Roethlisberger on hit that injured Rodgers: 'I've seen dirtier'

There's been much debate about whether the hit that broke Aaron Rodgers' collarbone was legal, but Ben Roethlisberger isn't siding with his fellow quarterback.

The Pittsburgh Steelers pivot said Tuesday that although he felt bad for Rodgers, he didn't feel the hit was dirty.

"Watching it, I didn't think it was dirty," Roethlisberger said on 93.7 "The Fan," according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN. "I've seen dirtier. I feel I've been hit dirtier and no penalty has been called. I got hit in Jacksonville out of the pocket and the ref said, 'Hey, you're not afforded the same (rules) out of the pocket.' I said, 'OK, fine.' I just kept going."

Rodgers was hit by Minnesota Vikings linebacker Anthony Barr while rolling to his right and driven to the ground, leading to Packers head coach Mike McCarthy calling the hit "totally unnecessary."

Here's the Aaron Rodgers injury... fell right on his right shoulder.... pic.twitter.com/EAuz571n89

- NFL Update (@MySportsUpdate) October 15, 2017

Roethlisberger did concede he can understand how it would look in the eyes of Packers fans.

"Like I said, it didn't look horrible to me, but obviously if you're a Packers fan and an Aaron Rodgers fan, you're going to think it's dirty. Maybe I need to look at it closer. Like I said, I hate it for Aaron, the game, the sport, because, obviously, you lose one of the best players in football."

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