injury, and have likely lost him for at least the season opener against Atlanta. This likely means that Dennis Dixon, a 2008 draft pick with all of 27 career pass attempts, will start at QB for Pittsburgh.

For more, visit our Steelers blog, Behind The Steel Curtain.