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You think Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown are the only members, or former members, of the Pittsburgh Steelers to be heavily criticized by the local and mainstream media over the past months?
Think again.
Mike Tomlin certainly was given plenty of blame for the Steelers’ short comings, but let’s not leave Ben Roethlisberger out of this mess.
Throughout the past few seasons Roethlisberger’s Tuesday radio show has become a must-listen event to hear what the franchise quarterback has to say.
Will he suggest he might retire?
Will he throw another teammate under the bus?
Will he criticize a coach?
All have happened before, multiple times, and is a large reason why Brown went after the quarterback on social media as he attempts his departure from the team. Shannon Sharpe and other talking heads have all taken turns bashing Roethlisberger as a horrible teammate and an unsatisfactory leader throughout the process.
Regardless what they may think of Roethlisberger the leader, or even what the fan base thinks of him, the Steelers organization gave No. 7 a huge boost of confidence when Kevin Colbert met with the media on Wednesday and not just supported Roethlisberger, but also his leadership habits.
Here’s the longer answer from Kevin Colbert on why he has “absolutely no problem” with Ben Roethlisberger publicly criticizing teammates. pic.twitter.com/ppw75kYhxK
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) February 20, 2019
GMKC goes out of his way to make it know that Ben Roethlisberger is a great leader and that he has zero issues of 7 calling out anybody publicly. Said he can call him out if he feels the need. @TheAthleticPGH
— Mark Kaboly (@MarkKaboly) February 20, 2019
Many fans had to shake their head and roll their eyes when they saw this scroll across their Twitter feeds, but you can’t really be surprised by this. After all, Roethlisberger and Colbert are directly linked. If Colbert is on the Titanic, and the Titanic wears No. 7 for the Steelers, he would be playing the violin on the deck as the ship goes down.
However, unlike the famous cruise liner, if Roethlisberger not only keeps the vessel afloat, but gets them to their ultimate destination, Colbert will be able to sit back and relax knowing his job is safe for years to come.
With Brown and Bell gone, Colbert is putting all his chips on Roethlisberger, and can you blame him? Sure, his play has been inconsistent, but anyone with a brain knows the Steelers’ success, at least offensively, hinges on Roethlisberger’s right arm...not Brown or Bell.
What are your thoughts on Colbert’s comments? Do you agree? Or disagree? Let us know in the comment section below!