PITTSBURGH -- 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.

The reason the Steelers and most teams don't put specific language into contracts about off-the-field accidents is that they don't feel it's necessary. The NFL Management Council has advised teams to use the phrasing "for any reason" in regards to a player who defaults on his contract because of an injury suffered outside of football.

Roethlisberger's accident is a good reason why.

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Roethlisberger remained in serious but stable condition after seven hours of surgery that ended at approximately 9 p.m. ET, according to Dr. Daniel Pituch, chief of oral and maxillofacial surgery at Mercy Hospital.

"He suffered multiple facial fractures," Pituch said at a news conference. "All of the fractures were successfully repaired. His brain, spine, chest and abdomen appear to be without serious injury. And there are no other confirmed injuries at this time."

The doctors declined to release further information at the family's request.



ESPN.com's John Clayton has confirmed that Roethlisberger also suffered a 9-inch laceration to the back of his head, has lost or chipped a number of teeth and has minor injuries to his knees from hitting the pavement.

A broken jaw normally takes seven weeks to heal. It is not known how long it will take for the other injuries to heal. Pittsburgh's training camp begins in late July.

"He was talking to me before he left for the operating room," Dr. Larry Jones, chief of trauma at Mercy Hospital, said before the operation. "He's coherent. He's making sense. He knows what happened. He knows where he is. From that standpoint, he's very stable."

Roethlisberger was riding this motorcycle when he collided with an automobile in Pittsburgh on Monday morning. AP Photo/Keith Srakocic

Roethlisberger's stepmother, Brenda, was crying as she arrived at the hospital. Roethlisberger's father and sister were also at the hospital.

Steelers coach Bill Cowher cut short his vacation to return to Pittsburgh, and arrived at the hospital shortly after 9 p.m. ET.

Steelers president Art Rooney said the team was "encouraged by the early reports from the medical team" at the hospital.

"I am sure Ben knows that we are praying for his complete recovery," he said.

Roethlisberger, 24, was not wearing a helmet, police said. He has said he likes to ride without one, a habit that once prompted a lecture from Pittsburgh coach Bill Cowher.

Roethlisberger's contract does not have a specific clause regarding riding a motorcycle, Clayton confirmed.

Roethlisberger was between radio interviews and on his black 2005 Suzuki Hayabusa -- a large, racing-style bike -- and heading toward an intersection on the edge of downtown. A silver Chrysler New Yorker traveling in the opposite direction took a left turn and collided with the motorcycle, and Roethlisberger was thrown, police said.

According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger flew into the Chrysler's windshield and then hit the ground head first. Blood pooled around him on the pavement, the paper said.