Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is about as surly as he is large, and lately he’s channeled some of that surliness toward his own teammates. After Sunday’s loss to the Broncos, Roethlisberger went on a local radio show and fired some criticisms at his offensive coordinator, Antonio Brown, and James Washington. Today he explained that it’s fine for him to be kind of a dick to his teammates on the radio, because he’s earned the right to do so “as a quarterback and the captain.”



From Trib Live:

“Being around for a long time with a lot of different players,” Roethlisberger said. “You have to know how to motivate different guys in different ways. I think that’s part of being a leader, being a captain, just understanding players. Sometimes you just grab them off to the side, and sometimes you have to be honest with them.”

How does Roethlisberger think teammates receive it when he publicly criticizes them?

“Go ask them,” he said. “I have no idea.