On Tuesday, Ben Roethlisberger didn't pull any punches in calling out Vontaze Burfict for a low hit during Sunday's win in Cincinnati.

Speaking on 93.7 "The Fan" in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger said that the Bengals linebacker "intentionally" hit his lower legs after throwing the following pass in Sunday's 33-20 victory. Big Ben also called out Bengals fans that cheered when two of Roethlisberger's teammates were temporarily injured during Sunday's game.

How could this hit by Vontaze Burfict not be a penalty. Watch this cheap shot as he targets Ben's ankle pic.twitter.com/O4ZcT1FC5m — Charlie Batch (@CharlieBatch16) December 13, 2015

Here's what Big Ben said about the game and that specific play on Tuesday (click here to hear the entire interview, courtesy of CBS Pittsburgh):

"This was as chippy...as 'dirty' extracurricular stuff throughout the game as I've ever been apart of. There was a lot of stuff going on under piles, a lot of extra pushing, a lot of extra shoving. "I remember that play (Burfict's hit) specifically. I threw the ball, and then I remember someone hitting my lower leg. I'm not really one to complain too much to the officials, so I kinda looked at him, looked at the official, and was like 'Who just went low?' And Burfcit said 'I got pushed into you, my bad.' And the official just kinda nodded like, 'Yeah, OK.' So I just went about my day, didn't think anything of it, just kinda moved on. I turned my phone on afterwords, and one of the texts I got from a former player and a friend of mind said 'How is this not a fine or a penalty by Burfict?', and he showed me the clip of it. "I don't buy that he was pushed. I think that he definitely was diving in low, and going for my legs. It's tough. I'm just glad I didn't get hurt. There's got to be a level of professionalism when you play guys. You never want to intentionally harm somebody or put someone out of a game, or end their season, or maybe end their career. That's just not the way the game should be played."

Roethlisberger didn't end his criticism there, addressing Bengals fans that cheered during Sunday's game when Steve McLendon and Will Allen were injured after the two collided with each other after making a tackle.

"I remember looking around like, 'This is sad.' That's not what this is about. I understand you wanna win a football game, but you never want guys to get hurt. We're out here for the entertainment and to play a game. We're not out here to try to injure each other."

In terms of the officials' role in policing the game, Big Ben said that he didn't see a single official during the scuffle that ensued between the two teams prior to the game, while adding that the officials need to "do something" when players continue to engage in "extracurricular" hits after the whistle despite being warned on multiple occasions.

While he defended himself and his teammates on Tuesday, Roethlisberger made his biggest impact two days earlier, in the heat of battle when his teammates could have retaliated.

"I talked to the team and said, 'From every level of sports that I've ever been apart of, if the other team tries to start a fight, that's usually because they're either scared, or they don't think we can hang with you," Roethlisberger said. "Throughout that game, as they were trying to pick fights and do extracurricular stuff, it kinda let us all know that we just gotta play our game. Don't get caught up in the extra stuff, because nothing good's gonna come from it."

Over the years, Pittsburgh fans have seen Ben Roethlisberger go from a young, wild quarterback to a groomed leader that has the respect and command of the entire team. And while his play on the field speaks volumes, Big Ben's maturity as a leader has made just as big of an impact on a Steelers team that kept their heads on Sunday while proving to be the stronger team, both mentally and physically.

