Ben Roethlisberger didn't wear a helmet. Just months after winning his first Super Bowl, the ascendant quarterback broke his mouth and jaw in a serious motorcycle crash. But the damage could've been even worse.
A young Roethlisberger nearly torpedoed the Steelers' future, all because he failed to take the most simple safety precaution when riding a motorcycle.
Put a helmet on!
That's one of the many reasons why it's rich for Roethlisberger to accuse his younger ex-teammates of acting selfishly and not caring about winning. In an excellent interview with Ron Cook in the Post-Gazette, Roethlisberger opened up about Pittsburgh's lack of playoff success over the final decade of his illustrious career. The Steelers only won three playoff games since their 2010 Super Bowl run.
Roethlisberger says it was everybody else's fault.
"I feel like the game has changed. I feel like the people have changed in a sense," he said. "Maybe it's because I got spoiled when I came in. The team was so important. It was all about the team. Now, it's about me and this, that and the other."
It's pretty incredible for Roethlisberger to lob those allegations, considering he held the franchise hostage over the final years of his career. Despite an eroding skillset, Roethlisberger earned a whopping $148 million from 2015-21. The worst deal was a two-year, $68 million extension he signed in 2019 at 37 years old.
The Steelers tied themselves to an aging and injury-riddled quarterback. And now Roethlisberger is blaming Kevin Colbert for his retirement?
Please.
"It was mostly Kevin [Colbert]. He was ready to move on," said Roethlisberger.
If that's the case, Colbert is the only person in the Steelers organization who evaluated Roethlisberger with his eyes. It was apparent that Roethlisberger could no longer throw the ball downfield; yet, he resisted efforts to change the offense. Earlier this year, Mike Tomlin subtly mentioned Roethlisberger's limitations when discussing Matt Canada's first season as offensive coordinator.
"When you've got red paint, you paint your barn red," Tomlin told reporters.
The numbers tell the story: Roethlisberger threw for 3,740 yards last season, his lowest total in 16 games since 2008. It often looked like it was a struggle for him to throw the ball more than five yards.
His four-interception performance against the Browns in the 2020 playoffs was one of the worst of his career.
Amazingly, Roethlisberger said he thinks he "played pretty well" last season and could still "go out there and play."
It's not uncommon for pro athletes to ignore their athletic mortality. But it is rare for a recently retired franchise legend to bash his teammates on the way out.
"It turned from a team-first to a me-type attitude. It was hard," said Roethlisberger. "It's hard for these young guys, too. Social media. They're treated so well in college. Now, this new NIL stuff, which is unbelievable. They're treated so special. They're coddled at a young age because college coaches need them to win, too. I know coach [Terry] Hoeppner never coddled me [at Miami of Ohio]. Neither did [Bill] Cowher."
Roethlisberger, who commissioned a documentary mini-series to chronicle his recovery from elbow surgery, says other players were too obsessed with their brands. Got it.
After all, Roethlisberger quietly and humbly walked away from the game. He didn't engage in any sort of retirement tour or special ceremonies, right?
OK, except for that one time …
This column isn't meant to defame Roethlisberger, by the way. He's the greatest quarterback in franchise history and deserved his hero's send-off. But as Colin Dunlap explained on "The Fan Morning Show," it's hard to ignore Roethlisberger's hypocrisy.
"You can think Ben Roethlisberger did brilliant things and is a first ballot Hall of Famer and borderline deserves a statue in this town by virtue of how he played, and also think the guy is selfish and washed-up and on another planet with the way he was thinking — especially in the last couple years of his career. You can think both of those things," said Dunlap.
Bingo. As the Steelers' unquestioned leader, Roethlisberger was also in position to curtail his teammates' selfish behavior.
But it's easier to complain than act.
