Players of the Pittsburgh Steelers were understandably emotional towards the end of their unexpected defeat at the hands of the Cleveland Browns on Sunday.
For his part, Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster shared a tearjerking moment with quarterback Ben Roethlisberger moments before the final whistle.
Smith-Schuster was reduced to tears as he approached Roethlisberger on the bench. After the game, the former shared the words that were spoken between them as the Steelers stared down elimination from the playoffs against the Browns:
“I'm so thankful to have him as a quarterback, and I wouldn't change it,” Smith-Schuster said in sharing what he told Roethlisberger, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I told him, I don't know what your plans or what's planned for you guys, but I'm truly thankful, from the time I walked in, first day, to the time Ben taking me under his wing. Ben told me that, ‘You fought hard, you're a warrior and thank you.' It was just all love.”
Roethlisberger was himself in tears as he lived through the final moments of Sunday's loss. It's no secret that the 38-year-old is already in the twilight of his career, and that at this point, he could have already played his last game as a professional.
It's also going to be an interesting summer for Smith-Schuster, who himself will be a free agent for the first time in his career. It could very well be that he and Roethlisberger will part ways after this season — a notion that makes Sunday's defeat even more devastating.
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