During the offseason, Roethlisberger said on his podcast that it might be time to “clean house” in Pittsburgh. The former star QB eventually softened that stance when asked about it during his induction into the Steelers Hall of Honor; however, it clearly rubbed Porter the wrong way.
The former linebacker — who was also a Steelers assistant coach from 2014-18 — gave the example of Big Ben refusing to sign memorabilia for teammates, a common practice in the locker room.
“He was telling people, ‘No, I’m not going to sign it,'” Porter said. “So when he did that, who do they come and tell? The captain. … 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.”
Porter also said that Big Ben would not have captained the team if he had not been hired by the coaches.
“No one is going to vote him as captain because he has no captain quality,” Porter said.
Harrison avoided the same flamethrower that Porter leveled at Big Ben but drew criticism for what Porter saw as shots at Tomlin, including for showing personal conversations with the former Steelers coach.
“You think the head coach didn’t have a hand in making this player? So when you say he didn’t do anything for you, that’s crazy,” Porter said. “Then it’s like, damn it, why would you shoot the man who changed your life? [Bill] Cowher didn’t change your life. Cowher cut you three times.”
While figuring out his QB position is the No. 1 priority.