NFL Network's Ian Rapoport Clarifies, Stands Behind Statement On Ben Roethlisberger
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The FAN) - NFL Network Reporter Ian Rapoport broke news Sunday prior to the Steelers game against the Bills that Ben Roethlisberger was not happy with the Steelers, and that the team fielded calls from teams acquiring about his availability. Rapoport joined Starkey, Miller and Mueller and clarified his report and what he thinks the future may hold for the Steelers Quarterback.
"Here are the basics. From talking to several people on various sides of this, and there are a lot of sides of this, Ben is not happy with the direction of the team, with the offensive coaches. I should say with the coaches and not just Todd Haley, "Rapoport said.
"I would not be surprised if most of the offensive staff turned over after this year, and Steelers sources also wouldn't be surprised if Ben asked them to explore possible trade options at the end of this season."
When it comes to how a story like this hits the air, Rapoport said that it takes approval from a number of different people in different departments before he's allowed to run with it.
"This is something that I started talking to people about and making calls on about a month ago," Rapoport said.
"You read the tweets from Steelers fans, and I really appreciate the enthusiasm, I really do, and it's like 'well obviously you just woke up this morning and decided to throw something against the wall.' Well, no," Ian said.
"It was about probably thirty-five seconds on the air, but it's a long process to get there to make sure you're talking to the right people, talking to people who have first hand knowledge of what you're going to say. I talked about it with our producers, our editors, there's a certain process of making sure that what I'm saying is not hearsay and comes from the right people and what you saw was the result on air yesterday."
Things wrapped up with Rapoport responding to the statements made by both Art Rooney II and Roethlisberger's agent Ryan Tollner. You can hear his entire interview below.
