PITTSBURGH — The Iron Curtain isn’t just rusting; it’s being torn apart from the inside. Less than a month after Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach, the Steelers’ alumni network has dissolved into open warfare.
Joey Porter Sr., the legendary linebacker and former assistant coach, appeared on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast this week and delivered a blistering character assassination of former teammate Ben Roethlisberger. The segment, which has already garnered millions of views, targets Roethlisberger’s recent criticism of Tomlin, who departed in January following a Wild Card loss to the Houston Texans.
Porter didn’t hold back, accusing the two-time Super Bowl champion of being a “bad person” who bullied teammates and lacked genuine leadership qualities.
“Foul of All Foul”
The friction stems from comments Roethlisberger made on his Footbahlin podcast late in the 2025 season, where he suggested Tomlin should leave for Penn State and that it was “time for a change.” Former linebacker James Harrison has been even louder, claiming on his own show that Tomlin is not a Hall of Fame coach.
Porter, who coached on Tomlin’s staff from 2015-18, views these critiques as a betrayal of the standard.
“Seven definitely broke the brotherhood. The s— that Seven did that we don’t talk about is crazy. Out of anybody, he should never grab a microphone and really talk Steelers business, because if we’re talking Steelers business, his ass is foul of all foul.” — Joey Porter Sr., via Not Just Football
Porter drew a sharp line between Roethlisberger the player and Roethlisberger the man.
“He’s not a good teammate,” Porter said. “Won a Super Bowl with him, but the person, he’s just not a good teammate. Like he knows that, anybody in the Steeler building knows that, but we protected him… So do I love my quarterback? Yeah, but is he a good person? No.”
The Autograph Incident
To support his claims, Porter detailed a specific incident from Roethlisberger’s rookie season in 2004. According to Porter, the young quarterback refused to sign an autograph for the family member of defensive end Aaron Smith, a beloved veteran in the locker room.
“Who the hell is too cool to sign for your teammate?” Porter asked, contrasting Ben’s behavior with the generosity of Jerome Bettis and Hines Ward. Porter claims he had to confront Roethlisberger immediately.
Porter also attacked the legitimacy of Roethlisberger’s captaincy in later years, alleging the title was handed to him by management rather than earned by player vote.
“He came in an era where they just gave you a seat, because if he wasn’t a captain, he’d probably have a hissy fit,” Porter said. “But nobody’s going to vote for him as captain because he don’t have no captain qualities.”
Context: A Franchise in Transition
This public airing of grievances comes at a fragile moment for the franchise. The Steelers are currently navigating their first coaching transition in nearly two decades, with former Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy taking over for Tomlin. The organization usually prides itself on keeping internal strife behind closed doors, but the void left by Tomlin appears to have loosened those lips.
Roethlisberger has not yet responded to Porter, but the quarterback has been active in the media cycle. In November, he issued a public apology to former center Kendrick Green after joking that the Steelers gave him a “center who had never played center before” during his final season. Roethlisberger admitted the comment was unfair to Green, who was playing out of position.
It remains to be seen if he will offer similar contrition—or a counterattack—to Porter.
