Former Pittsburgh Steelers star James Harrison defended Ben Roethlisberger against harsh criticism from another ex-teammate.
Joey Porter Sr. went scorched earth on Roethlisberger, calling the two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback a bad teammate and person. The ex-linebacker claimed Roethlisberger "broke the brotherhood" by criticizing Mike Tomlin and encouraging the head coach to move on from the Steelers.
Harrison said on the Deebo & Joe podcast that he spoke directly with Porter about his comments. He disagreed with his fellow Pro Bowler defender's assessment and feels he was even harder on Tomlin than Roethlisberger during the 2025 season.
"That was just a pure-out attack on Ben's character, and what I said about Mike was an attack on his coaching," Harrison said. "Two different things. That's more breaking the brotherhood than what Ben said. Ben said, 'I think I feel that maybe Tomlin should move on.' Like, come on, bruh. That's what he said. I went way harder than that, but (Porter) went on it because he obviously has a personal issue with Ben that hasn't been resolved."
" I do not think Ben is a bad teammate"
PITTSBURGH, PA - SEPTEMBER 19: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) points while looking at the bench during the game on September 19, 2021 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, PA. (Photo by Shelley Lipton/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) Shelley Lipton/Getty Images
Harrison doesn't have any beef with Roethlisberger, but he acknowledged that the signal-caller could be difficult to deal with at times during their playing careers.
"I do not think Ben is a bad teammate," Harrison said. "Because I have a good relationship with Ben. And I can say this because I talked to Ben - this is not going to be news to him - but (number) seven could be an a*****e. That's facts."
He also noted that Roethlisberger achieved instant success, going 13-1 in his first season and winning a Super Bowl the next year. Harrison feels that could have given the former first-round pick "delusions of grandeur," but he's no longer the same person.
"Over time, (Roethlisberger) has matured and grown up," Harrison said. "You don't value the same things you did at 23 as you do at 30. Hell, I'm a different person at 47 than I was at 45. And I'm a far worse person at 40 than I was at 45."
Although they had some issues to sort out while playing, their bond has grown stronger in retirement.
"Yes, there are things you see in the locker room, you heard in the locker room," Harrison said. "But it was never something that we had an issue with, that we couldn't correct with each other. So, the relationship with Ben is still intact for me. Right now, we are far better, greater friends - brothers now - than we ever were in the past. And that continues to grow."
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