Hines Ward says Ravens-Steelers rivalry is only thing he misses from playing days

The former Pittsburgh wide receiver talked with Nestor and Luke on Radio Row in Arizona ahead of Super Bowl XLIX.

SPEAKERS

Hines Ward, Luke Jones, Nestor Aparicio

Nestor Aparicio  00:00

Welcome back wn st Towson, Baltimore and wn s t.net. I’m not gonna mince any words here

Luke Jones  00:06

How did this guy show up at our table? How

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Nestor Aparicio  00:08

happened here? I got Heinz sitting next to me

Hines Ward  00:13

I love talking to Baltimore.

00:15

Michael you wants just Just

Hines Ward  00:18

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be careful though I hit back past I get excitement the

Luke Jones  00:26

hit rate we’re seeing the trademark smile right now so

Nestor Aparicio  00:29

many smiling happy I’m

Hines Ward  00:33

blessed man so blessed. Oh, you know what?

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Nestor Aparicio  00:36

Let me see the ring.

Hines Ward  00:38

The big one right here you know

Nestor Aparicio  00:39

that is put my 35 on before y’all had one and I got goofy pictures of him and his mom and all that. There’s a lot of diamond day they’re not even real arty. Man. That’s a lot of diamonds.

Hines Ward  00:52

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Six big diamonds. Oh, the only organization with six Super Bowls.

Nestor Aparicio  00:55

Yeah, just because the Colts wanted 58 and 59 and Oh count that’s what it is.

Hines Ward  01:01

You know what Hey, the battles that we had with the Ravens I read a lose anyone. Anyone except for the Ravens that playoff loss to you guys. It hurt me and I wasn’t even playing

Nestor Aparicio  01:15

that was one that was a fantastic bus ride down. I even like Breezewood that

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Hines Ward  01:23

I smiled the whole way down. That’s understandable as understandable it was it was a great game you guys were the better team that day.

Nestor Aparicio  01:32

I want to say that

Hines Ward  01:34

you know now I’m over in the media where I can say that you’re neutral. I’m neutral know a little No, I’m not.

Nestor Aparicio  01:41

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Seriously, what would your career have been if not defined by those Raven battles. And I think for Ray Lewis for Ben Roethlisberger. Now Flacco the whole thing.

Hines Ward  01:49

You know what that is, the only thing that I miss, out of all the things being retired is that those games with the ravens, you know, I wish I could come out of retirement just to participate just in that one game. And that one game only to be able to play Baltimore, a lot of great players, a lot of great moments. What was at stake, the magnitude of a genuine dislike, but the utmost respect for each other a lot of great years, a lot of great plays throughout that and something that would be dear to me for the rest of my life. If I ever everywhere I go, I speak about I can’t not speak about my career without talking about the ravens, because what that rivalry meant to me as a player, and to be fortunate enough to play against some great players.

Luke Jones  02:29

Is it strange for you now being on the media side? I mean, we saw you interviewing Terrell Suggs, and he said, Hey, it’s me.

Hines Ward  02:39

It’s fun now, you know, because I get to see it from a different perspective now. And you know, I’m not even when Pittsburgh when they play bad, I have to be critical of their play, you know, losing to Tampa at home, and then, you know, losing the Cleveland and how they perform, I had to be very critical. And that’s what I’m learning in this business be true. You know, I’m still all day to actually black and go, but if they’re playing the guys who say they played the whole careers, 14 years and one organizations and I’m proud of that, you know, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Yes, I could have played for another town. I got the question the other day. You mean to tell me in Baltimore Ravens are going to pay you $5 million to come after still this country you wouldn’t play you wouldn’t put on the purple and black. I said no.

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Nestor Aparicio  03:26

You seriously, play for 5 million

Hines Ward  03:29

for 10 million. I couldn’t do it.

