Ben Roethlisberger had every right to respond after Joey Porter Sr. dragged his name through the mud last week, but he opted not to. The latest episode of his Footbahlin podcast came out Tuesday evening with nary a mention of the topic.
James Harrison not only reacted to Porter’s comments, which were also directed at him, but he titled his latest podcast episode to make sure it would attract the most attention possible. By choosing to sit out of the drama, Roethlisberger effectively ended the saga. Now this unfortunate week in the news cycle can be put to rest.
If you want to read between the lines, Roethlisberger mentions his personal growth while discussing a recent movie premiere he attended.
“To me, that’s what it’s about. It’s about the transformation,” Roethlisberger said, recapping the themes of the movie. “I think about my own life, and it reminded me of the transformation that I’ve gone through in my life…We all have to grow up. We’re all immature at times, and we’re all selfish. And that’s just part of what happened in the Garden [of Eden]. It’s only through the grace of God that we can look back and be like, man, look how much I’m changed. I’m proud of that.”
Maybe he knew what he was doing in that moment, but it would be a stretch to call that a direct response to Porter in any way.
It isn’t a big secret that Roethlisberger had character flaws and off-field issues early in his career. Unfortunately, some of his worst moments ended up in the public spotlight. But his redemption arc is well documented as well. Porter has a right to express his opinion of Roethlisberger, but just know that he had a limited window into his life in the short time they played together.
Porter’s biggest gripe with both Harrison and Roethlisberger was airing their negative opinions about Mike Tomlin and the team to the media. Harrison for sure did that, but Roethlisberger’s comments were very tame in comparison. All he said was what the vast majority of the fan base and media were also saying at the time.
With that in mind, Porter’s criticism of Roethlisberger felt like a low blow, and it risked the very thing Porter claimed he was against, with drama being aired out in public.
Whichever side you may fall on, we can now let this story die and fade into irrelevance. Roethlisberger took the high road.
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