Ward Apologizes

[Jooser]

to Ben and I guess the fan base...

Per PFT:

Hines Ward: "I have apologized to Ben"

Posted by Michael David Smith on December 1, 2009 12:43 PM ET
On Sunday, Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward went on NBC and suggested that the locker room was divided over whether quarterback Ben Roethlisberger should have played a week after suffering a concussion.

On Monday, Ward went on ESPN and offered a clarification.

On Tuesday, Ward went on Facebook and offered an apology, which he said is intended to amplify an apology he already gave to Roethlisberger privately.

"I just finished an extensive conversation with Ben," Ward wrote on his Facebook page. "We spoke about the interview in which I made the #1 mistake in doing a interview, I did it based off of emotions. . . .

"So the moral of this story is not to do an interview based off of emotions and I made that mistake and I have apologized to Ben for that. Ben and I are cool and always will be. We will not let this come between us, our talk was very productive."

But while Ward says he's sorry for suggesting that the team wasn't completely behind Roethlisberger, he still comes across as upset that the team didn't find out until the day before the game that Dennis Dixon would start in Roethlisberger's place.

"I was frustrated because there was no indication of Ben not being able to play because he practiced a normal routine this week (wed, thurs and fri)," Ward writes. "Some of the guys didn't find out he wasn't playing until Saturday and getting that news on the day before the big game didn't go [too] well.

"Now as a veteran guy on the team you can see how upset that made a lot of us considering we were going down into the lions den in Baltimore without our fearless leader."

Whether Roethlisberger can play Sunday against the Raiders will continue to be one of the major stories in the NFL this week. But Ward must be hoping his public and private apologies will be the end of this part of the story.

[JTP53609]

Re: Ward Apologizes

sounds okay to me, tomlin should be to blame for not letting the team know that ben was experiencing exercise enduced headaches and that he decided to sit ben....i was dissapointed in hines when i saw the interview sunday, but the more i read of it, the more i think it is minor....

[Oviedo]

Re: Ward Apologizes

sounds okay to me, tomlin should be to blame for not letting the team know that ben was experiencing exercise enduced headaches and that he decided to sit ben....i was dissapointed in hines when i saw the interview sunday, but the more i read of it, the more i think it is minor....

Maybe Tomlin should had said something but regardless and more importantly Hines should had said nothing. He's veteran enough to know calling out a team mate will get totally distorted in the mdia and cause issues that don't need to exist.

[JTP53609]

Re: Ward Apologizes

sounds okay to me, tomlin should be to blame for not letting the team know that ben was experiencing exercise enduced headaches and that he decided to sit ben....i was dissapointed in hines when i saw the interview sunday, but the more i read of it, the more i think it is minor....

Maybe Tomlin should had said something but regardless and more importantly Hines should had said nothing. He's veteran enough to know calling out a team mate will get totally distorted in the mdia and cause issues that don't need to exist.

i totally agree, i think hines just put a big foot in his mouth, i was expect this of young superstar players who dont know right from wrong, but it was hines ward, you dont go on national tv and say anything negative about your qb, I think he was talking out of frustration and he did not know the facts, but he needs to know better...

[Oviedo]

Re: Ward Apologizes

sounds okay to me, tomlin should be to blame for not letting the team know that ben was experiencing exercise enduced headaches and that he decided to sit ben....i was dissapointed in hines when i saw the interview sunday, but the more i read of it, the more i think it is minor....

Maybe Tomlin should had said something but regardless and more importantly Hines should had said nothing. He's veteran enough to know calling out a team mate will get totally distorted in the mdia and cause issues that don't need to exist.

i totally agree, i think hines just put a big foot in his mouth, i was expect this of young superstar players who dont know right from wrong, but it was hines ward, you dont go on national tv and say anything negative about your qb, I think he was talking out of frustration and he did not know the facts, but he needs to know better...

Like mama says "if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all"

[Jooser]

Re: Ward Apologizes

I'd expect this out of T.O.

[flippy]

Re: Ward Apologizes

Hines just says what a lot of other guys were probably thinking. It's almost better in some sense to get this stuff out in the open and deal with it rather than sweeping it under the rug.

I appreciate people that are brutally honest like Hines.

I don't see ill intent in what he said.

[Oviedo]

Re: Ward Apologizes

Hines just says what a lot of other guys were probably thinking. It's almost better in some sense to get this stuff out in the open and deal with it rather than sweeping it under the rug.

