Martavis Bryant Wants 'Man-to-Man' Talk with Ben Roethlisberger After Criticism

Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Martavis Bryant expressed a desire to clear the air with teammate Ben Roethlisberger after the Steelers quarterback told Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in May that Bryant has to "win back everybody's trust." 

"I feel like we need to," Bryant said Thursday about potentially speaking with Roethlisberger, per ESPN.com's Dan Graziano. "We should have a man-to-man. Because some of the things he put out there about me, I kind of didn't agree with how he did it. So I want to sit down and hear his own opinion, man-to-man, about why he did that." 

Bryant missed the 2016 season after the NFL suspended him for violating the league's substance-abuse policy.

The league granted Bryant a conditional reinstatement in April. The ruling allowed the 25-year-old to work out with the Steelers during their preseason activities, and he'll be cleared for regular-season action if he meets certain requirements.

When speaking about Bryant returning to the team, Roethlisberger didn't exactly roll out the red carpet.

"It's more than just me. He has to win back everybody's trust," he said, per Cook. "I would hope he comes up to me and we go somewhere to talk in private. After that, he has to show with his work ethic and by staying clean that he cares—really cares—about us. If he does that, it'll be huge. He can really help us. He can be so great."

Bryant appeared in 11 games in 2015, catching 50 passes for 765 yards and five touchdowns. Sports Illustrated's Chris Burke highlighted how he was one of the NFL's best deep threats prior to his suspension:

Assuming they're on the same page by Week 1 in September, Roethlisberger and Bryant could be a deadly combination through the air in 2017.