Patriot-Turned-Steeler Says He Was Treated Like "Trash" By New England

There’s no love lost between Pittsburgh Steelers running back Stevan Ridley and one of his former teams.

Ridley, who began his career with the Patriots before moving on to the New York Jets and Atlanta Falcons, didn’t hold back when talking about New England in advance of his team’s upcoming game against the Pats this Sunday.

In his fourth year in the league, which was also the final year of his rookie contract, Ridley had a serious leg injury. After that, the running back said the Patriots treated him like “trash” and wanted nothing to do with him.

“I was trashed after an injury,” Ridley said. “I’m just going to put it that way. I’m not going to say specifically, but to be a starter for [the Patriots] for four years, to tear my ACL and never get a call back, that’s a tough pill to swallow.”

Though he may not get many carries this week – starting running back James Conner may return from injury – Ridley is fired up to face his former team.

“I’m very open and I have to be real: I want this game more than any other game, man,” Ridley said. “That’s just the bottom line to it. And it’ll be that way from this year until I go in the grave. I’m just that kind of person … It’s more than exciting, it means more than I can explain to you. I’m just fired up that I get another Sunday on the field, but against a team that turned their back on me at the end of the day. I’m going to go out there and give it my all.”

The Steelers and Patriots will play on Sunday afternoon in a must-win game for both teams.

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Evan Bleier

Evan is a senior editor with InsideHook who earned a master’s degree in journalism from NYU and has called Brooklyn home since 2006. A fan of Boston sports, Nashville hot chicken and Kentucky bourbon, Evan has had his work published in publications including “Maxim,” Bleacher Report and “The Daily Mail.”