Former Steelers teammate Joey Porter says team protected Ben Roethlisberger, but he wasn't 'a good person'

While he never played for him, former Steelers outside linebacker Joey Porter is going to bat for Mike Tomlin while taking aim at two former teammates who have been outspoken about Tomlin since his decision to step down as Pittsburgh's coach. 

Fellow former Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison has been extremely vocal in his criticism of Tomlin, going as far as to say he isn't a Hall of Fame coach. Former Pittsburgh quarterback Ben Roethlisberger hasn't been as extreme, but he did make headlines when he suggested late in the 2025 season that Tomlin should become Penn State's new coach. Roethlisberger has since said on his podcast that it was probably time for a change regarding the Steelers' coaching post. 

Porter, who also served on Pittsburgh's coaching staff from 2015-18, was largely diplomatic in terms of his comments regarding Harrison, but things got personal when he discussed Roethlisberger, his teammate from 2004-06. 

"Seven definitely broke the brotherhood," Porter said on current Steeler defensive tackle Cameron Heyward's podcast. "The shit that Seven did that we don't talk about is crazy. Out of anybody, he should never grab a microphone and really talk Steelers business, because if we're talking Steelers business, his ass is foul of all foul, like the shit that he did is foul of all foul. 

"He's not a good teammate. Won a Super Bowl with him, but the person, he's just not a good teammate. Like he knows that, anybody in the Steeler building knows that, but we protected him, because I've only won one Super Bowl, and that was my quarterback. So do I love my quarterback? Yeah, but is he a good person? No." 

When asked why he felt Roethlisberger was a bad teammate, Porter mentioned Roethlisberger not signing autographs for teammates' family members during his rookie season. Porter, a team captain at the time, decided to have a meeting with Roethlisberger after he specifically declined to sign something for defensive end Aaron Smith. 

"Who the hell is too cool to sign for your teammate?" Porter said while alluding to former teammate and Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis and his constant willingness to do things for teammates and fans. "I always looked at it like this. Look at the team when Joey was a captain, when Jerome was captain, when Hines Ward was a captain. You heard nothing in the locker room.

"Captains have to do captain shit, right? We voted to be captains, you had to be voted in. He came in an era where they just gave you a seat, because if he wasn't a captain, he'd probably have a hissy fit, but nobody's going to vote for him as captain because he don't have no captain qualities."

Roethlisberger was suspended four games in 2010 for a violation of the NFL's personal conduct policy amid accusations from women over misconduct in 2008 and 2010. 

Roethlisberger himself has acknowledged that he wasn't always the best teammate. Roethlisberger did nonetheless develop close relationships with some teammates, specifically former tight end Heath Miller and former center Maurkice Pouncey. 

Obviously, Roethlisberger wasn't for everyone. Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph, whose frosty relationship with Roethlisberger was well-publicized, supported Porter's comments on social media.

As the criticism of Tomlin is concerned, Roethlisberger and Harrison have their own podcasts and have never been afraid to express their opinions. And while both are entitled to their opinions, Porter doesn't feel that either are in a position to speak negatively of someone who did so much for their careers, his included. 

"What makes it crazy for me to watch them two talk like that and really act like we don't have the real receipts of how this really works," Porter said. "Like, you know what he just did for y'all? ... When they tell their stories, you'll think Mike didn't do shit for them. I don't know how to shit on somebody that looked out for me."