The small feud between quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and wide receiver Antonio Brown was a huge reason why the Pittsburgh Steelers ended up dealing away their superstar receiver. With Brown now gone, Roethlisberger has opened up, acknowledging his part of the deterioration of the relationship between the two of them.
During a sit-down interview with KDKA’s Bob Pompeani (via 247 Sports), Roethlisberger spoke for the first time since Brown left the team, and said that he regretted publicly criticizing Brown and his route-running after a loss to the Denver Broncos in 2018.
“I took some heat and deservedly so for some of the comments on that show and especially towards him,” Roethlisberger said, via Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan. “I genuinely feel bad about that and I'm sorry. Did I go too far after that Denver game? Probably…”
“That's the thing about media and social media,” Roethlisberger said. “As soon as you say ‘Sorry' it only goes so far. You can't take it back. And I wish I could because if that's what ruined our friendship and relationship, I truly, genuinely sorry about that.”
Roethlisberger said that he attempted to reach out to Brown after the 2018 season ended, but it seems as if the damage was already done. While Brown never ended up responding to Roethlisberger, the receiver had already decided that he wanted to leave the Steelers.
Now with the Oakland Raiders, Brown will have to hope to form better chemistry with quarterback Derek Carr, while Roethlisberger will have to try and learn to pull back on certain comments and discuss some matters in private with players.
While it’s unknown if either party has learned much following the incident, it’s at least nice to see Roethlisberger beginning to open up about the issue, which could go a long way in gaining the trust of his current and future teammates.
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