Former Steelers LB Has Sarcastic Laugh At Ben Roethlisberger's Recent Mason Rudolph Comments: "It Smells Like P***"

Pittsburgh Steelers' third-string quarterback, Mason Rudolph has been on the receiving end of a lot of praise. This is an unusual spot for the longtime backup, as he surpassed both Kenny Pickett and Mitch Trubisky on the depth chart. During his time supporting future Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger, Rudolph found himself coming in for the often-injured quarterback. Rudolph wasn't usually considered the hero as he is now, in fact, he was benched in favor of Devlin "Duck" Hodges at one point. 

When Rudolph was drafted by Pittsburgh in the third round of the  2018 NFL Draft, Roethlisberger did not make it a secret that he was not too happy about the selection. These rumors fueled speculation over the years that Roethlisberger basically shut Rudolph out and refused to help him develop. Recently, Roethlisberger took to the air to refute those claims. That led a former teammate, Arthur Moats, to say that it is not quite how he saw the situation.   

Moats co-hosts a podcast called, The Arthur Moats Experience, with his friend Deke. A fan wrote in and asked what he thought about the comments made by Roethlisberger on his own podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. On his show, Roethlisberger insisted that there was no bad blood between him and Rudolph. He wasn't mad at Rudolph because he was drafted, he just felt that there were more critical pieces missing from the team than a backup quarterback. 

Steelers' Arthur Moats Said That He Saw The Roethlisberger/Rudolph Relationship Differently

Moats, a former linebacker for the Steelers, played with Pittsburgh until 2017, so he got to know Roethlisberger well. While he was no longer with the team when Rudolph was drafted, he is someone who still spends time with the organization as he lives in Pittsburgh. 

On a recent episode of his podcast, he stated that the whole reason the Steelers even chose to draft Rudolph is because Roethlisberger, who was 36 at the time Rudolph was drafted, had toyed with the idea of retiring.

"We were all over here like, 'Is he [Roethlisberger] for real?' So it was cause and effect, and then he got offended by it. We all say once you start thinking about it, you're retired," said Moats.

Roethlisberger also said that the two were teammates and he tried to help him as much as he could. At some point, he said, Rudolph resisted his help and so he backed off. He added that when the team picked up Hodges as an undrafted free agent the following year, Hodges wanted to learn from Roethlisberger. This, according to him, explains why the two are closer than he and Rudolph.

"I just like to play dumb and just believe it all. I don't remember it like that, but who cares? I'm with you brother. Yes, 7 [Roethlisberger] you loved him, so I believe you dawg. You can call it rain all you want, it just smells like p***, but you call it rain and I'm going to say it's raining today (mimics sniffing) smells p***y, but we saying it's rain. I'll believe it," says Moats with a chuckle.

Moats, who cannot stop laughing, said that it is like Roethlisberger is pretending to be Yoda, doing a Jedi mind trick on everyone, like smoke and mirrors. He said as long as you don't think about it too much, you can say it sounds about right. 

Regardless of what Roethlisberger says, it appears Rudolph feels very different about the situation. While he has too much class to outright oust his former teammate, he has been known to throw a jab or two at him when given the opportunity. 

Also, regardless of how much Roethlisberger did or did not help Rudolph, the longtime backup has found a well-spring of both talent and chutzpah. He has provided the best quarterback play the team has seen all season. It may only be across two games, but it has given new life to a once inconsistent and mediocre offense. It has also reinvigorated a talented defense that has had to carry the rest of the team across 15 games. 

Now Rudolph will face at least one more test, the Baltimore Ravens, for the final game of the season and a possible shot at the playoffs. Fingers crossed that he has got it in him! 

What do you think about Moats' subtle comments? Click to comment below. 

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