Last week, Joey Porter Sr. set social media ablaze by disparaging Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback icon Ben Roethlisberger , claiming the two-time Super Bowl-winning signal-caller wasn't a good teammate or person on Cam Heyward 's podcast.
Ex-NFL tight end Shannon Sharpe, who began his commentating career just weeks after Roethlisberger was drafted and has been plugged into the league behind the scenes, believes the whispers about Roethlisberger might extend his wait to get to Canton.
"It's gonna be tough for Ben to get in on the first ballot," Sharpe said Thursday on the "Nightcap" podcast. "I'm telling you. Everybody knew some of the things that were going on that didn't get reported."
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) during practice at Heinz Field preparing for a Wild Card Round matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, Friday, Jan. 14, 2022 in Pittsburgh, PA. (Karl Roser / Pittsburgh Steelers)
Along with Roethlisberger, Rob Gronkowski , Adrian Peterson , Richard Sherman , Antonio Brown , Le'Veon Bell, Cam Newton , Eric Weddle and Andrew Whitworth will be candidates for next year's Pro Football Hall of Fame class. New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and legendary head coach Bill Belichick, who were left on the ballot this time around, will also contend for busts.
Sharpe peeled back the curtain a little further, stressing that Roethlisberger crossed the line by commenting on now-former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin during the team's fluctuating second half of the past season.
"We've been with guys that were great teammates, but not good people," Sharpe said. "What Joey is saying is he is a combination. He wasn't a good person or a good teammate. That's what I deduced from what he was saying. Most of the time, publicly, even if you're the worst of the worst, your teammates will come to your defense, because that's what you're supposed to do. And you see, for the longest time, they did that — until he broke the code by coming after Mike Tomlin."
Sharpe added that, if he was Roethlisberger, he wouldn't respond to Porter's comments.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Hall of Fame Voters Could Penalize Big Ben for Steelers Past
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