Ben Roethlisberger Defends Steelers As He Tears Apart The Greedy NFL And Commissioner Roger Goodell

The Pittsburgh Steelers were always expected to have a brutal schedule in December, but injuries have only magnified how tough it has been for the team to get through the difficult stretch. The final game of a three-game stint in 11 days will commence on Christmas Day, and it doesn't get any easier for the franchise with the Kansas City Chiefs coming to town. The Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans will also have the same task of playing on Wednesday, which has led to plenty of criticism from fans, players, and media pundits alike.

The Steelers are 2-2 in the month of December, which has significantly affected their chances of winning the division. Losing players like George Pickens and DeShon Elliott has made it tough for both sides of the ball to remain consistent. The hope is that both will be back on Christmas, but full health will be necessary with the playoffs on the horizon.

The interesting 2024 schedule, particularly for Pittsburgh, has drawn a lot of attention. After an unfortunate loss to the Ravens in Week 16, Ben Roethlisberger spoke up about the bad stretch of games on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. 

"It's miserable," Roethlisberger said. "It's a shame that the league does this. It just shows that it's all about money and this is a way that they can, you know, make more money and figure this thing out because it's not fair for the players."

Roethlisberger wasn't done ripping into the NFL for certain decision-making regarding scheduling. From a business standpoint, the NFL and Commissioner Roger Goodell have been very vocal about player safety in recent years, but the three games in 11 days for the Steelers, Ravens, Chiefs and Texans comes off as extremely hypocritical. 

"You wanna talk about injuries and making the game safer, changing the kickoff rule and preventing guys on hip-drop tackles, and concussions, and this that and the other, and you're going to make guys play the most violent game in the world, arguably, three games in [11 days]," Roethlisberger said. "I mean, there's no time for your body to get healthy and rest."

The two-time Super Bowl champion was one of the toughest players of his era, but even he knows that this kind of schedule can make it hard for any player to get ready week-in and week-out.

Roethlisberger continued discussing what the Steelers are currently experiencing and acknowledged that, this time of year, teams aren't healthy even if they are playing one game every seven days. He believes that requiring organizations to strap on the pads so much in an 11-day period is just asking for trouble. Roethlisberger wanted to mention one more time that Goodell and co. are only seeing dollar signs.

"When you're going from like a Saturday to a Wednesday - it just - you body's not recovering fast enough, and now you're asking the guys to go out and play and beat each other up. It's a shame. I mean, it's obviously a money thing."

Pittsburgh will be able to have a mini-bye ahead of Week 18, but it's likely that if one were to ask players in the locker room, they would give up that 10-day break to not have had to play three contests in 11 days. It's not going to be easy for Mike Tomlin's group to be ready to go, but the same can be said for any of the other three teams stuck with this reality.

Steelers' Week 17 Opponent Almost Got A Big Break

The Chiefs needs a win to secure home-field advantage in the AFC playoff picture, but on Sunday, almost did so. The Buffalo Bills were playing with fire against the New England Patriots, and a Buffalo loss would have given Kansas City the one seed. If that were to have happened, the Chiefs would have been able to give some guys extra rest without much to play for. Now, however, it is full steam ahead for the 14-1 Chiefs as they look to defeat the Steelers and clinch home-field advantage.

Do you think Roethlisberger is right to imply that the NFL is greedy? Let us know in the comments below!

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