Cameron Heyward says Ben Roethlisberger's comments about current NFL players 'rub me the wrong way'

Pittsburgh Steelers captain Cameron Heyward took exception to Ben Roethlisberger's recent assertion that too many current NFL players have «a me-type attitude,» saying his former teammate's comments «rub me the wrong way.»

Roethlisberger, in a wide-ranging interview published last Friday by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, said «the game has changed» and «people have changed» when addressing differences he noticed between his early years and later years with the Steelers.

«The team was so important,» said Roethlisberger, referring to his first few seasons with Pittsburgh. «It was all about the team. Now, it's about me and this, that and the other.

»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. 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. Neither did [Bill] Cowher."

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, Heyward said he disagreed with Roethlisberger's observation, which made him «a little bit upset.»

«It looks as though we are looked at as selfish players, and I don't think that's the point,» the veteran defensive lineman said on the «Not Just Football with Cam Heyward» podcast. «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