There’s no question that Ben Roethlisberger supports his team and coaches and is a leader on and off the field. But as a quarterback in the NFL, he had to step in after criticism against Oakland Raider’s quarterback, Derek Carr, surfaced after their Week 7 loss against the Seahawks.
Cameras caught Carr in an emotional moment, potentially crying, after being sacked. But it didn’t take long for Carr to set the press and fans straight. He addressed the incident on Twitter later.
Don’t even waste your time with this big bro. On the ground I yelled get me up get me. Then I got to the sideline and yelled again. Not one tear. Not one time. There is the Truth. People will click on it because it sounds crazy. But stop playing with me.
— Derek Carr (@derekcarrqb) October 23, 2018
It also didn’t take long for Roethlisberger to chime in and give his opinion on the apparent incident. Big Ben was asked if he felt that quarterbacks should allow themselves to cry in front of their teammates, and he was quick to respond.
“Just because you cry doesn’t mean you’re any less manly," Big Ben said. After the broad question, he was then asked directly about Carr’s incident on the field.
“He might have been (physically) hurting, who knows?” Roethlisberger said. “I know I have cried in the locker room before from both joy and pain. You lose a football game, (you hurt). If you’re not showing emotion -- if he gets up from something like that (getting sacked and fumbling late in a blowout loss) and he’s laughing, then he’s going to get chastised for not showing enough emotion. I don’t know exactly the story (regarding Carr)… but for me, I don’t think it makes us any less of a man to show emotion.”
There are plenty of times that NFL players and coaches have cried because of the joy or pain of the game. Roethlisberger, for example, appeared to share a very emotional moment with Jerome Bettis after Super Bowl XL. Rumors confirmed that the emotional moment stemmed from the promise Big Ben made to Bettis to help him retire as a Super Bowl Champion.
The Pittsburgh Steelers' founder, Art Rooney, after accepting the first Vince Lombardi Trophy for the franchise, openly shared tears with players surrounding him after Pittsburgh's win over the Vikings in Super Bowl IX.
More recently, Mike Tomlin reportedly shared tears in front of his players after the Steelers lost the battle during the playoffs against the Denver Broncos.
Win or lose, football is a game of emotions, and emotions flare on and off the field. Roethlisberger has definitely been a part of that too, and his comments backing up Derek Carr, whether it happened or not, are incredibly justified.
