Particle.news

Steelers Alumni Rift Widens After Joey Porter Sr. Condemns Ben Roethlisberger

Former stars Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell publicly backed Roethlisberger as others praised Porter’s on-air defense of Mike Tomlin.

Overview

  • On Cam Heyward’s podcast, Joey Porter Sr. said Ben Roethlisberger was not a good teammate or person and accused him of breaking a locker-room code by discussing team business publicly.
  • Porter cited incidents from Roethlisberger’s early years, including refusing to sign teammates’ memorabilia and being appointed captain rather than earning votes, to question his leadership.
  • Porter framed his remarks as a response to Roethlisberger and James Harrison criticizing former coach Mike Tomlin on their podcasts during and after the 2025 season.
  • Support for Porter’s stance surfaced from current and former Steelers, with Mason Rudolph, Mike Mitchell and Patrick Queen endorsing his message in social media comments.
  • A countercurrent formed as Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell left supportive comments for Roethlisberger on Maurkice Pouncey’s Instagram post, and Roethlisberger has not issued a new public rebuttal.