Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter Sr. and former Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger were teammates from the time the Steelers drafted Roethlisberger in 2004 through the 2006 season.
Both were part of the Steelers team that won Super Bowl XL, but it seems that Porter won’t be sending a Christmas card to Roethlisberger anytime soon. During the latest edition of the podcast hosted by longtime Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, Porter took plenty of shots at Roethlisberger.
Joey Porter Sr.: People within the Steelers know that Ben Roethlisberger was “not a good teammate”
“He should never grab a microphone and really talk Steeler business,” Porter said in reference to how Roethlisberger routinely talks about the Steelers on his podcast, per Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “If we’re talking Steelers business, his a— is foul of all foul. The s— that he did is foul of all foul. He’s 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 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. claimed during the podcast that players didn’t vote Roethlisberger a captain during Porter’s time with the Steelers. The Steelers’ website shows that Roethlisberger was named a team captain for the first time in 2008.
“Because if he wasn’t a captain, he’d probably throw a hissy fit,” Porter added about Roethlisberger. “Nobody’s going to vote for him for captain because he doesn’t have captain qualities.”
Joey Porter Sr. apparently isn’t alone in feeling this way about Ben Roethlisberger
As Ross McCorkle mentioned for Steelers Depot, several of Roethlisberger’s former teammates seemed to back Porter’s statements via reactions shared in the comments section of an Instagram post. Meanwhile, Heyward and Roethlisberger were teammates from 2011 up until Roethlisberger announced his retirement in January 2022. Cornerback Joey Porter Jr. currently plays for the Steelers with Heyward. If nothing else, it could be interesting to see if Roethlisberger responds to Porter Sr. during what is often a quiet time of the football year.