Ben Roethlisberger continues to talk about how he is tired of talking about trade rumors. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback continues to bring up the fact that the circulating trade rumors are not true, making everyone wonder why he feels the need to keep reiterating this statement. But, as reports attempt to widen the space between the quarterback and his long-time team, Roethlisberger is lashing out against the media for starting something that is not true. Welcome to 2013, Roethlisberger.
The Steelers quarterback went on local Pittsburgh radio station WDVE on Friday to last out against media outlets for spreading false rumors about him. Clearly the Internet is a new thing for Roethlisberger.
"First and foremost, I don't want to go anywhere," Roethlisberger said. "I want to be in Pittsburgh. I hope that's very clear to everybody that I want to stay, my family wants to stay. We do not want to ask for a trade, we don't want to go anywhere. I want to finish my career here. I've always said that, and I still feel firmly that way. When someone is a source and they're unnamed, they have an agenda. And their agenda is not winning football games and not helping this team. Whoever that agenda is coming from, they're not helping us, they're hurting us."
Roethlisberger suggests that sometimes people in the organization can talk out of turn and it eventually gets into the wrong hands. He downplayed the idea that he does not put in any training outside of practice, claiming people do not know what he does at home. He makes a good point, unless his wife is the "source". Roethlisberger notes that he constantly watches game film at home or studies his playbook away from team facilities.
"First of all, how does anybody know what I'm doing at home," Roethlisberger said. "When I'm watching film or I'm looking through my playbook at home, unless someone someone's got cameras set up in my house and they're spying on me? But then they'd see the truth that I am doing that stuff."
So while the trade rumors surrounding the quarterback have been squashed, the ones regarding the size of his next contract are just beginning. Roethlisberger has a $17 million salary cap hit next year, something that cannot be reduced unless he is given an extension. The quarterback avoided answering, noting he knows nothing about salary caps and contract extensions.
"Honestly, if they come to me and say hey we want to restructure a deal or we want to do [a deal], whatever, I want to help the team out," Roethlisberger said. "But all I can focus on right now is this season and this game. Because that's all that matters to me. I don't look for the future or the long term. What's gonna happen next year? When's my contract up? These kind of things. For me, it's about how can I win this game, this week?"
Roethlisberger once again said he was not leaving the team. However, he made no mention of accepting a pay cut.
