Steelers Drama: A Closer Look at the Locker Room Rift
In a twist that has the Steel City buzzing, former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr. recently stirred the pot by criticizing Ben Roethlisberger's character, also dragging James Harrison into the fray. While Big Ben has remained silent, Harrison didn't hold back in his response on a podcast with fellow ex-Steeler Joe Haden.
Harrison, a cornerstone of the Steelers' defense for 14 seasons and the 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, addressed Porter's comments head-on. “Peezy, that was just a pure-out attack on Ben’s character,” Harrison remarked, distinguishing his own past criticisms of coach Mike Tomlin from Porter's remarks.
“Two different things. And that’s more breaking the brotherhood than what Ben said.”
Harrison shared that he and Porter have since discussed the situation after Porter's comments on Cam Heyward’s podcast gained traction. “For me, the way Joey spoke about Ben, like we broke the brotherhood?
You broke the brotherhood, bruh, more than we did,” Harrison asserted. He pointed out that Porter, who never played under Tomlin, had won a championship with Roethlisberger, highlighting a personal rift between Porter and the former quarterback.
Despite the drama, Harrison defended Roethlisberger, acknowledging their strong relationship. “I do not think Ben is a bad teammate,” he stated, though he candidly admitted, “7 could be an asshole. That’s facts, OK?”
Roethlisberger's early career was marked by a meteoric rise, stepping up as a rookie and leading the Steelers to a Super Bowl victory the following season. Harrison conceded that such success might have inflated Roethlisberger's ego back then, but noted the quarterback's growth over the years. “Over time, he has matured and grown up,” Harrison explained, emphasizing that locker room issues were always manageable.
As the Steelers community grapples with these revelations, it's clear that the bonds formed on the field run deep, even when tested. Stay tuned for more insights and stories on “The Retired & The Restless,” where the past and present of Steelers' legends continue to unfold.