The Pittsburgh Steelers have seen a lot of great football with Ben Roethlisberger under center. He needs no introduction, as the two Super Bowl wins speak for themselves. There were definitely some low moments to go along with the highs, but he is still all but confirmed to make it to the Hall of Fame once he is eligible. He officially became a member of the team's Hall of Honor, and he was recognized during the Week 15 victory. All in all, it was a great career for #7.
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Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin and then-quarterback Ben Roethlisberger celebrate after winning the AFC Championship Game to move onto the Super Bowl.
Roethlisberger came clean however, about some things that he did wrong. While recently hosting his show, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger, he told former Steelers running back Merril Hoge exactly what his biggest regret was during his time in Pittsburgh.
"I'd tell guys on the team: point the thumb first. 'Hey, I messed up,'" Roethlisberger said. "There was some regrets when it came to postgame stuff where I’m like, 'Man, I wish I would’ve been more that’s on me, type thing.'"
It's good to see that Roethlisberger is still learning how to be a better leader, even though he does not have a role on the team at all anymore. Retiring does not mean that he can just drop all the leadership qualities he had, even if he wasn't seen as the greatest leader to some. He still has kids to teach, and they need to learn how to grow up and be great as well. Watching their father continue to grow will only help them.
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Steelers' Ben Roethlisberger waves to fans as he walks off the Kansas City Chiefs home turf.
Roethlisberger might be right about the fact that he did not take blame enough. Many believe he did have a bad tendency to throw people under the bus and avoid accountability, and that caused tension in the locker room on a regular basis. Even if certain things were truly not his fault, he still would not handle it in the right way. That would include things he would say on his radio show, where he volunteered to talk to the people.
Steelers Had Numerous Instances Like This
In a 2018 loss to the Denver Broncos, Roethlisberger failed to connect on a pass with receiver James Washington on what would have been a big play. Instead of talking about how he could have thrown a better ball, he spoke about how Washington messed it up and how the coaching staff went on him hard. That's not something you want to hear go public as a rookie that's trying to catch on.
Another Steeler great in Hines Ward caught on to all of the constant trashing of Roethlisberger's teammates, and he threw the blame back onto him for not being a good enough leader. They won two Super Bowls together, but that doesn't mean that he has to put up with his quarterback refusing to take accountability. Even after Ward retired, he had no issue with calling him out.
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Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and Super Bowl XL MVP, Hines Ward, holds up the Vince Lombardi Trophy while celebrating with his young son Jaden.
The Killer B's era was very volatile already with all the big personalities and egos all over the team. Being a team captain means you have to take accountability and try to control the situation, as opposed to joining in on the chaos. That is where Roethlisberger messed up, and it's a big reason why that team is seen in more of a negative light now, despite the insane talent.
Obviously, the past is the past, and no one can change what happened there. All Roethlisberger can do now is realize what he did wrong and use that to be a better person now while making sure his children don't grow up with that same ego. That seems to be exactly what he's doing. Progress is progress, and it's great to see him learning from his mistakes.
What do you think about Roethlisberger's regret? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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