Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Joey Porter harshly criticized former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger during a podcast appearance, calling him a bad teammate who “broke the brotherhood” during their eight seasons together.
Porter, a guest on “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward,” shared details about what he saw during the time the two were together for eight seasons.
“The (bleep) that 7 did that we don’t talk about is crazy,” Porter said. “Out of anybody that talks, he should never grab a microphone and really talk about Steelers business. If we’re talking Steelers business, his (bleep) that he did is foul of all foul.”
Porter was referring to Roethlisberger’s jersey number.
“He’s not a good teammate,” Porter continued. “Won a Super Bowl with him. But the person? He’s just not a good teammate and he knows that. Anybody in the Steelers building knows that. I’ve only won one Super Bowl and that was my quarterback. Do I love my quarterback? Yeah. Is he a good person? No.”
Porter used an example of Roethlisberger not autographing items for teammates, something that is commonly done in locker rooms across the league.
“When he first did it to Chris Hoke, I was like, ‘Damn, that’s messed up, man,’” Porter explained. “I grabbed it from Hoke, took it over there and told him to sign it. But then when he did it to Aaron Smith, now I’ve got to have a meeting. You’re a rookie and you’re a young guy. You can’t tell my vets you’re too cool to sign for my vets. Who the hell is too cool to sign for your teammate? I’m not a fan. (Bleep), I strap up with you every day. I’m in practice with you every day.”
Porter also questioned Roethlisberger being named a captain, saying he did not see any captain-like leadership qualities in him.
“He came in the era where they just gave you the ‘C’ because if he wasn’t a captain, he’d probably have a hissy fit,” Porter said. “But nobody’s going to vote for him as captain because he doesn’t have any captain qualities.”
Roethlisberger has not responded. Roethlisberger played a total of 18 seasons in the NFL, all with the Steelers. He won two Super Bowls and was named to the Pro Bowl six times. He will be eligible for the Hall of Fame in 2027.