Steelers/NFL
Locker rift in Titletown?
A locker rift? That’s the growing buzz surrounding the defending Super Bowl champs who have lost three straight.
Hines Ward whose at the center of the controversy for his comments about star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger will look to rectify the issue but is the damage already done?
Ward claimed after the game that his comments were taking out of context.
“I’m not going to question Ben’s toughness; the guy came back from a motorcycle incident and played that whole year,” Ward said. “So me questioning his toughness, that was never the case. It wasn’t me calling Ben out.”
“It was just me frustrated, because I knew what type of game Baltimore was going to be not having No. 7 out there and having our backs against the wall.”
Today Ward said at the Steelers facility that he plans to speak to Roethlisberger. One person Ward will be meeting with is head coach Mike Tomlin, who will meet with his entire team today.
Tomlin will look to put this issue behind them. Ward was clearly out of line going public with his comments. He should have the handled the issue internally or kept his comments to himself.
But, the Steelers have to move on and focus on Oakland.
“During the week, there was no indication that he wasn’t going to play in this game,” Ward said on Monday in a phone interview with ESPN. “I was just frustrated not having him in there. One thing about Ben, he’s a winner. And we like to surround ourselves with winners.”
“Right now we just got to worry about Oakland and try to get better,” Ward said. “But the whole situation I think kind of got blown out of proportion. It was just all frustration.”
