An ex-Steelers offensive lineman hasn’t eased his way into retirement. Instead, he stepped directly into controversy, defending Ben Roethlisberger while accusing former Steelers Joey Porter Sr. and James Harrison of bringing “toxic” energy.

“Joey Porter and James Harrison,” Zach Banner said in a video shared by him on X, “Both are thriving off of not sports media but the toxic reality TV style that simply shouldn’t be in Pittsburgh sports. I live in and went to school in Southern California and there are USC alumni like myself who want USC media to be less toxic.”

While Banner didn’t specifically call the player “toxic,” he made it clear he believes this toxic media approach damages the Steelers’ culture and legacy, with Pittsburgh being a blue-collar town that loves its sports.

It all started when Porter said Roethlisberger and linebacker James Harrison talked about team matters and criticized former coach Mike Tomlin on their podcasts. He went a step further, calling Roethlisberger a bad teammate and saying he doesn’t even want to hear him speak about the Steelers because, in his view, the organization doesn’t respect him.

Banner didn’t stay silent on this matter. In fact, he delivered a similar sentiment to his recent comments, highlighting the reality TV drama of it all.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

“Ben aka 7 is one of the best big bros in football I’ve ever had.” Banner posted on X on 12 February. “Regardless of being a future HOF talent… You want to air out dirty laundry you’ve been holding onto, then fine… Be your own man… But when you attack someone’s character and question them as a person, and not the football player. Then you’d better be perfect in all cylinders of life. And you’re not. The same thing goes for Coach Tomlin as a coach. And I’m not speaking cryptic today. Peezy and James Harrison are wrong.”

At the end of his post, Banner also mentioned that he’d address this later as he was locked in for the week.

That moment finally arrived as Banner doubled down in the follow-up video, addressing Porter’s claim that Roethlisberger was a bad teammate for not signing a jersey.

“Both Porter and Harrison are bringing front and center as their identity in the media space. So let me start with Porter aka Peezy, on Cam’s show: you say seven was a bad teammate and captain, and the reason was because he didn’t sign a jersey, seriously?”

Banner also explained what the locker room dynamic was like during that era in Pittsburgh. According to him, the offense and defense functioned almost like separate teams.

“Let me remind the people that back in this time, an era of football, especially Pittsburgh Steelers football, the offense and the defense. From the moment you go to team meeting, then position meetings, and then take the field, you did not mess with or associate yourself with others who were on the other side of the ball.”

He argued that with fierce daily competition and limited interaction across units, relationships weren’t always close, as compared to today’s football era.

He contextualized the incident by noting that all three played in different eras. While Roethlisberger may have refused to sign a jersey, Banner suggested it was likely at the end of a long, competitive day where interactions were tense.

With Banner taking a stand, the gap between Porter and Roethlisberger appears wider than ever, further dividing the Steelers community.

Breaking down the Joey Porter Sr. Ben Roethlisberger controversy

The controversy between Big Ben and Joey Porter Sr. seems to have been going on forever, and every day, a new layer is added to it.

This whole situation is about former teammates calling each other out in public. It started when James Harrison said on a podcast with Joe Haden that head coach Mike Tomlin “wasn’t a good coach.”

Then Ben Roethlisberger, on his podcast Footbahlin, suggested it might be time to “clean house” after a tough loss, hinting that coaching changes were needed.

That’s when Joey Porter Sr. stepped in on Cameron Heyward’s podcast Not Just Football, saying Harrison “broke the brotherhood” by publicly criticizing Tomlin. He went on to give an elaborate take on things.

“Out of anybody that should talk, he (Ben) should never grab a microphone and really talk Steeler business… He’s not a good teammate,” Porter Sr. said on the podcast. “Won the Super Bowl with him, and that was my quarterback. So do I love my quarterback? Yeah. But is he a good person? No.”

Porter, who was Roethlisberger’s teammate for three seasons and won Super Bowl XL with him, also shared locker-room stories. He claimed Ben refused to sign memorabilia for teammates’ families, even as a rookie.

“You can’t tell my vets you’re too cool to sign for my vets. Who the hell is too cool to sign for your teammate? I’m not a fan,” he said.

He also argued Roethlisberger was appointed captain rather than voted in, adding that it wasn’t a decision made by a vote because, in his view, Roethlisberger lacks the qualities of a captain.

For now, the debate shows no signs of cooling off. What started as criticism of Tomlin has evolved into a larger conversation about leadership, brotherhood, and how former players represent the Steelers.