Bears legend and former 49ers coach Mike Singletary is looking to get back into the NFL coaching ranks. In a new profile from The Athletic, Singletary revealed he shot down what would have been a blockbuster trade for Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger in 2009.
According to Singletary, San Francisco owner John York, CEO Jed York and director of player personnel Trent Baalke had a deal with Pittsburgh in place. The franchise was willing to trade the future Hall of Fame quarterback at the time after a civil suit was filed alleging Roethlisberger had sexually assaulted a woman in Nevada.
Singletary said he felt “an obligation” to then 49ers quarterback Alex Smith, a former No. 1 pick who struggled early in his career with the team. He also felt that adding Roethlisberger at that time would have betrayed the message he was preaching to his team, so he “vetoed” the trade.
