PITTSBURGH -- After attributing a lack of playoff success to a rise in "me-first" players, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger walked back his comments in an interview with a local radio station Thursday.
"I probably should've been more detailed, more specific," Roethlisberger told 102.5 DVE. "It's not the majority of guys are that way."
Roethlisberger's clarification comes a day after Steelers defensive lineman Cam Heyward refuted in his "Not Just Football with Cam Heyward" podcast Roethlisberger's claims that the dynamic in the locker room shifted from a "team-first to a me-type attitude" toward the end of Roethlisberger's 18-year career.
"Cam and I have sat down many times in the last couple years and had the same conversations," Roethlisberger said. "I get Cam supporting his teammates. I wasn't trying to bash anyone specifically, I was just making a broad stroke comment. ... I agree with him, and I should've been more clear. The majority of guys on that team are team-first guys."
Heyward was Roethlisberger's teammate from 2011 until last season, when the future Hall of Fame quarterback retired. In the most recent edition of his podcast, he said he disagreed with Roethlisberger's observation, saying it made him "a little bit upset."
Roethlisberger, 40, played his entire 18-year career as the Steelers' starting quarterback before retiring in January. He was a six-time Pro Bowler, finished his career 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.