Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant is hoping to make a big impact this year after being suspended for the entire 2016 season for repeated violations of the NFL’s drug policy. But before he does that, the former fourth-round pick wants to hash some things out with his quarterback.
When Bryant’s suspension — his second in two years — was announced last summer, Ben Roethlisberger was openly critical of his teammate. That didn’t sit well with Bryant.
“I feel like we need to (talk),” Bryant told ESPN’s Dan Graziano on Thursday. “We should have a man-to-man. Because some of the things he put out there about me, I kind of didn’t agree with how he did it. So I want to sit down and hear his own opinion, man-to-man, about why he did that.”
Roethlisberger claimed at the time that Bryant lied to his face about whether or not he used drugs. He also said the receiver needed to “grow up” after Bryant supposedly ignored several of Roethlisberger’s attempts to get in touch.
“I mean, at that time, I was going through a lot of stuff. I wasn’t really even worried about his opinion at that time, because there was just a lot that was going on,” Bryant explained. “He’s my brother. I love him. But at the same time, I have my own family outside of football. I have my own problems. I’m not just going to come up to you and open up to you about what’s going on with my personal life. That’s not how I am. We just didn’t see eye-to-eye on that, but as far as right now, everything’s great.”
Bryant said he has not spoken with Roethlisberger yet and that it would be “fine” if the quarterback chose not to have the talk, but he obviously has a lot to get off his chest.
During the playoffs following the 2015 season, Roethlisberger called Bryant out for a different reason. Big Ben obviously feels that the 25-year-old responds to that kind of motivation, but Bryant’s comments on Thursday indicate he may not.
