Various storylines regarding the Pittsburgh Steelers tend to come out every single offseason. Some of them have to do with speculation about the long break and what the team will do to improve the roster, while other interesting things come to the surface because pundits and former players don't have much to talk about. On Wednesday, the Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast released an episode that featured former outside linebacker Joey Porter Sr. completely rip into legendary quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
Steph Chambers / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Steelers outside linebackers coach Joey Porter Sr give instruction to TJ Watt and Farrington Huguenin during rookie minicamp at the UPMC Sports Complex in 2017.
Porter was quoted saying that Roethlisberger was not a good teammate, and went on about how a lot of people within the Steelers' organization know that the future Hall of Famer was not necessarily a great person. These words from Porter quickly flooded social media and many began to give their own opinions on the matter, including some of Roethlisberger's other former teammates.
Roethlisberger played his entire 18-year career in the Steel City, and brought home two championships for the franchise. However, despite being drafted in 2004, his first season selected as a team captain wasn't until 2008, after he had already played four campaigns and won a Super Bowl. It's hard to imagine a starting signal-caller having to wait for a captaincy nod until year five.
On Wednesday, NFL insider Aditi Kinkhabwala joined The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller to talk about the Steelers and revealed a shocking story about how Roethlisberger was elected as a captain for the first time. According to her reporting, Mike Tomlin threw out the votes because he believed it was time for his starting signal-caller to receive the honor.
"I mean, I will say I was told a long long long long long time ago the same story about the captaincy," Kinkhabwala said. "The votes went in, the director of player development — or whatever his title was at the time — tabulated them as normal and Mike Tomlin said, 'No, it's time for our quarterback to be a captain,' and the votes were essentially thrown out."
While a head coach does have final say in what happens in a locker room, voting for captains is considered sacred because it is the teammates that vote for the ones that they believe deserve it. It appears as if that, in this case, Tomlin made sure to override his players and rigged the captain votes. That's a pretty incredible accusation, but also very astonishing if true.
Andrew Stein / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Steelers head coach, Mike Tomlin (left) and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (right) smiling on the field before team gets ready to work at a training camp practice at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, PA back in 2018.
Fans will always appreciate what Roethlisberger did for the organization, but Porter's comments are quickly becoming a talking point and allowing for insiders and former players to chime in. Kinkhabwala saying that Tomlin essentially started the trend of voting Roethlisberger as a captain in an unconventional way is notable. The head coach cared about the signal-caller, and the public's perception of the team's culture.
It will be hard to determine if the story is true for the public, but it would be a pretty fascinating thing to make up on the veteran reporter's part. Back in 2008, Roethlisberger had already experienced some controversy, so it should not come off as a total shock if he did not yet have the full trust of the locker room. Overall, however, that didn't seem to allegedly matter. Tomlin threw the votes out and Roethlisberger became a captain.
Matt Freed / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger communicates with his old head coach Mike Tomlin as the two strategize on the sideline during a professional football game away from Pittsburgh.
Steelers Are Facing First Year Without The Dynamic Duo Since 2007
In 2026, Pittsburgh will embark on a new journey. This time, it will be one that does not include Tomlin or Roethlisberger. The team hasn't won a postseason contest since the 2016 campaign, and it will officially be learned if that had something to do with one, or both, of the individuals that were the faces of the organization. For now, it certainly is captivating that a report is coming out about the former head coach rigging team captaincy voting.
Do you think that the Steelers are better off now without both Tomlin and Roethlisberger? Let us know in the comments below!
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