A war of words is breaking out between the retired icons of the Pittsburgh Steelers, creating a rift that has nothing to do with the current squad. The tension began when Ben Roethlisberger and James Harrison voiced subtle criticisms regarding Mike Tomlin’s coaching, which quickly drew a sharp rebuttal from their former teammate, Joey Porter Sr. After Porter publicly labeled the two-time Super Bowl champion a “bad teammate,”  Roethlisberger has now addressed the accusations.

On a recent episode of his Footbahlin podcast, the legendary quarterback bypassed the opportunity to trade insults. Instead, he framed his response around personal growth and faith. According to Steelers Depot, Roethlisberger addressed the tension by focusing inward:

“As we grow and mature — it’s only through the grace of God — we can look back and say, ‘Man, look how much I’m changing.’ I’m proud of that. As I’ve grown in my faith and with my family, my needs go way down. God is number one, then my family, my friends, and then me. I pray every day for God to give me a soft heart — a Jesus heart,” he said.

While he never mentioned Porter by name, the timing clearly pointed to a response to the accusations. To understand the gravity of the situation, one must look at Porter’s original comments on Cam Heyward’s podcast, where he ignited a heated debate about Roethlisberger’s character. Porter claimed that teammates spent years “covering” for the quarterback to protect his image, describing him as a leader who stayed distant from the locker room and allegedly refused to sign autographs for the family members of his own teammates.

The history between the two men spans several years. Porter played alongside Roethlisberger for three seasons and later returned to the Steelers as a coach for five years during the later stages of the quarterback’s career. This long-term professional relationship gave Porter a firsthand look at how the star handled himself on and off the field.

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Former linebacker James Harrison pushed back on Porter’s claims on the Deebo & Joe podcast, rejecting the idea that Roethlisberger was a bad teammate and saying the quarterback matured significantly after early success.

Harrison Fires Back as Roethlisberger Takes the High Road

Porter accused the pair of violating a sacred team code, but Harrison fired back by suggesting that Porter was actually the one breaking that bond by making such personal attacks. 

Harrison pointed out that his own issues with Tomlin were strictly about coaching, whereas Porter’s comments were an “all-out attack” on Roethlisberger’s character. He even noted that if anyone fractured the team’s “brotherhood,” it was Porter for airing out private locker room grievances so publicly.

While other former players have waded into the debate—with some like Maurkice Pouncey and David DeCastro defending the QB while others endorsed Porter’s rant—Roethlisberger has chosen to focus on himself.

Rather than trading accusations, he leaned on reflection and faith — cooling a feud that had started to divide one of the defining locker rooms of the 2000s Steelers era.