Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians relayed an anecdote about Joey Porter and Ben Roethlisberger in his recent book — but according to Roethlisberger, his interpretation of the story was all wrong.
In his new book “The Quarterback Whisperer,” Arians relayed a 2005 story about Roethlisberger and Porter. At the time, Arians was the team’s wide receivers coach, Roethlisberger was a young quarterback finding his way, and Porter was the undisputed leader of the defense.
“The greatness of ‘Big Ben’ had gone to his head,” Arians wrote, via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “He wasn’t signing as many autographs for teammates as he should; some days he would sign, some days he wouldn’t.”
Arians wrote that Porter called Roethlisberger out in front of the entire team “with blunt language,” which led the quarterback to quickly grow up.
Not so, according to Roethlisberger. In fact, the incident described by Arians made Roethlisberger “despise” Porter.
“I only saw a little bit about it,” Roethlisberger said. “I told him, ‘I’m in that book? I don’t remember talking to anybody about it.’ He said ‘Yeah, you’re quoted in it.’ I said, ‘Oh that’s interesting.’
“I only saw the one story that came out about the Joey thing. I was just more disappointed that the facts weren’t accurate. I texted [Arians] on that and said ‘I wished you would have talked to me and got the facts right before it came out.’ But it is what it is.
“If anything, it made me despise Joey.”
Porter certainly has a reputation for being an outspoken agitator, even in retirement. Perhaps Arians has just spent a decade misinterpreting how the linebacker’s message went down with Roethlisberger.
