If there are two history-rich teams in the AFC, it’s the Steelers and the Raiders. Before moving to Sin City, the Oakland Raiders once owned the Steelers, which later went on to become the most successful team in the NFL. The rivalry between these AFC powerhouses has always been on the next level, but it escalated even more when Richard Seymour punched Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger to the ground.
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The incident occurred back in November 2010, precisely 13 years ago, when the visiting Raiders were taking on the Steelers at Heinz Field. The anticipation was already palpable, as Blitzburgh was trailing by 3 points in the first quarter. They made a strong comeback in the next quarter, adding three touchdowns to their tally.
There was one and a half minutes left in the clock before Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger found Emmanuel Sanders for a beautiful 22-yard touchdown. However, the celebration turned out to be quite costly for the QB, as Richard Seymour punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground.
Following the touchdown, Roethlisberger initially celebrated with his teammate and then went on to say something to Seymour. The Raiders DE might not have taken well to what Roethlisberger said, which led to the abrupt outburst. Following this incident, Seymour was ejected from the game and was later slapped with a hefty fine of $25,000.
[Highlight] 13 years ago today Richard Seymour punched Ben Roethlisberger in the face
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The Steelers scored two more unanswered touchdowns in the fourth quarter, for a final score of 35-3. After the game, the Raiders DE apologized to his teammates for getting ejected. HC Mike Tomlin was also shocked by the incident and later added that he had never seen a quarterback get punched this way.
Richard Seymour Has Since Patched Things Up With Roethlisberger
This story certainly has a silver lining, as the hit didn’t permanently damage the relationship between Big Ben and Seymour. The three-time Super Bowl-winning DE told the media that he was sorry for his actions in the post-game interview. Roethlisberger also later expressed that the duo resolved the whole thing.
In the former QB’s eyes, the punch came as more of a surprise than pent-up aggression. He further added that Seymour isn’t a ‘bad person’ and they later talked it out and laughed the whole thing off.
“It was more of a surprise, and I had said this afterwards, because he’s not a bad person,” Roethlisberger said. “He and I know each other and we’ve talked. It’s more of a shocking thing. I’ve seen him since and we’ve had laughs about it.”
Although the ‘rivalry’ between the NFL legends has ended, the Steelers-Raiders rivalry continues to be a hot topic at both the dinner table and on social media. The Blitzburgh have come victorious in their last two encounters. Both teams are currently in the third position in their respective division and will most likely miss the playoffs like last season.
