Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger connected for 1,499 yards last season. (USATSI)
Antonio Brown and Ben Roethlisberger connected for 1,499 yards last season. (USATSI)

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First, former Steelers wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, who is now with the Broncos, said that Peyton Manning was a better leader than Ben Roethlisberger. That prompted Steelers great Jerome Bettis to note that not only were Sanders' comments off the mark but also "a little disrespectful."

And now, current Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has weighed in on the matter.

"That was terrible," Brown said Wednesday, according to ESPN.com. "You don't throw your quarterback under the bus, the guy who makes you who you are."

Here's exactly what Sanders said:

"This is the first time that I had a quarterback that stays every single day after practice, no matter what his accolades. He's not one of those guys you gotta go chase down. He's gonna be right at the same spot ready to work every single day."

Sanders added: “I've got so much love for Ben (but) at the same time, I'm not going to lie. I'm happy to be part of this organization and happy that Peyton is my quarterback.”

To which Bettis responded: "I think [Sanders] misunderstood what leadership is and he misspoke, and I think it was a little bit of a jab," Bettis continued. "I think if he had a chance, he'd take it back. It's not that Ben doesn't lead. He just leads differently than Peyton does."

And that led Sanders to clarify himself again, this time on Twitter:

Meanwhile, Brown, who came into the league with Sanders in 2010 and led the Steelers with 1,499 receiving yards last season, hasn't talked to his former teammates since the comments.

"Right now I'm just singularly focused on our team, getting better and winning," he said. "When things happen like that ... I don't know. Emmanuel's my guy and I'm sure he feels sorry for those words that he put out."