Nobody knows about the future of Jerome Bettis except him and his family but if the Indianapolis Colts had scored a game winning touchdown at the end of the game, Bettis would be back. Jerome Bettis is a gamer, and will live on as one of the best franchise players of the Pittsburgh Steelers organization. This can not be said lightly as the Steelers organization is one of the most storied franchises of the NFL.

Jerome Bettis would not be back for personal pride though, he is not a selfish player. He is not the type of player to come back to redeem himself like other players might, he does not need to legitimize his career. His choice to come back would be because of the betterment of the Pittsburgh Steelers. Any potential hall of famer to take a back seat, take less pay, and be completely happy with the decision is the ultimate team player.

The Steelers without Jerome Bettis is like a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich without the bread. What is going to hold it together? His leadership, mentoring of the young Willie Parker, his relationship with Ben Roethlisberger, his reliability in the short yardage downs, and his work ethic will be a vital loss to the Steelers.

The Steelers will lose Jerome Bettis one of these years. I feel that if the Steelers win the Super Bowl, he will not be back. But there is no doubt that Jerome Bettis has given a lasting legacy on the Pittsburgh Steelers. The football gods were right to not let the Jerome Bettis fumble be the deciding factor in this game.