On May 11, 2022, longtime Pittsburgh Steelers insider Gerry Dulac stirred controversy when he said it was “safe to assume” that there was “bad blood” between Ben Roethlisberger and his former employer. Steelers fans, by and large, tended to dismiss Dulac’s comments, and some chose to believe Roethlisberger’s offer to mentor Kenny Pickett, the 2022 first-round pick, belies the idea that he’s upset with the organization.
Former Steelers offensive guard Ramon Foster, who appeared on DK Sports’ Ramon Foster Show with Eddie Provident earlier this week, added context to both of these messages.
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“As far as Ben going because of bad blood or bad terms, there might be a clue,” Foster said, before pointing out that Roethlisberger had to take a pay cut to return for a final season. Remember how Steelers president Art Rooney II said the team couldn’t bring Roethlisberger back (for the 2021 season) without addressing his cap hit.
“Maybe he didn’t want to take the pay cut – you know what I mean? – to stay close,” explained Foster.
“If you were to ask me if there’s one thing that really got him — and didn’t even really get him,” said Foster, a former undrafted free agent from the University of Tennessee who was blocked for Roethlisberger for 11 seasons, between 2009-19.
Foster went on to clarify that he did not question Dulac’s reporting, saying, “Don’t discredit Gerry. From my understanding (Gerry’s a) very Good insider, okay?”
But he thinks the situation could be more akin to a “blip” in the relationship than any major issue, especially when compared to Troy Polamalu, the former Steelers safety guard who distanced himself from the organization after retiring but previously fixed fences up for his induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August 2021.
“I don’t necessarily think there was bad blood because I think Ben got the opportunity to go the way he wanted. That walk-around he got at the last (home) game at the stadium…I thought that was one hell of a walk-off,” said Foster, who has worked as a sports talk radio host (for 104.5 The Zone in Nashville). ) since September 2020.
bottom line?
“There might be some smoke there, but my impression from talking to ‘7’ — the texts, the calls — he was good and in a good place,” Foster concluded at the very end.
Meanwhile, Foster also took the opportunity to weigh Roethlisberger’s offer to help Kenny Pickett transition from college QB to future Steelers starting quarterback, noting that the 40-year-old Roethlisberger might feel a certain kinship with Pickett when both were first-round picks who, as rookies, had veterans ahead of them on the depth chart.
But he dismissed the idea that the situation is in any way analogous to the relationship between Roethlisberger and veteran Steelers backup Mason Rudolph, who posed a potential threat to Roethlisberger’s job security.
“It’s easy mentoring Kenny when he’s not in the room, not in the building, and (and) not in the franchise,” Foster concluded.
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