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Ex-Steelers CB blames Ben Roethlisberger for his Pittsburgh exit
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- Ex-Steelers CB blames Ben Roethlisberger for his Pittsburgh exit
Joey Porter isn't the only former Pittsburgh Steeler firing shots at the legendary Ben Roethlisberger , as cornerback Steven Nelson just took aim at the future Hall of Famer.
On a recent episode of the Corner Suite Podcast, Nelson blamed Roethlisberger for his own contractual issues with Pittsburgh, which he claims had a lasting impact on the organization.
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"I was upset because [the Steelers] let Ben dictate keeping that roster together, moving forward," Nelson said . "That's why I was upset. They didn't kick me out of Pittsburgh, they tried to trade me. They tried to trade me. And they tried to make me take a pay cut for who? Big Ben. A guy that was declining in his career."
Nelson then said it was "no knock on Big Ben," but continued to blame Roethlisberger's contract situation for ruining a "great team" and the long-term quarterback instability that resulted soon after.
"The team was more interested in appeasing Big Ben and doing whatever Big Ben was," Nelson said. "To me that was just selfish and negligent. You had a good young team right there. You had a great team that was meshing really well and you sabotaged the whole mother f------ thing for one person. You want to know why the Pittsburgh Steelers had struggles with finding a quarterback for the long-term solution? It's 'cause that 2019 and 2020 situation happened."
Roethlisberger would, however, take a pay cut in March 2021 to keep the Steelers as competitive as possible.
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Nelson's criticism of the Steelers' succession plan for Roethlisberger is one that many fans have shared for years, directing much of their frustration at Mike Tomlin for failing to develop and/or find their next quarterback.
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This article originally appeared on Steelers Wire: Former Steelers CB Steven Nelson blasts Big Ben for roster management
