Cameron Heyward has rebuttal to Roethlisberger’s ‘me-type’ comments

Ben Roethlisberger’s ‘me-type’ comments rubbed Cameron Heyward the wrong way. Here’s how the Steelers defensive lineman responded.

Earlier this week, Ben Roethlisberger made headlines for some of his brash comments in an exclusive interview with Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ron Cook. Now that he doesn’t have to deal with the repercussions, Big Ben certainly doesn’t seem to be afraid to speak his mind.

Roethlisberger opened up about the difference in player attitudes when he first entered the league compared to now. He claimed that these young players are ‘coddled’ and thinks that most don’t care about the team anymore.

Here were some of Ben’s words on the matter, according to Cook:

"“I feel like the game has changed. I feel like the people have changed in a sense. Maybe it’s because I got spoiled when I came in. The team was so important. It was all about the team. Now, it’s about me and this, that and the other."

Roethlisberger had plenty more to say during the exclusive interview, but these comments in particular really rubbed some Steelers the wrong way. One current player who had an issue with this was All-Pro defensive lineman, Cameron Heyward.

Like Roethlisberger, Heyward is one of the few players on the team that has been around for more than a decade. He has seen many teammates come and go but insists that the mission has always been the same.

When Roethlisberger made his comments about current players having a ‘me-type’ attitudes, Heyward apparently took offense. Here’s what Heyward had to say in a rebuttal on his “Not Just Football” podcast, according to ESPN:

"“It looks as though we are looked at as selfish players, and I don’t think that’s the point. We have a lot of young players that come from different backgrounds, have experienced different things from what others or I may have experienced. That doesn’t make them selfish or more of a me-type attitude. … There are a lot more team-first guys than me-type attitude. I took offense to that.”"

Steelers current leader isn’t happy

Heyward defended some of his current and former teammates — claiming that they had a positive impact on the locker room despite some criticism over their personalities. Shockingly, Antonio Brown was one of the names he mentioned. Brown, of course, is widely known as one of the biggest characters in the NFL and he has essentially forced himself out of the league because of his antics.

Heyward went on to mention that the older guys need to hold the rest of the group accountable. Though I may not agree with his opinion on Antonio Brown, he’s obviously the one working with these players first-hand and knows them as well as anyone.

While Heyward is probably the last person Ben Roethlisberger meant to direct his comments towards, as a leader of the team, the All-Pro defender felt it necessary to step up and defend his current teammates.

Cameron Heyward knows that there are plenty of players in the Steelers locker room who still care about winning football games, and he’s out to prove that — whether Roethlisberger believes that to be the case or not.