PITTSBURGH -- After a break out 2007 season, Ben Roethlisberger was riding high as a Pro Bowl player with a $100 million contract, but it took a stern talk from a veteran quarterback to bring him back to reality.

Fearing Roethlisberger was spiraling out of control, Steelers veteran Charlie Batch sat him down for a heart-to-heart, a talk that was made public Tuesday night on ESPN.

“There were some things that were easy to hear, some things that were tough to hear,” said the two-time Super Bowl champion.

Roethlisberger got the message loud and clear, and two years later he admitted that he wasn’t a very good leader or teammate early on.

Since Batch sat him down, Roethlisberger began talking with his teammates more often and spending time with them away from football.

“I just wanted them to get to know me, who I was kind of away from football, and I think we developed a really good relationship,” said Roethlisberger.

And as Roethlisberger faces trouble with a civil lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault, he said he leans on his teammates and their strengthened bond for support.

Roethlisberger broke his silence Tuesday on national television about a sexual assault suit against him.

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"It's been tough, because it's something going on in your life that's a big deal. But I've been able to kind of put behind me when I go to practice, when I go to work," Roethlisberger told ESPN.

The interview comes as a judge halted proceedings in the case pending the outcome of an appeal to the Nevada Supreme Court seeking a change of venue by Roethlisberger and his co-defendants.

In July, Harrah's Hotel and Casino employee Andrea McNulty filed the suit against Roethlisberger alleging that he raped her at his hotel room in Lake Tahoe during a celebrity golf outing the year before.

"I just block it out. I try not to think about it until it gets brought up from the media, or I get a call from my agent or my attorney. Whatever, but for the most part I just try and live my life as normal as I can," Roethlisberger said.

McNulty never filed a police report, and Roethlisberger has denied the accusations.

Roethlisberger talked to ESPN about the press conference he held at the Steelers' South Side practice complex.

"I was almost in tears, because I got up there and thought about my family," Roethlisberger said. "I thought about my teammates, who are my family. It was almost like, this is the really happening moment."

Roethlisberger's attorneys have aggressively defended him, filing numerous court documents questioning McNulty’s claims and motivations.

"We want to clear my name because that's what hurt the most, is that my name, my family’s name has been tarnished by this accusation that hurts a lot," Roethlisberger said.

Steelers fans weighed in on the situation and talked with Channel 11 News.

"I'm more worried about what happens on the field than what happens in their personal life," said fan Mark Vallky.

"I think they should just let it go and let him go," said fan Phil Henschel. "I don't want to hear any more about it."

For the second straight season, Roethlisberger was voted a captain by his teammates and despite the off-field distraction, Roethlisberger plans to play the best football of his career.

“There’s a lot of things that happen in your life, good, bad and ugly,” said Roethlisberger. “Whatever it is, these allegations are just tough. They’re tough on me, but my teammates, knowing they support me and have my back really just means a lot.”