Where In The World Is Jerome Bettis?

Former Pittsburgh Steelers running back Jerome Bettis retired from the NFL after winning Super Bowl XL in February 2006. Although he worked on NBC’s Football Night in America for a few years, have you wondered what Bettis is up to these days? Let’s take a look:

For starters, Jerome Bettis remains on the small screen by helping sell Papa John’s pizza with Peyton Manning. [The Business Journal]



Bettis will appear on NBC’s “Who Do You Think You Are,” a show that traces the family trees of celebrities including Rob Lowe, Helen Hunt, Martin Sheen, and (what do you know) Jerome Bettis! Season three debuts in February. [NBC]

He also continued to star in the Jerome Bettis Show during the NFL season on Pittsburgh’s NBC station. [WPXI]

Plus, it looks like Bettis promotes Orient Watches (like me) [PSAMP]



Bettis became involved in health issues and politics over the past year. First, he worked with Dick’s Sporting Goods to promote concussion tests for youth athletes. [ABC News]

Recently, Bettis visited DC (he didn’t call me!) and met with Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson, Senator Bob Casey of Pennsylvania and Representatives Mike Doyle of Pennsylvania and John Dingell and John Conyers of Michigan regarding clear air and the EPA’s Maximum Achievable Control Technology rule to enact strict clear air requirements. However, we learned that he’s not going to run for office. [Politico]

“I’ve never gotten the request to run,” Bettis said. “I don’t know if I could do it. I think it’s difficult, and I applaud the job that they do, because obviously it’s not easy. You have your constituents to reach out to and be accountable. … For me, the problem is, with football, it’s easy: You win or you lose. You give 110 percent every time, and that’s it. But in politics, sometimes there’s not a clear winner and not a clear loser. There’s a lot of gray. So I’ve lived in a world of black and white, and politics, unfortunately, there’s a give and a take. … It’s just an interesting dynamic that I’m not used to.”

Through this work, he filmed this commercial [Pittsburgh Post-Gazette]



The Bus has traveled the world during this football season. He went to London to promote the NFL game there in October. [ESPN]

He also traveled to Aledo, Texas to deliver the 2011-12 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year trophy to RB Johnathan Gray, a University of Texas recruit. I’m not sure why Bettis felt the need to tackle Gray though. [ESPN] (The video didn't seem to work here, so you'll have to click on the ESPN link to see what I'm writing about.)

He also went all the way to Panera in Wilkins and the Homestead Waterfront as part of a meet-and-greet. Panera donated $5 to The Bus Stops Here Foundation in the names of those who attended. [Peters Patch]

When I started the “Where is Jerome Bettis” posts a few years ago, I noted the numerous comparisons made to Bettis. Since he’s been out of the league, for about six years, though, these comparisons aren’t as frequent.

With that written, Michigan State football coach Mark Dantonio compared Iowa RB Marcus Coker to Bettis. [Grand Rapids Press]

Plus, CBS’ Gary Danielson referred to Alabama RB Trent Richardson as a faster Jerome Bettis. [Arkansas Democrat-Gazette]

Bettis still makes the media rounds too. He participated in an online chat on ESPN. Dan Gigler of Blog ‘N’ Gold scored an interview with The Bus as did Mike Bires of the Beaver County Times. Maybe next year, I'll score an interview!

Oh, Bettis also stays busy with his foundation and was recently named an NFL Hall of Fame finalist.

For more of the annual Where is Jerome Bettis series, click here.