Joey Porter Sr. Calls Out Ben Roethlisberger Over Steelers Criticism
The Pittsburgh Steelers are no strangers to drama, but when it comes from two of the franchise’s most decorated former players, it hits differently. On a recent episode of Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, former Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr. didn’t hold back when discussing his former teammate, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger-and the comments were nothing short of explosive.
Porter, who played alongside Roethlisberger during the early 2000s, took issue with how Roethlisberger and fellow former Steeler James Harrison criticized head coach Mike Tomlin last season. For Porter, that crossed a line-especially coming from someone he believes didn’t exactly set the standard for leadership during his own playing days.
“Out of anybody that talks, he should never grab a microphone and talk Steelers business,” Porter said bluntly. “Because if we’re talking Steelers business, his ass is foul of all foul.”
That’s not just a heated soundbite-it’s a direct challenge to Roethlisberger’s credibility when it comes to commenting on the inner workings of the organization. Porter didn’t stop there.
He called Roethlisberger a bad teammate and questioned his character, saying, “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.”
It’s a rare public rebuke from one Steelers legend to another, especially considering both men were just inducted into the Steelers Hall of Honor this past December. That ceremony now feels like a distant memory in light of Porter’s comments.
To be fair, Roethlisberger hasn’t exactly hidden from his past. He acknowledged as far back as 2015 that he wasn’t a great teammate early in his career.
“There are some guys who had animosity towards me, and probably rightfully so,” Roethlisberger said at the time. “I probably could have helped that by being a humble guy who was the best teammate I could be.”
That self-awareness is important, but it doesn’t erase the baggage. Roethlisberger’s early years in the NFL were marred by off-the-field issues, including two separate sexual assault allegations in 2008 and 2010.
While he wasn’t criminally charged, the league suspended him in 2010 for violating its personal conduct policy. Add in a near-fatal motorcycle crash in 2006-where he wasn’t wearing a helmet-and it’s easy to see why some within the Steelers circle might still be holding receipts.
Even as Roethlisberger matured and led the team through multiple playoff runs, the friction never fully disappeared. He was known to publicly criticize teammates on his radio show and clashed with offensive coordinator Todd Haley, a feud that eventually led to Haley’s departure.
Then came the 2018 draft, when the Steelers selected quarterback Mason Rudolph in the third round. Roethlisberger didn’t hide his displeasure, questioning how the move helped the team “win now” and offering little mentorship to Rudolph once he arrived.
Their relationship was described as “strained”-a word that seems to follow Roethlisberger’s interactions with teammates throughout his career.
Porter’s comments shine a light on a deeper conversation about leadership, accountability, and legacy in Pittsburgh. Roethlisberger is a two-time Super Bowl champion and one of the most statistically successful quarterbacks in franchise history. But his off-the-field controversies and rocky relationships with teammates complicate that legacy.
For Porter, it seems the issue isn’t just about what Roethlisberger did in the past-it’s about who gets to speak on the Steelers’ present. And in his eyes, Roethlisberger hasn’t earned that right.
In Pittsburgh, where the standard is the standard and locker room culture matters as much as championships, this kind of public criticism from a former captain like Porter isn’t just noise-it’s a message. And it’s one that’s going to echo through the Steel City for a while.