Ben Roethlisberger says don’t blame Bieber.
The Pittsburgh Steelers fell to Mike Vick and the New York Jets on Sunday, and many are pointing the finger of blame at Justin Bieber. The Steelers inexplicably hosted the pop star at the team’s weekly prayer service Saturday night, but Big Ben contends the loss wasn’t a result of the Bieber Curse.
“It was all fun for (backup quarterback Bruce Gradkowski) and the guys,” Roethlisberger said Tuesday on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, via ESPN. “(Bieber) is one of the more popular guys for good or for bad in the country, so they had a chance to say hello and they did.”
Gradkowski was one of many Steelers players who posted photos of themselves with Bieber on social media, but the unaffiliated guest rubbed former Pittsburgh quarterback Terry Bradshaw the wrong way. Bradshaw told TMZ that back in his day, “outsiders” were rarely allowed in prayer services with the team.
“The only time I recall the Steelers teams I played on letting outsiders worship with us was at the Super Bowl … and it was with our families because they traveled with us,” Bradshaw said.
Roethlisberger brushed off the situation as a non-story.
“That’s not a big deal at all,” Roethlisberger said “For instance, (former Steelers wide receiver) Plaxico Burress stopped by. Obviously he’s family, but people stop by all of the time and say, ‘Hi,’ and we’ve had other athletes, actors, celebrities, stuff like that stop by. It’s not a big deal at all.”
Big Ben said he didn’t meet Bieber because he was eating dinner before the Steelers’ quarterbacks meeting.
Photo via Twitter/@CamHeyward
