UPDATE: King clarified Goodell's remarks about Roethlisberger. According to ProFootballTalk, King said he assumed Goodell meant that he spoke with Roethlisberger's teammates. The Commissioner told King later on Monday that he was not talking about Steelers players.
Peter King of Sports Illustrated wrote in this week's Monday Morning Quarterback column that NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said none of Ben Roethlisberger's teammates defended him while he was deciding how to discipline the quarterback at the beginning of the season.
Goodell told King that out of the two dozen players he talked to, no one was supportive of Roethlisberger.
"Not one, not a single player, went to his defense," Goodell told King. "It wasn't personal in a sense, but all kinds of stories like, 'He won't sign my jersey.'"
Goodell went on to say that he "doesn't feel any connection" with the two-time Super Bowl champion.
Ben Roethlisberger responded to Peter King's report that Roger Goodell said none of the Steelers he talked to defended their quarterback.
"Well, I know for a fact that when the commissioner came to training camp to talk, a lot of the guys kind of did," Roethlisberger said, according to ProFootballTalk. "I'm just thankful that my teammates are who they are and I'm really appreciative of it."
Linebacker James Farrior also denied Goodell's claim that nobody defended Roethlisberger.
A college student accused Roethlisberger of sexually assaulting her in a bathroom of a Georgia nightclub on March 5. It was the second time in less than a year that he was accused of sexual assault. No charges were filed.
In May of 2010, Sports Illustrated published an article revealing more sketchy behavior from the Steelers quarterback.
The NFL suspended Roethlisberger for the first six games of the season, but the punishment was later reduced to four games.