Not everyone hates Ben Roethlisberger.
After Joey Porter’s scathing criticism of the former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback during Super Bowl week, James Harrison — also criticized by Porter — took Big Ben’s side in the controversy.
“I personally don’t think Ben’s a bad teammate,” Harrison said on Monday’s “Deebo and Joe” podcast with Joe Haden.
Porter accused Roethlisberger and Harrison of breaking the “brotherhood” by criticizing Mike Tomlin during the 2025 season. The former linebacker took his attack on Big Ben a step further, calling him a bad man and a bad teammate.
“It was a pure attack on Ben’s character and what I said about Mike was an attack on his coach,” Harrison said, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “Two different things. There’s more to breaking the brotherhood than what Ben said. Ben said, ‘I think maybe Tomlin should move on.’ Come on, bruh. That’s what he said.”
“I went a lot harder than that,” Harrison added. “But (Porter) continued (the attack) because he obviously has a personal issue with Ben that hasn’t been resolved.”
Porter attacked Roethlisberger for being a bad teammate, specifically refusing to sign gear for teammates. However, Harrison noted that Big Ben grew as he got older and was not the same player near the end of his career.
“I have a good relationship with Ben,” Harrison said. “I can say this because I talked to Ben – it won’t be news to him – but ‘Seven’ could be (expletive). These are facts. When Ben came in, this man went 13-1 as a rookie starter. The team was 15-1. In his second season, the team won the Super Bowl. Youngest quarterback to do it, 23 years old.
“Hell yeah, it’ll stroke my ego and give me delusions of grandeur. But over time (Roethlisberger) has matured and matured. You don’t appreciate the same things you did at 23 that you do at 30. Hell, I’m a different person at 47 than I was at 45. And I was 45.”
Harrison wasn’t the only one defending the star QB. Former Steelers guard David DeCastro spoke glowingly of Big Ben during an appearance on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Monday.
“Everybody’s entitled to their opinion,” DeCastro said. “I guess, you know, negativity seems to sell these days. But, you know, I loved playing with Ben – for Ben, protecting him. You know, it was a big project. I just loved his energy. I mean, Ben is the ultimate competitor, no matter what it is. Whether it’s cornhole, darts, pool, shooting – playing horse, basketball … That’s what you need as a manager. That energy, that will, that wants to win.
We still haven’t heard from Big Ben about the hornet’s nest Porter stirred up in Pittsburgh.