By now, it’s evident that Joey Porter Sr. isn’t aligned with Ben Roethlisberger publicly critiquing Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers on his podcast. This week, however, Porter escalated the response. He directly called out the former quarterback, arguing that of all people, Roethlisberger shouldn’t be questioning the franchise publicly. In doing so, Porter revisited his locker-room experience with Big Ben and labeled him a less-than-ideal teammate.

“The s*** that [Roethlisberger] do that we don’t talk about is crazy,” Porter said on Cam Heyward’s ‘Not Just Football’ podcast. “Out of anybody that talk, he should never grab a microphone and talk Steelers business. Because if we talking Steelers business, his a** is foul of all foul. The s*** 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. He knows that. Anybody in the Steeler building knows that. 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.”

Roethlisberger is a two-time Super Bowl champion, owns nearly every major franchise passing record, and is widely viewed as a future Hall of Famer. Still, Porter hasn’t hesitated to question his leadership. The former linebacker spent three seasons alongside Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh, and his criticism stems from what he describes as firsthand locker-room experience.

This isn’t new territory. Even though Porter won a Super Bowl with Big Ben, he has challenged his former teammate before. This time, however, he detailed specific examples. First, Porter referenced Roethlisberger’s rookie season, claiming he wouldn’t sign memorabilia for teammates to give their families, even as veteran players were willing to do so.

Second, Porter pointed to leadership concerns, saying teammates wouldn’t vote Roethlisberger captain because he lacked “captain qualities.” It’s a strong accusation, and not everyone may agree. But Porter’s frustration appears rooted in his time inside that locker room, an era before podcasts and public platforms amplified internal disputes.

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That environment has changed. With former players now regularly using media platforms to voice opinions, tensions surface more openly. Roethlisberger used his podcast during the 2025 season to question Tomlin and the Steelers, something that clearly didn’t sit well with Porter.

“You can never be too cool to listen to when the people who made the history has something to say. So, we’ve always took it,” Porter said of his experience as a player with Big Ben back in December 2025. “Now, I think we’re into the point to where now some of the guys getting on these different platforms, and they take they shots and say certain stuff. They got different agendas.”

Porter’s criticism also dates back nearly two decades. In 2006, after the Steelers opened their title defense with a win before dropping three straight games, a team meeting reportedly turned confrontational. Porter stood up and called out Roethlisberger for being the last to arrive and the first to leave, questioning his dedication and accusing him of distancing himself from teammates.

Former running back Najeh Davenport later described the moment as a direct challenge to the quarterback’s leadership. The tension resurfaced publicly in 2018. After a loss to the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger threw a late interception and, during a radio appearance, appeared to shift some responsibility toward Antonio Brown. He eventually apologized, but Porter felt the timing mattered.

“Now that he’s being a man and apologizing now, it’s just a couple days too late,” the former O-lineman said at that time. “All of that could have probably been avoided if he was coming to them and saying, ‘you know what, I didn’t handle that the right way’, but, that’s the way he chose to go about it and apologize now and it’s just a little too late.”

Fast forward to today, and Porter has made his position unmistakable. He respects the quarterback with whom he won a Super Bowl. But in his view, respect for the résumé doesn’t automatically translate to respect for the teammate. That said, following the 2006 season, Porter eventually left the Steelers. However, the NFL legend recently addressed that after leaving Pittsburgh, he had another offer in hand before he joined the Miami Dolphins.

Joey Porter Sr. addressed his decision to turn down the Bengals in 2007

The Steelers entered the 2007 offseason in transition. Bill Cowher retired, and Mike Tomlin stepped in as the franchise’s new head coach. Not long after, on March 1, 2007, the Steelers released Joey Porter Sr.. Although he ultimately signed with the Dolphins, Porter recently revealed he had another opportunity on the table, one he refused.

“Marvin Lewis called me as soon as when I was leaving Pittsburgh,” he said on Heyward’s podcast. “And I told him I couldn’t come there for that reason. Like, I’m not playing in no AFC North (for anyone else).”

Pittsburgh’s decision to move on from Porter followed an injury-affected 2006 season. At the same time, the organization was preparing for James Harrison to assume a larger defensive role in 2007 and was widely expected to draft LaMarr Woodley. Even though the Cincinnati Bengals made a strong push to sign him, Porter declined, unwilling to suit up for another AFC North rival.

But he rebounded in his second season with the Dolphins. Joey Porter Sr. recorded 17.5 sacks that year, earning both All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors before eventually closing out his career with the Arizona Cardinals.