Ben Roethlisberger's been an NFL quarterback since 2004 and in his career, he's been sacked 466 times and hit countless other times. So, he's certainly qualified to talk about the hit that might've ended Aaron Rodgers' season on Sunday when Vikings linebacker Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr drove the Packers' quarterback to the ground.
According to Roethlisberger, the hit wasn't dirty.
"I've seen dirtier," he told 93.7 the Fan, a CBS Sports Radio station, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.
Like Tom Brady, Roethlisberger also expressed sadness for Rodgers.
Ben Roethlisberger sad to see Aaron Rodgers hurt, doesn't believe hit that broke his... https://t.co/t0snZhh7ig pic.twitter.com/fCfMlX9oVC
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) October 17, 2017
Not everyone agrees with Roethlisberger. On Monday, Packers coach Mike McCarthy called the hit "illegal."
"I didn't like the hit," McCarthy said. "[Aaron's] out of the pocket. He's clearly expecting to get hit, but to pin him to the ground like that, I feel that it was an illegal act ... I didn't like the hit. It was totally unnecessary in my opinion."
On the other hand, Vikings coach Mike Zimmer doesn't believe the hit was dirty.
"We're playing football," Zimmer said, via ESPN. "It's unfortunate that he got hurt but I think everything was above board. We're not a dirty football team. We'll never be a dirty football team as long as I'm here. We're going to play within the rules and sometimes things happen."
Rodgers is set to have surgery and there's a chance he'll miss the remainder of the season. In the meantime, Brett Hundley is expected to fill in for Rodgers, so you can stop asking McCarthy about signing Colin Kaepernick. Hundley's first test: taking on a Saints' defense that just forced five turnovers in a win over the Lions. So there's a chance McCarthy could change his mind about Kaepernick if Hundley struggles in his first-ever NFL start.
Don't expect McCarthy to change his mind about the hit that injured Rodgers, though. Without Rodgers, the Packers might be sunk in the competitive NFC North.