I appreciate people that are brutally honest like Hines.

I don't see ill intent in what he said.

If this bothered Hines or if he had questions/issues after Tomlin announced Ben wasn't playing he had ample opportunity as a team captain to talk to Tomlin or Ben on Saturday or Sunday. He should had taken that initiative instead of whining after the game.

Call it "brutally honest" or whatever you want but a veteran team leader should have handled this better. He made an issue out of a non issue.

[ikestops85]

Re: Ward Apologizes

I'm a huge Hines Ward fan but this incident has dropped him down a few pegs in my estimation. I have no problem with him making his feelings known but he should have done that face to face with Ben and Tomlin ... not in the media.

[feltdizz]

Re: Ward Apologizes

I'm a huge Hines Ward fan but this incident has dropped him down a few pegs in my estimation. I have no problem with him making his feelings known but he should have done that face to face with Ben and Tomlin ... not in the media.

nah... I love when this stuff is out in the media... I think everyone is more open and honest once the cat is out the bag. When things are done behind closed doors or kept in house I think they are never truly resolved. Plus I like the drama... It's not like we are winning without the drama...

[RuthlessBurgher]

Re: Ward Apologizes

Hines just says what a lot of other guys were probably thinking. It's almost better in some sense to get this stuff out in the open and deal with it rather than sweeping it under the rug.

I appreciate people that are brutally honest like Hines.

I don't see ill intent in what he said.

If this bothered Hines or if he had questions/issues after Tomlin announced Ben wasn't playing he had ample opportunity as a team captain to talk to Tomlin or Ben on Saturday or Sunday. He should had taken that initiative instead of whining after the game.

Call it "brutally honest" or whatever you want but a veteran team leader should have handled this better. He made an issue out of a non issue.

I believe the Hines quote occurred before the game instead of after (but again, I don't care about this all that much. It's a non-issue at this point. Bring on Oakland!)

[grotonsteel]

Re: Ward Apologizes

I'm a huge Hines Ward fan but this incident has dropped him down a few pegs in my estimation. I have no problem with him making his feelings known but he should have done that face to face with Ben and Tomlin ... not in the media.

So true.

Hines Ward became Terrell Owens on Sunday night.

[JTP53609]

Re: Ward Apologizes

I'm a huge Hines Ward fan but this incident has dropped him down a few pegs in my estimation. I have no problem with him making his feelings known but he should have done that face to face with Ben and Tomlin ... not in the media.

So true.

Hines Ward became Terrell Owens on Sunday night.

i was dissapointed in hines too, but to become T.O. you need to whine about not getting the ball, or complain that your qb is best friends with the tight end....hines was complaining about his idea of tougness...

[frankthetank1]

Re: Ward Apologizes

I'm a huge Hines Ward fan but this incident has dropped him down a few pegs in my estimation. I have no problem with him making his feelings known but he should have done that face to face with Ben and Tomlin ... not in the media.

So true.

Hines Ward became Terrell Owens on Sunday night.

i think comparing ward to T.O is a bit of an exageration. i didnt really have a problem with what he said considering its coming from hines ward. hines would play on one leg if he had too. there is no player tougher than hines. i blame both tomlin and hines for this bs. if the team was more updated on ben there wouldnt be an issue. i blame hines because he should of known there was a good possiblity that ben wouldnt play considering it was a concussion. at least its over though.

[JTP53609]

Re: Ward Apologizes

I'm a huge Hines Ward fan but this incident has dropped him down a few pegs in my estimation. I have no problem with him making his feelings known but he should have done that face to face with Ben and Tomlin ... not in the media.

So true.

Hines Ward became Terrell Owens on Sunday night.

i think comparing ward to T.O is a bit of an exageration. i didnt really have a problem with what he said considering its coming from hines ward. hines would play on one leg if he had too. there is no player tougher than hines. i blame both tomlin and hines for this bs. if the team was more updated on ben there wouldnt be an issue. i blame hines because he should of known there was a good possiblity that ben wouldnt play considering it was a concussion. at least its over though.

i love hines too, he is the best receiver in Steeler history (IMO), but as he sat there and said he has lied to trainers and played hurt before, i thought back to the afc championship last year when he sat out the last 3 qtrs...I understand it was an injury that was nearly impossible to run on, but still, dont say you have played hurt before after you did not play in an AFC championship game just last year.....again I am not bashing Hines, I love him, i just want to let fair be fair..