Cam Heyward voices disagreement with Ben Roethlisberger for comments on 'me-type attitude' of younger generation
Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward is weighing in on former teammate Ben Roethlisberger‘s recent hot take on the younger generation of players.
In an article from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the now-retired quarterback claimed “the game has changed” and a “me-type attitude” is more prevalent in the league than before. Heyward, an 11-year NFL veteran, disagreed. The defensive tackle said he “took offense” to Roethlisberger’s comments, defending his teammates’ commitment to the Steelers in the process.
“It looks as though we are looked at as selfish players, and I don’t think that’s the point,” Heyward said according to ESPN. “We have a lot of young players that come from different backgrounds, have experienced different things from what others or I may have experienced. That doesn’t make them selfish or more of a me-type attitude. … There are a lot more team-first guys than me-type attitude. I took offense to that.”
Cam Heyward went on to say that Ben Roethlisberger was “a little out there on that one,” but clarified that he doesn’t want this to be taken as any sort of shot toward the six-time Pro Bowler.
“Don’t say Cam is calling out Ben — it’s not like that,” Heyward said. “But I will say, I’ll protect my team. I will make sure that everybody knows that we care only about football on the field and less about off the field. We can all understand Ben has been a heck of a QB. You don’t do this game and become a Hall of Fame quarterback and do it at a low level.
“Ben has taken some hits not a lot of other teams could do. He saved us, he won games we weren’t supposed to win, and he’s always stepped up. But it was the team around him that helped him do it, and I don’t want anyone to ever forget that the whole team won — not just Ben.”
Roethlisberger, 40, played his entire 18-year career as the Steelers’ starting quarterback before retiring this past January. He finished with the fifth-most passing yards (64,088) in NFL history and led the Steelers to Super Bowl championships after the 2005 and 2008 seasons. Heyward, a five-time Pro Bowler himself, was his teammate for the past 11 seasons.
Ben Roethlisberger addresses differences from when he entered NFL to now
In Roethlisberger’s full quote, he addressed the changes that have taken place since he entered the league in 2004. He also brought up how college football players now have the advantage of NIL, which he believes could lead to a sense of entitlement.
“The team was so important,” Roethlisberger said. “It was all about the team. Now, it’s about me and this, that and the other. 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. Neither did [Bill] Cowher.”