"They’re treated so special, they’re coddled at a young age" - Ben Roethlisberger believes NFL players of today care more about themselves than the team

Ben Roethlisberger believes that players today don't care enough about the team and instead are more worried about their individual success. He said as much to Steelers beat writer Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a recent interview.

The former quarterback feels the game has changed because the NFL is now me-first instead of team-first like it was when he first entered the league.

“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."

He placed the blame on social media and how well players are treated in college.

“I might be standing on a soapbox a little bit, but that’s my biggest takeaway from when I started to the end. It turned from a team-first to a me-type attitude. It was hard. It’s hard for these young guys, too. Social media. They’re treated so well in college."

The former signal caller believes it has gotten worse with the newly implemented Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules that have enabled players to get paid off. College athletes bring home NFL-type paydays before even reaching the big league. According to the Steelers QB, his college coach Terry Hoeppner and NFL coach Bill Cowher didn't do anything of the sort for him:

"Now, this new NIL stuff, which is unbelievable. They’re treated so special. They’re coddled at a young age because college coaches need them to win, too. I know coach [Terry] Hoeppner never coddled me [at Miami of Ohio]. Neither did [Bill] Cowher.”

Ben Roethlisberger believes ex-Steelers GM Kevin Colbert forced him out

Ben Roethlisberger retired from the NFL this offseason after 18 seasons in Pittsburgh. In the interview, he shed some light on why he decided to ride off into the sunset. Roethlisberger claimed that coach Mike Tomlin and owner Art Rooney were open to him returning, but former general manager Kevin Colbert wanted to move on from the aging quarterback.

"It was mostly (former Steelers general manager) Kevin (Colbert). He was ready to move on. I think Mike (Tomlin) was a little ready to move on, but I think he was OK with me coming back. I think Mr. (Art) Rooney really wanted me to come back last year to play."

With Roethlisberger now retired, the Steelers will turn to Mitch Trubisky and Kenny Pickett to stabilize the quarterback position in 2022 and beyond. The jury is out on whether either will be the true heir apparent to Big Ben in the Steel City.