Luke Jones  03:31

I always say the state offense in Baltimore and especially when you were still playing. I said, Look, everyone hates Hines Ward, Pittsburgh, we get that if the Ravens had drafted him, he would have been below Baltimore and it would have been the Steelers hating.

Nestor Aparicio  03:44

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I remember when a draft came I wanted us to draft you manage origin. You know,

Hines Ward  03:48

when I talked to Ozzie Newsome years ago, you sat with him at the combine. I talked with NAS I think I saw the kind of offset a little bit and he’s like, Yeah, you know, you’re pretty good, blah, blah, but I didn’t have an ACL at the time and, and now like I saw Ozzy after we won we beat you guys and we went to Super Bowl we won. And then I every day every time I see eyes, I said so I wrote it a little more.

Nestor Aparicio  04:14

Hines Ward here on behalf of NBC Sports and NBC Sports Radio and all the things you’re doing. Yeah. How’s the media thing worked out for you?

Hines Ward  04:22

Well, man, the hardest thing we’re gonna do that though right? Always I love talking football. I mean, the hardest thing like being on NBC is being so concise. I have so much to say so hard to say some

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Nestor Aparicio  04:34

more radio with us, man. Radio, you stretch it out.

Hines Ward  04:38

I’m starting to enjoy it radio. I really am. I like it because it gives me a bigger platform to really say what I can’t really tell a story in 30 seconds. That’s the hardest thing to do and really get the gist of what I’m trying to say in 30 seconds. So I’m still learning. I’m very fortunate. I’m worked with the Mount Rushmore of the broadcast and we’re with Bob Costas owl and Chris So I’ve been very fortunate. But it’s so hard to be so concise, because I have so much knowledge going on in his head and great stories about the Ravens about the Patriots so many great stories that I want to tell. And television doesn’t give me that platform to be able to tell those great stories. And I

Luke Jones  05:15

understand John Harbaugh is going to be joined. Yeah.

Hines Ward  05:19

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Him and I are gonna be on the set. That was one play. I don’t remember who it was somebody who was guarding me it was a rookie, it might have been way up his rookie year, right? It was a huge third down conversion. They were backed up. If they stopped us on third down, we put the ball they got a good chance of kicking the field or winning the game, I convert this third down conversion, I cashed the bomb right in front of John Harbaugh. And I said you liked that, don’t you? How are you gonna put a rookie and he’s like, he looked at me and he said, we went past it like, Eff you, right?

Nestor Aparicio  05:50

Same thing I was saying.

Hines Ward  05:53

I don’t know. I just called the ball and I got up and I stood right in front of John Harbaugh. And I just smiled. And he told me I just smiled.

Nestor Aparicio  06:01

On behalf of Baltimore, I’ll tell you that I’m glad you at least heard it. You didn’t mean if he’s gonna say at least at least a message got delivered, but that

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Hines Ward  06:09

you can ask for it. That’s what the rivalry was all about. It was love great players. I respect you. But I really hate you. Like I genuinely. When I first year when I signed on with NBC, I went to Baltimore, I got off the plane. And the lady said, Hey, you Heinz void, right? Yeah, so yeah, I hate you. I get in the car from the airport. John was like, Yeah, Mr. Ward. I just have to tell you, man, you’re a great player. But I don’t like you. I hate going to the hotel lady. Hey, welcome. Welcome to hotel. You’d be staying here for two nights. I love you and dance with the stars but I hated you as a football player. order room service, right? This is the tricky part. Hey, Miss ward. You know what? I really didn’t like you as a player. Now I’m sitting here looking at this sandwich. Should I eat this? Cosby’s been through you don’t know what was in this sandwich. And all I’ve heard since I landed in Baltimore is I HATE YOU HATE YOU from the airport, to the car driver to the check in and now to the room service. So there’s no way in hell, I’m eating this food on my plate. There’s no way in hell I’m touching this room. So the message has been delivered. So now when I go to Baltimore, I carry a lunch bucket. I packed my own lunch and I eat my food out of my lunch bucket. Had you

