Ben Roethlisberger regrets calling out Antonio Brown

Ben Roethlisberger says he regrets calling out former teammate Antonio Brown.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback sat down with Michele Tafoya for an interview that played during “Sunday Night Football” between the Steelers and Tennessee Titans. In the interview, Roethlisberger expressed regret over his criticism of the former Steelers star.

“I wish I wouldn’t have done it,” Roethlisberger told Tafoya. He was asked why and said, “because we saw what happened. Obviously it ruined a friendship. I just got caught up in the emotion and heat of the battle.”

Ben Roethlisberger says he regrets calling out Antonio Brown but then tells story of how James Washington thanked him for getting "challenged"…LOL pic.twitter.com/taM08FZqAa

— gifdsports (@gifdsports) August 26, 2019

Roethlisberger’s point in bringing up the James Washington comparison is to delineate how different players respond to criticism. For some, the criticism results in positive changes. For others, it works out the wrong way, like it did with Brown.

Roethlisberger has said throughout the offseason that he regretted his criticism. Roethlisberger says Brown was upset over Big Ben blaming Brown for an interception during a game against the Broncos. Big Ben also apologized publicly in May. Even after Brown had been traded to the Oakland Raiders, Roethlisberger says Brown still wouldn’t let him apologize.

The two had their issues for a while, which is expected to be the case from longtime teammates. Roethlisberger also called Brown out for pouting two years ago. The two were at odds the next season over the national anthem, and then they had their infamous altercation at the end of last season.

The way Brown has handled his helmet situation in Oakland makes Roethlisberger a more sympathetic figure in this situation. Brown just hasn’t seemed to be in the right frame of mind. Refusing to let his former quarterback apologize shows how stubborn he’s become.