Last week, the annual Ante Up for Africa charity tournament played out at the 2010 World Series of Poker (WSOP) in Las Vegas. This time around, two well known pros battled it out in the finale, as Full Tilt’s Phil Gordon edged out Carbon Poker’s Shannon Elizabeth.
On the red carpet, Poker News Daily caught up with Super Bowl champion Jerome Bettis, a former stud running back who final tabled the event and landed in sixth place for $22,000.
Poker News Daily: We’ve seen you on the PokerStars sponsored “Million Dollar Challenge,” Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown,” and other poker-related television programming. Will we be seeing more of you in the future?
Jerome Bettis: I’m just going to enjoy it. Being retired, everything is sporadic, but I enjoy poker. Whenever I get a chance, I’ll try to get out and play a little more.
PND: This is the first time you’ve played in the Ante Up for Africa event, right?
Jerome Bettis: Yeah, it’s the first time I’ve been here. It’s also the first time I’ve been to the World Series and seen what it is. It’s pretty spectacular.
PND: What are your expectations heading into this event? Are you going to take it seriously or just go and have a good time?
Jerome Bettis: Whenever I sit down, I take it seriously, no question about it. But, I’m also about enjoyment, so I’ll take it seriously, but I’m also paying attention to what’s going on.
PND: We obviously have to ask you about your Pittsburgh Steelers this year. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is suspended for four games and wide receiver Santonio Holmes is now on the New York Jets. What are your expectations for their season?
Jerome Bettis: I think this is going to be a good year for the Steelers in the sense that it’s going to show them what type of team they are without Ben. Also, it’s going to help build the running game, which they need to do anyway. I think this becomes a pre-curser to the team they want to be. When Ben comes back, you’ll have a solid running game with a solid passing game and I think that makes for a championship caliber football team.
PND: If the Steelers were to call you up and say, “We need ‘The Bus.’ He’s our only hope,” would you go back?
Jerome Bettis: I’d tell them, “The Bus has four flat tires, so you don’t want me.”
