Bruce Arians Says He Was Fired by Steelers ‘Because I Was too Loyal to Ben’

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are Super Bowl LV champions, led by veteran head coach Bruce Arians, quite a career turn for the supposedly retired former Steelers offensive coordinator.

After Arians retired from the Steelers, he quickly got back into the NFL with the Indianapolis Colts, serving as an interim head coach there and then as head coach in Arizona and Tampa Bay.

Speaking with Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times on Monday, Arians discussed his trademark loyalty to his players, which he believes factored into his contract not being renewed following the 2011 season in Pittsburgh.

“I’ve been accused that that is a fault. Got fired in Pittsburgh because I was too loyal to Ben (Roethlisberger). If that’s a problem, you’ve got the problem. I don’t have a problem,” Arians said. “I get very close to my quarterbacks. My dad taught me one thing: You have your name and your loyalty, and those are the most important things you have.”

Bruce Arians had plenty to say on a wide range of topics in an interview with @LATimesfarmer at his home the morning after coaching the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory Sunday in Super Bowl LV.https://t.co/FDsIOJmYTZ

— L.A. Times Sports (@latimessports) February 9, 2021

Arians and Roethlisberger had an excellent relationship in Pittsburgh, and by all accounts are still very close.

Roethlisberger passed for 113 touchdowns and 247 yards per game under Arians, but took far to many hits. He was sacked 215 times over the five-year span, which proved a factor in Arians’ ousting.

Arians found success at multiple stops in Indianapolis and Arizona, working with a number of talented quarterbacks, including former Colts passer Andrew Luck.

His career and emphasis on the quarterback-coach relationship culminated Sunday, as he became the oldest Super Bowl winning head coach in Super Bowl history alongside the greatest ever Tom Brady.