Roethlisberger Defends Carr's Crying: Shedding Tears Doesn't Make You Less Manly

Derek Carr’s teammates may not have his back, but Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger does.

Following reports that Carr’s teammates on the Oakland Raiders had lost confidence in him after seeing him cry on the field, the Pittsburgh signal-caller stuck up for his fellow quarterback.

Roethlisberger was asked about the reports and, though he claimed not to be familiar with the matter, he defended Carr for crying after being sacked by the Seattle Seahawks.

“I think as men in general we all need to show emotion,” Roethlisberger said. “I think there’s a misconception that as men we shouldn’t show emotion. And I think that’s wrong. I think we need to show emotion, whether it’s at a movie if you want to cry if it’s funny, if it’s sad. If [you] want to be around your wife or girlfriend, just because you cry doesn’t mean you’re any less manly. I think that, that’s a false narrative. So, I don’t know exactly the story you’re talking about, but I don’t think it makes us any less manly to show emotion.”

The Steelers quarterback also said he has cried from emotion and from pain, although in the locker room, not on the field.

For his part, Carr said on Twitter that there was “Not one tear/Not one time.”

The visual evidence would seem to indicate otherwise.