Ben Roethlisberger is dealing with torn ligaments in his throwing shoulder as a result of a hard hit from Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict last weekend, but Big Ben does not think there was anything dirty about the play.
On Tuesday, Roethlisberger told “The Cook and Poni Show” on 93.7 The Fan that he had no problem with Burfict’s hit or the perceived extra shot the defender threw at him.
“I do not think it was a dirty hit,” Roethlisberger said, as transcribed to CBS Pittsburgh. “I think he was playing the game. I know that there is some video of him supposedly kneeing me, or kicking me, or whatever, but I don’t think there was anything intentional.”
If you haven’t seen the video that Roethlisberger was referring to, you can watch it here. Some feel that Burfict intentionally kneed Big Ben in the shoulder after bringing him down. Burfict was suspended three games for his high hit on Antonio Brown, but the NFL did not cite the Roethlisberger play in its ruling.
During the regular season, Burfict appeared to go low on Roethlisberger (video here) and Ben said he thought that was a dirty play. That makes it a little more surprising that Roethlisberger would defend a notoriously classless player, but he obviously felt there was no intent.
