Ben Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls and was a legend in Pittsburgh. Despite some alarming off the field incidents and accusations, the organization treated Roethlisberger like the pillar of the community and he’s sure to take his spot in the Hall of Fame one day.
Former Steelers legends have referred to the preferential treatment that Roethlisberger received, including former star Antonio Brown. Now, former Steelers Joey Porter is speaking out against Roethlisberger who has spoken unfavorably about the current state of the organization on several occasions.
Joey Porter Blasts Ben Roethlisberger As A Foul Person Who Shouldn’t Speak on ‘Steeler Business’
In a recent appearance on the “Not Just Football” podcast with Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward, Porter let the world know how he really feels about the two-time Super Bowl champ.
“OMG: Joey Porter absolutely DESTROYS Big Ben on Cam Heyward’s podcast. Says he wasn’t a good teammate. He’s not a good person. And has no right to talk about the Steelers business on his podcast. Holy crap. Watch.”
“(Number) 7 definitely broke the brotherhood because the sh*t that 7 did that we don’t talk about, is crazy. Like he should never grab a microphone and talk about Steelers business. If we are talking Steelers business, his ass is foul of all foul. Like the sh*t that he did…he’s just not a good teammate. Won a Super Bowl with him, but the person…he’s just not a good teammate. He knows that. Anybody in the Steelers building knows that, but we protected him. Because I’ve only won one Super Bowl and that was my quarterback. So do I love my quarterback? Yeah. But is he a good person? No,” Porter said, mincing no words.
Roethlisberger has admitted on several occasions that he wasn’t a good teammate in the early part of his career. Roethlisberger and Porter were teammates for only three years.
Ben Roethlisberger Admits That He Was A Bad Teammate Early In Career
“I’d be the first to admit I wasn’t a good teammate early in my career,” Roethlisberger said in 2015. “There are some guys who had animosity towards me, and probably rightfully so. “I probably could have helped that by being a humble guy who was the best teammate I could be.”
Roethlisberger was a winner but the label of “bad teammate” comes because he was also very selfish off the field and put his team’s success at risk, as well as portraying the pristine organization in a negative light.
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On the field, Big Ben used to have some volatile battles with offensive coordinator Todd Haley and in 2018 as his career came to an end, he expressed his dissatisfaction with the Steelers drafting his replacement in Mason Rudolph. Instead of mentoring the QB, Roethlisberger admits that he made sure he didn’t help Rudolph develop and the relationship was strained.
He even admitted that he hoped that 2022 draft pick Kenny Pickett would fail as his successor.
During a 2023 episode of the “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast, with Pickett as a guest, Big Ben opened up on how he in many ways hated on Pickett during his rookie season.
“I’ll be completely honest, I’ll be super transparent here, and I’m gonna get blasted,” Roethlisberger said. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but who cares at this point. I wouldn’t say that I wanted Kenny to necessarily fail, but when someone comes to replace you, I still feel like I had it, I hope he doesn’t come ball out. Because then it’s like, Ben who?“
“Early on I didn’t want you to succeed because you followed me up — I didn’t want it to happen. I think that’s probably the selfishness of me, and I feel bad for it.”
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Roethlisberger was accused of sexual assault on two separate occasions, in 2008 and 2010. He was able to evade criminal prosecution in both cases, but the NFL suspended him in 2010 for violating the league’s personal conduct policy. The Steelers’ all-time passing yardage leader with 64, 088 yards, was also was involved in a near-fatal motorcycle accident in downtown Pittsburgh in June of 2006, and wasn’t wearing a helmet as Pennsylvania law at the time listed wearing protective helmets as optional for adult riders.
Antonio Brown has damaged plenty of relationships within the Steelers’ brotherhood, but according to Porter, Roethlisberger takes the cake. And there’s spoke things that winning doesn’t cure.
