Harrison Rips Goodell, Teammates

[Vin+ 3,121]

http://www.nfl.com/news/story/09000d5d820c5df6/article/james-harrison-interview-produces-split-opinions-about-lb?module=HP11_hot_topics

 

 

James Harrison's caustic comments about NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, two Pittsburgh Steelers teammates and others in a recent interview created anger, confusion -- and split opinions about the effects the linebacker's words will have.

 

Former NFL safety Rodney Harrison believes James Harrison will lose respect in the locker room after calling out fellow Steelers, but Men's Journal writer Paul Solotaroff, who authored the controversial article, disputes that notion, claiming the linebacker's teammates love him despite his penchant for speaking out of turn.

 

"I talked to (Steelers linebacker James) Farrior and (he) said, 'Listen, we thought the dude was straight crazy. We thought the guy had severe emotional problems,' " Solotaroff said on "The Dan Patrick Show" on Thursday. "And I'm not sure James has amended his opinion of Mr. Harrison, but he loves him, and so does everybody on that defense. They love this guy to pieces."

 

Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons echoed that sentiment during an interview on TSN Radio in Toronto

 

"James is a guy that's misunderstood," Timmons said, via SportsRadioInterviews.com. "A lot of people think he's a bad person, but he just sometimes says some things that he shouldn't. I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel this way, he probably just got kind of mixed up with his words. But he's a great guy."

 

Solotaroff later appeared on NFL.com's "Dave Dameshek Football Program," where he spoke at length about his interview with Harrison. Solotaroff empathized with the linebacker's frustration at being made "the billboard villain for above-the-neck violence in the NFL," being fined a total of $100,000 last season.

 

"James is speaking for thousands when he issues those remarks," Solotaroff said. " ... I got to James in May of this year (for the interview), so let's count backwards. He'd had about eight months to seethe and stew about having been made the poster boy of the NFL concussion syndrome.

 

"James Harrison didn't invent helmet-on-helmet hits. He didn't perfect them; he's about 50 years behind the curve there. ... He just happened to have two crushing hits on a day that writers around the country called 'Black and Blue Sunday' last October when 11 guys were knocked out cold on the same day."

 

As for Harrison's comments criticizing Ben Roethlisberger for interceptions he threw in February's Super Bowl loss, Solotaroff made it clear the linebacker isn't the only Pittsburgh defender frustrated by the quarterback's sometimes-reckless style of play.

 

"I can say with some authority that there isn't a guy on that defense that's got a poster of Ben Roethlisberger on his bedroom wall," Solotaroff said.

 

ESPN reported that Harrison called Roethlisberger on Wednesday morning and explained his comments. Roethlisberger told ESPN that Harrison said Solotaroff twisted his words, and it wasn't his intention to criticize the quarterback.

 

Roethlisberger said he's taking Harrison at his word and that their relationship is "fine," but Solotaroff defended his reporting.

 

"Everything's cool between us, so I have told James that whatever he needs to do to get right with Ben is good by me," Solotaroff told Dameshek. "And, you know, James has three years left on that very lucrative deal. I think he fully intends to see it out. I'm not sure he intends to play another minute after those three years are up. But, three years, he has to share a sideline and locker room with Big Ben.

 

Harrison also called Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall a "fumble machine" for his fourth-quarter turnover in the Super Bowl loss. Mendenhall responded Wednesday on Twitter that he didn't have a problem with what Harrison said "because I know him." However, Mendenhall also included a link to his stats from last season, which show he didn't have a pattern of fumbling.

 

 

 

Rodney Harrison, a 15-year NFL veteran who last played in 2008, believes James Harrison hurt his persona in Pittsburgh with negative public remarks about teammates.

 

"I think he loses respect in that locker room because guys look at him and say, 'He's a defensive leader, he's a guy that we're supposed to trust,' " Rodney Harrison told Patrick. "But all of a sudden, he's going behind their backs, talking in an interview about his quarterback and his running back.

 

"If you've got something to say, say it to those guys' faces, but don't go behind your guys' back. How can I trust you, how can I line up next to you if you're stabbing me in the back? I think it's a deep-rooted, internal feeling that he has. Somebody really needs to check on him. Maybe those hits to the head are really affecting him now."

 

NFL Network analyst and former player Warren Sapp shared Rodney Harrison's view about publicly ripping teammates.

 

"There are certain (lines) you just don't cross in a locker room," Sapp said on "NFL Total Access" on Wednesday. "There are three people in your organization you just don't cross -- your coach, your kicker and your quarterback."

 

But James Harrison's shots didn't stop with teammates. He described Houston Texans linebacker Brian Cushing, who served a four-game suspension last year for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing drugs, as "juiced out of his mind."

