Recently retired Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger has an opinion on the make-up of the modern football player.
His conclusion is? Today’s players are coddled.
In an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the man who quarterbacked the Steelers longer than anyone has ever quarterbacked the Steelers, says that the focus on the team that was present when he entered the league in 2004 is no longer there.
When asked to list his biggest regrets, Roethlisberger listed the fact that the Steelers won only three playoff games since losing to the Packers in the Super bowl in 2010. A regret he seems to feel was due at least in part to the selfishness of the modern player.
“I feel like the game has changed,” Roethlisberger said. “I feel like the people have changed in a sense. Maybe it’s because I got spoiled when I came in. The team was so important. It was all about the team. Now, it’s about me and this, that and the other.
Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers talks to Chase Claypool #11 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during the fourth quarter of the AFC Wild Card Playoff game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium on January 16, 2022, in Kansas City, Missouri. (David Eulitt/Getty Images)
“I might be standing on a soapbox a little bit, but that’s my biggest takeaway from when I started to the end. It turned from a team-first to a me-type attitude. It was hard. It’s hard for these young guys, too. Social media. They’re treated so well in college. Now, this new NIL stuff, which is unbelievable. They’re treated so special. They’re coddled at a young age because college coaches need them to win, too. I know coach [Terry] Hoeppner never coddled me [at Miami of Ohio]. Neither did [Bill] Cowher.”
Is Roethlisberger wrong in saying that the modern player is coddled? Certainly not. Is he correct in attributing that to a lack of playoff wins since 2010? That’s highly debatable.
The Steelers arguably had their most athletically talented teams after they lost to the Packers in the 2010 Super Bowl. Were some of the players on those teams selfish? Absolutely.
Antonio Brown #84 and Ben Roethlisberger #7 of the Pittsburgh Steelers look on against the Oakland Raiders during the first half of their NFL football game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on December 9, 2018, in Oakland, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Did Roethlisberger make mistakes in playoff games that cost his team? He most certainly did.
Could it also be argued that Roethlisberger was “coddled?” One could certainly make the argument that the serious misconduct allegations against the Steelers QB in 2009 and 2010 maybe should have received more attention and/or discipline from the league.
In any event, while Roethlisberger’s point about the modern player certainly rings true. Blaming that for why the second half of his career was far less successful than the first just falls flat.
Were the Steelers the only team to be foiled by the rise of the modern, selfish athlete? Hardly. The selfishness of “coddled” players impacts all 32 franchises, and plenty of them went on to win a lot more playoff games than the Steelers over the last 12 years.
Roethlisberger went to three Super Bowls, won two of them, made tens of millions of dollars, and got to play his entire (very long) career in one of the best places to play football. He should probably just be happy about that and forget the sour grapes.