Ben Roethlisberger, Amy Harlan Tie the Knot in Private Pittsburgh Wedding

PITTSBURGH, Ohio, July 23 (UPI) – Ben Roethlisberger added a new ring to his collection this weekend, and this one had nothing to do with his passing skills on the football field.

“Big Ben,” the 29-year-old star Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, married New Castle native Ashley Harlan in a private church ceremony in Ohio Township, then celebrated into the night at a reception Downtown.

After posing for photographs at Christ Church at Grove Farm in Ohio Township, the pair and their guests boarded two limousine buses and later arrived via police escort at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center for their reception, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported.

Fans and media alike were kept at a safe distance from the ceremony, the details of which were closely guarded. Little information about the nuptials was leaked beforehand, though the police presence around the Christ Church at Grove Farm — where both Roethlisberger and Harlan are member — indicated this was no ordinary Saturday.

Among the 650 guests at the reception were Pittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, U.S. Ambassador to Ireland Dan Rooney and Pittsburgh Penguins co-owner Mario Lemieux.

Roethlisberger’s wedding came 14 months after he had faced accusations of rape for the second time in as many years. The two-time Super Bowl champion, however, wasn’t charged in either instance.

via UPI