The Pittsburgh Steelers are entering uncharted territory during the 2026 offseason. Pittsburgh hired Mike McCarthy as their new head coach after 19 seasons under Mike Tomlin's leadership. The path forward for the Steelers is currently unclear. That's left some former players with nothing left to do but bicker about the past.
Former Steelers guard David DeCastro protected Ben Roethlisberger once again during a recent interview on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh.
DeCastro shot back at former Steeler Joey Porter Sr., who criticized Roethlisberger during Super Bowl week.
“Everyone is entitled to their opinion,” DeCastro said. “I guess, you know, negativity seems to sell these days. But, you know, I loved playing with Ben — for Ben, protecting him. You know, it was a big task. I just loved his energy. I mean, Ben’s the ultimate competitor, no matter what it is. Whether it’s corn hole, darts, pool, shooting — playing horse, basketball. He’s the guy when you get in the huddle, he’s got the energy. He does the head tap before the games, the pregame thing, go around tap everyone’s head. . . . You miss getting those juices flowing and, you know, having a guy like that. That’s what you need as a quarterback. That energy, that will, that want to win. It was contagious, and I took a lot of pride in protecting a Hall of Fame quarterback.”
Porter flat out called Roethlisberger a bad teammate and a bad person during the interview that DeCastro is talking about.
“He’s not a good teammate. Won a Super Bowl with him, but the person? He’s just not a good teammate,” Porter said. “He knows that. Anybody in the Steeler building knows that. But we protected him because I’ve only won one Super Bowl, and that was my quarterback. So do I love my quarterback? Yeah. But is he a good person? No.”
Porter did claim that Roethlisberger was a talented quarterback. However, he clearly did not enjoy playing on the same team as him.
This situation must be especially awkward for Joey Porter Jr., who is currently a cornerback for the Steelers.
