Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker defended former teammate Ben Roethlisberger after Joey Porter, another former Steelers star, went after the retired quarterback. During an appearance on Cameron Heyward’s podcast during Super Bowl week, Porter called out Roethlisberger for “talking Steelers business.”
Harrison didn’t appreciate Porter’s comments. During Monday’s airing of the “Deebo & Joe” podcast with Joe Haden, the retired defender shared his opinion.
MORE: Former Steelers champion blasts Ben Roethlisberger in furious rant
“Me, personally, I do not think Ben is a bad teammate,” Harrison said.
Porter took issue with Harrison and Roethlisberger for breaking the “brotherhood” by criticizing former coach Mike Tomlin during the 2025 NFL season.
“That was a pure-out attack on Ben’s character, and what I said about Mike was an attack on his coaching,” Harrison said. “Two different things. That’s more breaking the brotherhood than what Ben said. Ben said, ‘I think I feel like maybe Tomlin should move on.’ Like, come on, bruh. That’s what he said.
“I went way harder than that,” Harrison added. “But (Porter) went on (the attack) because he, obviously, has a personal issue with Ben that hasn’t been resolved.”
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James Harrison explained why people resented Ben Roethlisberger
Additionally, James Harrison touched on Porter calling Roethlisberger a “bad teammate.” He explained that “Big Ben” evolved throughout his career, and he started seeing things in a different light than when he won a Super Bowl at 23.
“Hell yeah, that’s going to stroke my ego and give me delusions of grandeur. But over time, (Roethlisberger) has matured and grown up. You don’t value the same things you did at 23 as you do at 30. Hell, I’m a different person at 47 than I was at 45. And I’m a far worse person at 40 than I was at 45.”
As the Steelers enter a new era with Mike McCarthy as head coach, the stars of the past engaged in a verbal battle that may not have a winner.
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