Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger went on a rant on his podcast Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger this week and controversially questioned the integrity of the team’s leadership this season.
The comments stem from the past two games, in which the Steelers lost to lowly opponents. (Both the Cardinals and Patriots entered their recent matchups with Pittsburgh as two-win teams.)
Roethlisberger sais he’s afraid the “Steelers tradition” and “Steelers toughness” he knew hasn’t been passed down to new members of the team.
“You need someone to stand up in that room on offense and be like, ‘Hey, this isn’t what it means to wear the Black and Gold,’” Roethlisberger said in conclusion.
Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, one of the team’s current captains, didn’t appreciate the former captain’s comment much.
“You know, Ben has an opinion. He’s entitled to that. But I don’t agree,” Heyward said on NFL Network’s Good Morning Football on Thursday. “These last two games [have] been rough, but the Steelers way is about grinding it out and it doesn’t matter what’s going on. So there’s plenty to be done about it, and the tradition starts by winning games, having a good defense, and scoring points. So hopefully we can adjust that this week.”
. @CamHeyward replies to former QB Ben Roethlisberger saying "Maybe the tradition of the Pittsburgh Steelers is done..."
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) December 14, 2023
+ How the team is prepping for Week 15 in Indianapolis pic.twitter.com/1lyDKQIhE6
Despite those recent struggles, the Steelers (7–6) currently hold the No. 6 spot in the AFC playoff picture. They play the Colts (7–6) in Indianapolis at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.
