Ben Roethlisberger’s reputation has been pummeled by ex-teammates this offseason, with everyone from All-Pros like Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell knocking the quarterback to little-used running back Josh Harris, who accused Roethlisberger of intentionally fumbling on a play in 2014.
Now, it appears some other players finally have Roethlisberger’s back.
Pro Bowl center Maurkice Pouncey defended Roethlisberger on Instagram on Wednesday.
“I’ve been with Ben going on 10 years I swear on my kids he is a true LEADER!” Pouncey wrote. “Sucks to see players who leave and are mad at the organization now try and point fingers like they are perfect! But this is the world we live in now!”
Ramon Foster, who plays left guard alongside Pouncey on Pittsburgh’s offensive line, agreed in a reply to Pouncey’s post.
“It’s wild the world we live in,’’ Foster wrote. “No one has asked the people talking, ‘What was your role in this?’ Everyone talking in these interviews is innocent, huh? If we really told the other side, they would be crickets.”
Roethlisberger’s former backup, Bruce Gradkowski, insisted Harris was wrong in his belief that Roethlisberger fumbled on purpose late in a Steelers victory over the Bengals in 2014. Harris insisted that Roethlisberger was frustrated over a play call by offensive coordinator Todd Haley.
“Todd Haley called a run play with very little time left in the game,” Harris wrote on Twitter. “Ben wanted to kneel. He rolled his eyes in the huddle. He then purposely fumbles the ball. I had to recover it. At that moment I knew what [kind of] person he was.”
Gradkowski disputed that notion on Twitter, posting a video and commentary of the play in question, and insisted the miscue came on a play on which the fullback was lined up in a different spot than normal and Roethlisberger didn’t realize it, which caused a collision and fumble.
“Ben is the fiercest competitor I’ve ever been around,” Gradkowski said. “There is no way he fumbled on purpose.”
