Steelers Super Bowl Teammate Slams Ben Roethlisberger as ‘Bad Teammate’

Joey Porter Sr. wants Ben Roethlisberger to stop talking about the Steelers as he wasn't a good teammate.

Steelers Super Bowl Teammate Slams Ben Roethlisberger as ‘Bad Teammate’

Ben Roethlisberger and Joey Porter Sr. inside the circle (Image via IMAGO)

In Short
  • Joey Porter Sr. criticized Ben Roethlisberger as a bad teammate and person during a podcast.
  • Porter claimed that Roethlisberger should not comment on Steelers' business due to his past behavior.
  • Supporters of Roethlisberger defended him, emphasizing his character and contributions as a teammate.

Ben Roethlisberger spent his entire NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He won two Super Bowls and was among the youngest quarterbacks ever to win a championship. That said, was he a good teammate or a good friend? Joey Porter Sr. claimed that he wasn’t.

Porter, drafted in 1999, shared the locker room with Roethlisberger when he was still a young signal caller, finding his feet in the league. He had a front-row seat to watch Roethlisberger transform into Big Ben.

Pittsburgh was smitten with Ben, but the locker room, not so much. Speaking on Cam Heyward’s podcast, Porter stated that Roethlisberger should stop poking his nose into the Steelers’ business.

The sh** that [Roethlisberger] does that we don’t talk about is crazy. Out of anybody that talk, he should never grab a microphone and talk Steelers business. Because if we talking Steelers business, his s** is foul of all foul.

Joey Porter Sr. told Cam Heyward

Porter’s harsh remarks were in response to Roethlisberger’s suggestion that Mike Tomlin step down as the Steelers’ head coach and take the Penn State job. Ben’s statement received mixed reactions, even though the Steelers’ growth had stalled over the years under Tomlin’s tenure. Shortly after the Steelers’ exit from the playoffs, Tomlin removed himself from the Steelers job.

The Steelers appointed Mike McCarthy as head coach. Aaron Rodgers could also return to spearhead the attack for another year.

Joey Porter Sr. says Ben Roethlisberger isn’t a good teammate

Porter respects Roethlisberger as a quarterback. His only ring came when Ben was the Steelers quarterback. However, the former linebacker never liked Roethlisberger as a person.

Steelers Super Bowl Teammate Slams Ben Roethlisberger as ‘Bad Teammate’
Ben Roethlisberger (Image via IMAGO)

He’s just not a good teammate. He knows that. Anybody in the Steeler 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 Sr. added

Porter revealed that nobody wanted Roethlisberger to be a team captain. The Steelers website revealed that he was named the captain for the 2008 season.

If he wasn’t a captain, he’d probably throw a hissy fit. Nobody’s going to vote for him for captain because he doesn’t have captain qualities.

Porter Sr. quipped

Roethlisberger received support from ex-offensive tackle Zach Banner and former signal-caller Duck Hodges.

Ben aka 7 is one of the best big bros in football I’ve ever had. [When] you attack someone’s character and question them as a person, and not the football player, then [you’d] better be perfect in all cylinders of life. And you’re not. The same thing goes for Coach [Mike] Tomlin as a coach.

Zach Banner wrote

Hodges, who served as Roethlisberger’s backup toward the end of his career, shared the same thoughts as Banner.

The Steelers after Ben Roethlisberger retired

The Steelers haven’t been the same since Ben hung up his boots. Since then, the franchise has gone through a variety of quarterbacks, including Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Mason Rudolph, and Rodgers.

Roethlisberger has respect for Rodgers, who earned his only ring by beating the Steelers in 2011, but questioned whether he was the right choice at age 42. Rodgers helped the Steelers reclaim the AFC North crown after a long gap.

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