Nestor Aparicio  07:25

ever heard about PSI and a football? You threw footballs in your desk? Okay, so So thoughts about what that represents for you? Because we’ve heard such a wild left right the biggest

Hines Ward  07:35

thing that I have if you clearly don’t gain advantage from it, why do it? Fair enough? That’s fair. If it’s not an event you are convinced

Nestor Aparicio  07:45

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they did it that it’s not accidental that 11 to 12 footballs would be under inflated

Hines Ward  07:51

Yeah, if you look at the cold side is the Colts balls measured up and you know, footballs are at least two or three of them was under but all 13 are all 12 past and 11 out of the 12 didn’t on the Patriots. Just look suspect you think Bellatrix 30 shares I don’t know if he’s 30. I just know whoever did it. The Patriots are guilty. And this is your second offense. Even if he’s one thing we can agree on. We hate the Patriots. If they win this game. It’s not really hate. It’s just that if you win this game, it’s gonna be tainted. Because you don’t know how long Tom Brady’s been doing it you ever think comes in? We don’t know. You don’t know what happened. And no one’s gonna say Oh, I did it. You know? And what excuse comes out with the footballs who did it? Who didn’t? It was in your possession? You You’re the New England Patriots. How do you let somebody just take the air out in football and not know it? That’s to me. That’s crazy. So it is what it is, is it’s cheating. I don’t know who did it. But have you want to spin it? It is what it is you you knew the rules you try to gain an advantage if you didn’t do it to gain advantage then why let the air out of football? Why even touch the football? That’s that’s the question that I say. And I tweet. Oh, you hate to steal? I mean, you hate the Patriots. You’re a Patriots hater. No, that’s just real life if you clearly didn’t gain advantage then why mess with the footballs?

Nestor Aparicio  09:10

Give me some NBC love I appreciate that. You over man. Oh,

Hines Ward  09:12

it’s all good spot now.

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Nestor Aparicio  09:14

NBC what else you doing?

Hines Ward  09:16

Oh, man, I got me like I’m all over the place. Man. I’m kind of like this The Running Man. I got me from one spot to the next. I got to do PFT later on today. We’re Rodney and I were doing Verity later on tonight. So we’re all over the place. But haven’t you stopped by anytime, man, I could talk to you guys all day. Give me great stories, man. We’ll keep it up. We’ll do it again.

Nestor Aparicio  09:35

Man. Elbows up, elbows up. There he goes off. We still hate him. I hate to do. Hines Ward joining us here. You know he keeps smiling. I mean, they didn’t mince words, right. I mean,

Luke Jones  09:51

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I’ll be totally honest. And you’re gonna call me a bad person. When you sit down with them. It’s it’s tough to hate him at least as much as you did before.

Nestor Aparicio  09:58

I feel done Already I feel like

Luke Jones  10:00

I’ve said this all along. I said this when he was still playing Ravens fans, they hate Heinz Ward, I get it. Plenty of evidence that supports having that position over the years, being a good player and at times being quite questionable but no one can deny if the Ravens drafted him and he goes on to be a longtime ravens receiver. Baltimore would have loved that

Nestor Aparicio  10:23

guy. Hines Ward joining us here on the set at Radio row works Super Bowl 49. All brought to you by NBC we appreciate them driving. Hines Ward through here. He smiled he hit he ran, spun his Super Bowl ring around a couple of times and disappeared. You can reach Luke Luke at wn st dotnet IMST wn St. dotnet. We are all over the world on Twitter and on Facebook at wn St. dotnet or by a tweet or audio vote. If you missed the beginning of Heinz Were any of our cool interviews here. You can find them all in the buy a Toyota audio halts you can subscribe to our morning newspaper, our tech service and all the things we do available listening live at wn St. dotnet. We are wn st Towson Baltimore and we never stop talking. Baltimore sports