Ben Roethlisberger slammed the NFL for the impact Christmas Day games will have on teams' schedules.
His former Steelers team is scheduled to host the Chiefs on Wednesday, marking the team's third cap in 11 days.
“It's tragic,” Roethlisberger said on the “Footballin' with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast. “…It’s a shame the league would do something like this. This is a way they can make more money and solve this problem because it’s all about money and it’s unfair to the players. It shows that there is.”
The Steelers lost to the Eagles on Dec. 15 and also lost to the Ravens last Saturday.
They will be back on the field just four days after the loss in Baltimore.
“We want to talk about injuries and making the game safer and changing the kickoff rules to prevent hip drop tackles and concussions, but instead of forcing players to play the most violent game in the world? Probably in three games in the world. [11] A few days,” Roethlisberger said. “That means you don't have time to get healthy and rest.”
Roethlisberger played 18 years with the Steelers, winning two Super Bowls before retiring in 2022.
“When you go from Saturday to Wednesday, your body doesn't recover quickly enough,” Roethlisberger said. “And now you're asking them to go out and play and beat each other up, which is unfortunate. For the NFL, it's obviously about money. And what I'm watching is I get it, people are watching too, so they get what they want.
“I feel sorry for the players. On holidays, they want to be at home with their families. It's tough.”
The Cowboys' influential owner Jerry Jones recently suggested that the NFL intends to play a game every Christmas from now on, regardless of the day of the week.
“Christmas Day is Christmas Day. We're not waiting to see what day Christmas is,” Jones said in a radio interview. “We want to be there on Christmas Day. “No matter what day it is in the future, I think we'll be there on Christmas.”
