Ben Roethlisberger Chris gardner, Associated Press

By JOE MANDAK, Associated Press Writer

PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Steelers star Ben Roethlisberger, the youngest quarterback to lead a team to the Super Bowl championship, broke his jaw and nose in a motorcycle crash Monday in which he was not wearing a helmet.

Four doctors operated on Roethlisberger for seven hours to treat multiple facial fractures and "all of the fractures were successfully repaired," Dr. Harry W. Sell, chairman of the surgery department at Mercy Hospital, told reporters late Monday night.

Dr. Daniel Pituch, who led the team, said Roethlisberger was in serious but stable condition, and doctors were aware of no other serious injuries.

"His brain, spine, chest and abdomen appear to be without serious injury and there are no other confirmed injuries at this time," he said.

The doctors said his condition was not expected to change through the evening, and that no updates were expected until Tuesday. They declined to release further information at his family's request.

Roethlisberger was talking to doctors before the surgery, Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital said. Read On

Marshall Faulk AP Photo

By R.B. FALLSTROM, AP Sports Writer

ST. LOUIS (AP) -- St. Louis Rams running back Marshall Faulk is not attending the team's final minicamp this weekend while contemplating retirement because of knees that have been slow to recover from offseason cleanup surgery.

New coach Scott Linehan said Friday that two weeks ago Faulk, who has undergone numerous such surgeries on both knees, expressed his concerns. Linehan said Faulk's agent, Rocky Arceneaux, told him again on Thursday that Faulk "wasn't physically ready to go."

"Guys that have played at such a high level for so many years and have taken so many hits, sometimes it starts to wear you down a little bit," Linehan said. "He's trying to figure out how he can manage it."

Faulk, the 2000 NFL MVP, is ninth on the career rushing list with 12,279 yards, 34 yards behind Jim Brown. But he had a career-low 292 yards rushing last year and made only one start, in the season finale when Steven Jackson was out with a hip pointer.

Linehan said under the circumstances that he didn't mind Faulk not at least attending the meetings at the minicamp to pick up the new offense. Linehan reasoned that if Faulk had attended the camp, he would have wanted to participate even though he's not ready. Read On