While the Cleveland Browns were celebrating a playoff win in their locker room, the Pittsburgh Steelers were quietly lamenting their loss on the sideline.
Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and center Maurkice Pouncey, who have spent the last 11 seasons together, shared an emotional postgame moment on an otherwise empty bench.
But it wasn’t a private one. NFL Films was there to capture every word for Inside the NFL.
“I’m sorry, brother,” Roethlisberger told Pouncey. “You’re the only reason I wanted to do this, man… Oh, I feel worse for you than me. I hate it, man.”
Raw emotion from Big Ben and Pouncey after a decade running the offense together.@Steelers pic.twitter.com/mfnNR9qoSZ
— NFL Films (@NFLFilms) January 11, 2021
Monday brought speculation about whether Pouncey had played the final game of his career. Though nothing is official yet, Steelers beat reporter Dale Lolley indicates Pouncey plans to retire.
Roethlisberger told the Pittsburgh press after the game, “I love that guy. He is one of the best competitors and teammates I’ve ever had. It’s been so much fun to share a football field with him. I hate that it ended the way it did. I just wanted to apologize to him that I wanted to win it for him.”
It sure sounds like Pouncey has his mind made up.
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