Ben Roethlisberger and Jerome Bettis are convinced the Patriots cheated them out of a potential Super Bowl champion.
Two Steelers legends said on Roethlisberger’s “Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger” podcast that the Patriots cheated in the 2004 AFC Championship Game, which the Patriots won 41-27 and ended up in Super Bowl XXXIX A 24-21 win over the Eagles in the bowl.
“Hey, to be fair, the Patriots cheated,” Roethlisberger said.
Betis replied: “Of course, they did. “It’s not a question in my mind at all. “
The Patriots’ first dynasty run from 2001 to ’04 will forever be marked by an asterisk due to the Spygate controversy, and there have been other cheating accusations since opponents learned the Patriots cheated during that period.
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The quarterback and running back were discussing Roethlisberger asking Bettis to come back for another season after the loss to the Patriots, with Bettis joking that if Roethlisberger hadn’t thrown three interceptions, maybe they Would win that game.
Roethlisberger then made a comment about the Patriots cheating, and just like when they were playing, Bettis took the handoff and ran with it.
Bettis claimed the Patriots had the franchise’s signature, which helped stymie Pittsburgh’s promising early drive that proved to be a pivotal point in the game.
Midway through the first quarter, the Steelers faced a fourth-and-1 play at the Patriots’ 39-yard line, trailing 3-0 at the time.
Pittsburgh offensive line coach Russ Green made a clapping motion to signal a counterattack. Bettis claims the Patriots saw this and called a timeout.
But what happened next made him realize something was wrong.
“Who usually goes to the sideline during a timeout? The defensive captain, right? They told the nose guard … they pulled him to the sideline. 400-pound big guy, he didn’t want to go to the sideline and come all the way back,” Betts said. “What was I going to do on the sideline? They were yelling for him to go to the sideline and I always thought ‘where did he go…’ He went all the way to the sideline and came back.”
Sanders and team ‘This is personal’ 01:25
The Steelers then fought back, but a faulty nose guard looped him into the hole to stop the play. Betis fumbled the ball, but it didn’t matter because he didn’t get the ball.
Bettis referred to the nose guard as “Washington,” an apparent reference to former Patriot Ty Washington, who wasn’t with the team that year.
Patriots linebacker Roosevelt Colvin made a tackle on this play.
Tom Brady hit Deion Branch for a 60-yard touchdown on the next play to give New England a 10-0 lead
“They stopped us in the fourth. It was a key goal in the game,” Betis said. “They had our logo, they called a timeout and got ready for this game because they knew it was coming. There was no doubt in my mind. I remember it clearly because I thought, ‘Why is this big guy coming to the sideline? Go?'” Sign-stealing in sports is always a touchy subject because there’s sometimes a gray line between what’s legal and what’s illegal.
The Patriots’ questionable behavior over the years didn’t earn them the benefit of the doubt, which irritated Roethlisberger and Bettis 19 years later.
This story originally appeared in the New York Post