Roethlisberger Apologizes for His Accident

Ben Roethlisberger apologized to the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans and his family on Thursday, hours after being released from a Pittsburgh hospital, saying he was fortunate to be alive and pledging to wear a helmet if he ever again rides a motorcycle.

“In the past few days, I’ve gained a new perspective on life,” the Super Bowl-winning quarterback said in a statement released by the team. “By the grace of God, I’m fortunate to be alive.”

Roethlisberger, 24, who wrecked his motorcycle and cracked his head on a car windshield on Monday, was discharged late Wednesday night.

The youngest quarterback to win a Super Bowl was not wearing a helmet when he crashed into a car that was turning left in front of his motorcycle. Pennsylvania’s mandatory helmet law was repealed in 2003.

But Roethlisberger said in the statement that if he ever rides a motorcycle again, “it certainly will be with a helmet.”

Doctors have said two rounds of tests showed no brain injuries other than a mild concussion. Doctors used small titanium plates and screws to reassemble Roethlisberger’s broken jaw and repaired other broken facial bones. He also lost two teeth and chipped several others, doctors said.

In the statement, Roethlisberger said that he realizes he has a responsibility to safeguard his health in the off-season so he can continue to lead the team.

“I never meant any harm to others nor to break any laws,” Roethlisberger said. “I was confident in my ability to ride a motorcycle and simply believed such an accident would not happen to me.”

Police were still investigating and will not release their findings until their accident reconstruction is complete, spokeswoman Tammy Ewin said. Police have finished inspecting Roethlisberger’s Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle and the car, but Ewin would not elaborate on that part of the investigation.

The Steelers have not given a timetable for Roethlisberger’s return, but hope he will be ready for their Sept. 7 opener against Miami. Players who visited Roethlisberger in the hospital believe he will return to action soon, with no ill effects.

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NFL officials wrapped up a two-day swing through Southern California with a focus Thursday on stadium prospects in Anaheim.

“This was a terrific meeting,” Commissioner Paul Tagliabue said after a lunch with Orange County business leaders, Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle and others that was intended to measure corporate support for a new stadium in the parking lots by Angel Stadium.

League officials held a similar meeting Wednesday night, hosted by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, with Los Angeles executives. Tagliabue said that meeting went just as well.

The league is weighing whether to renovate the Coliseum or build a new facility in Anaheim; the cost for either project now runs to about $800 million. Tagliabue has said the league hopes to reach a decision this year.

Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, saying the league has “two very viable opportunities,” also discussed each site’s pros and cons.

Anaheim, he said, offers a “very clean site.” The Coliseum is a “very difficult site.”

“Yet,” he said, in an acknowledgment of what Orange County is not, “Los Angeles is Los Angeles.”

The area has been without pro football since after the 1994 season, when the Raiders moved back to Oakland, the Rams to St. Louis.

-- Alan Abrahamson

TENNIS

Federer Extends Grass Streak to 38

Top-seeded Roger Federer won his 38th consecutive match on grass, edging Richard Gasquet, 7-6 (7), 6-7 (7), 6-4, to advance to the quarterfinals of the Gerry Weber Open at Halle, Germany.

If Federer wins the tournament, he’ll equal the record of 41 consecutive grass-court wins set by Bjorn Borg from 1976 to 1981. He made 41 unforced errors, allowing Gasquet to extend the match to three sets.

Federer will next play seventh-seeded Olivier Rochus, who beat Marat Safin, 4-6, 6-4, 6-1.

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Top-seeded Rafael Nadal defeated Fernando Verdasco, 2-6, 7-6 (3), 7-6 (3), to reach the quarterfinals of the Stella Artois Championships at London. The French Open champion next plays eighth-seeded Lleyton Hewitt, who beat Max Mirnyi, 4-6, 6-1, 7-6 (4).

In other matches, third-seeded Andy Roddick saved three first-set points against Paradorn Srichaphan before winning, 7-6 (5), 6-3, and fifth-seeded James Blake beat ninth-seeded Robby Ginepri, 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.

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Maria Sharapova defeated Li Na, 6-2, 6-4, to reach the quarterfinals of the DFS Classic at Birmingham, England. Top-seeded Sharapova will next play Mara Santangelo, who defeated fifth-seeded Ai Sugiyama, 7-6, 6-4.

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Serena Williams hopes to return from a left knee injury next month at the Cincinnati Open, her first tournament since the Australian Open. Williams, who has withdrawn from Wimbledon, has played only four matches the last nine months. The event starts July 17 at Mason, Ohio.

SOCCER

Galaxy Hires Bravo as Assistant Coach

The Galaxy hired Paul Bravo as an assistant coach.. Bravo, 37, an assistant at UCLA the last two seasons, also served as an assistant coach for the Colorado Rapids from 2002 to 2003.

-- Jonathan Abrams

MISCELLANY

Columbus Re-Signs Forward Shelley

The Columbus Blue Jackets re-signed forward Jody Shelley, the team’s career leader in penalty minutes, to a two-year contract. Shelley led the Blue Jackets with 163 penalty minutes last season. In all, he’s had 856 penalty minutes in four years.

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Senior Teddy Goetz, a middle blocker at Valencia High, has been selected The Times’ boys’ volleyball player of the year after leading the Vikings to their third Southern Section Division II championship in four years. He will play at UCLA.