Ben Roethlisberger: 'I have earned the right' to criticize Antonio Brown, teammates

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said he will continue to criticize teammates as warranted given his standing with the team.

"I think I have earned the right to be able to do that with as long as I have been here and I'll be just as critical of myself [in the media], as well," the 36-year-old Roethlisberger said Wednesday, via the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

Speaking on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, Roethlisberger took issue with wide receiver Antonio Brown's route running on a play that resulted in a late-game interception in Sunday's 24-17 loss to the Denver Broncos.

The two-time Super Bowl champion and six-time Pro Bowl selection also criticized rookie wideout James Washington for dropping a pass in that contest as well as offensive coordinator Randy Fichtner for failing to call JuJu Smith-Schuster's number enough on the final drive.

"Being around for a long time with a lot of different players," Roethlisberger said, "you have to know how to motivate different guys in different ways. I think that's part of being a leader, being a captain, just understanding players. Sometimes you just grab them off to the side, and sometimes you have to be honest with them."

As for how those criticized feel about his comments, Roethlisberger offered the following:

"Go ask them," Roethlisberger said. "I have no idea. I would hope that they would understand that as the quarterback and the captain that I have the right to do those things. I don't feel like I abuse that situation. So I don't think it's an issue, but you would have to ask them."

Roethlisberger is second in the NFL with 3,664 passing yards while his 447 passing attempts are tops in the league. He also has 24 touchdown passes this season for the Steelers (7-3-1), who host the Los Angeles Chargers (8-3) on Sunday (8:20 p.m. ET).