Advertisement

Big Ben defends Steelers after Julian Edelman's 'how that team is run' comment

The now infamous Antonio Brown video has taken on new life. Yes, we soon will forget this event ever happened in our lifetimes. But the aftermath has, we ought to note, been interesting.

First, there was Bill Belichick intentionally botching the names of social media sites (which he darned well knows the real names of) and saying he’s not “on” any of them. That was cute, but somewhat predictable.

More notable was Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin ripping Brown for it, saying that he’ll be disciplined and hinting it could have implications on Brown’s future contract talks. Then Brown apologized for the video, and we assumed that would be that.

What time is kickoff, amIright?

But New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman helped birth a new discussion, even if his full comments are not that bad when you step back, that seemed to get Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger a little defensive about his team. Context, however, is important here.

Ben Roethlisberger made sure to defend the Pittsburgh Steelers when asked about Julian Edelman's comments. (AP)
Ben Roethlisberger made sure to defend the Pittsburgh Steelers when asked about Julian Edelman’s comments. (AP)

Here’s Edelman’s full quote when asked about the Brown video:

“Hey, people have different rules,” he said, via WEEI.com. “That’s how that team is run. I personally don’t think that would be something that would happen in our locker room, but hey whatever. Some people like red and some people like blue. Some people like tulips and some people like roses, whatever.”

Edelman added: “Hey man, I wouldn’t do that so I personally — I wouldn’t do that. Let’s just say that and I’d be more worried about just trying to celebrate with my teammates and keeping it internal.”

Look, it’s not that bad. But when Roethlisberger was asked about it — who knows how the question was phrased to him, or whether Big Ben had heard what Edelman said — the QB seemed to vigorously defend how the Steelers were “run.”

“I don’t think I need to speak much,” Roethlisberger said, via pennlive.com. “We’ve got our trophies out there. I’ve got owners that I think are the best in the business. They’re family to us, and I’m sure if he talked to his [team] owner [Robert Kraft], he would say the same thing about the Rooneys. Anybody in here in the football world or the regular world that owns the Rooneys knows what they stand for. It’s a blessing to call them a family.”

So it’s settled, right? The Patriots have a culture, the Steelers have a culture. Both have won many rings. Yadda ya, so on and so forth. So why are we writing about this then? It’s important not only to let each side have its say on this thing, and present the comments in their full splendor, and not just settle for the cheap headline jab or offer up baiting or misleading storylines.

The AFC championship promises to be a terrific football game, and we’ll find out how it plays out Sunday. It’s just that our path to that point has taken us on a few weird turns along the way that few could have expected.

More NFL on Yahoo Sports

– – – – – – –

Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!