 

When contacted Wednesday, Cushing's only response to Harrison's comments, according to the Houston Chronicle, was "I'll pray for him."

 

Cushing's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, didn't hold back, though.

 

"I thought (James Harrison's) comments were way out of line," Rosenhaus said Thursday on WQAM-AM in Miami, according to ProFootballTalk.com. "He doesn't know the first thing about Brian Cushing or Brian Cushing's situation. And to me, that's an awful thing to do to talk about people that you don't know, and that you don't know the first thing about them or their situation."

 

Most of Harrison's venom was directed at Goodell, whom the linebacker called an anti-gay slur, "stupid," "puppet" and "dictator." Harrison also said: "If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn't do it. I hate him and will never respect him."

 

Solotaroff admitted to Dameshek that Harrison's homophobic remark was ill-advised.

 

"Obviously, the F-word was really unfortunate, and had he not said it on tape, I would've had a real moral quandary whether or not to put it in the piece," Solotaroff said. "But James didn't say it as a homophobic slur. He said it as an angry kid in the schoolyard. And you know the day they outlaw juvenility, then maybe you can really fine this guy, but I don't know, the guy was regressing, he was behaving like someone a lot younger than he is. But he's mad, and people who are mad say things they don't fully mean or understand in the moment of saying them."

 

Woodley said "there's a lot of animosity toward Goodell" because of the uptick in fines for flagrant hits.

 

"The fines, they were ill-advised and came out of nowhere, and it wasn't fair," Woodley said. "This is quite a bit of chunk of change -- you're talking about 20 to 75 grand taken out of your checks. A lot of guys may have kids, three or four mortgages. That hurts."

 

Harrison's agent, Bill Parise, defended his client, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the comments to Men's Journal were made out of "bravado."

 

"I think people have to be careful not to read that and think those statements are anything more than expressions of feelings, particularly in regard to the commissioner," Parise said. "The commissioner fined James $100,000 last year. What do you want him to say, he's my best friend? James is a tough individual, and that's the type of language he uses."

 

Parise wouldn't allow the Post-Gazette to talk to Harrison, instead explaining his client's comments.

 

"I don't think we should get caught up in his cultural language," Parise said. "I think people will read that for what it is and move on. I don't think anyone truly believes James thinks the commissioner is the devil."

 

 

 

NFL spokesman Greg Aiello told the Post-Gazette, "We are not commenting on any aspect of the story. Whether or not Harrison will be punished for his comments -- specifically those lobbed at Goodell -- is a big question, but Solotaroff believes the lingering lockout will cloud the reactions of the league and the Steelers' organization.

 

"It's a fascinating legal question," Solotaroff told Dameshek. "James is not an employee of the National Football League at this moment, he's not an employee of the Pittsburgh Steelers. You know, to the extent that you can be locked out and fined or disciplined, I think there are some lawyers that would be very interested in looking at that carefully."

 

Said Rodney Harrison: "I think somebody from the Pittsburgh organization needs to sit this guy down and say, 'Shut up and play football. Play football better,' "

 

Solotaroff said his sources indicate the Steelers might not even be capable, or willing for that matter, to rein in James Harrison.

 

Solotaroff told Patrick: "I talked to a bunch of Steelers, and I said, 'Look, James is a guy who flies from the hip. Surely there have been internal problems with James,' and a couple of them said, 'Ya, but nobody messes with James, even the coaches. We're all afraid of him.' "

 

Solotaroff believes Harrison's exceptional play on the field -- he's a two-time All-Pro with 45 sacks in the last four seasons -- will keep him employed with the Steelers. And if not, he shouldn't have a problem finding a paycheck.

 

"Here's a guy who never comes off the field, who played the entire 2010 season with two ruptured disks, couldn't push off his right leg, had no strength, very little explosion, and had 10 sacks and finished third in the Defensive Player of the Year voting," Solotaroff told Dameshek. "If they want to cut bait with James, there's this portly fellow in New York -- Ah, what's his name? Oh yeah, Rex Ryan -- who would be able to find a place for him at right outside linebacker. James is going to land on his feet."

 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 

[Turry 755]

Calling it now. Six pages by 7 a.m.

 

 

2 pages off but a good guess.

[BwareDWare94 723]

Honestly, the NFL needs to stop fining James Harrison when he ends up in hits that he couldn't control. The fine for the Massaquoi hit was completely ridiculous.

[SteelersNation36 128]

At least when Zack defended Harrison he didn't ride all up and down his dick like this Solotaroff guy did. Holy crap someone get this guy some KY because his ass has to hurt with the way he's riding that pole.

[Vin+ 3,121]

 

 

2 pages off but a good guess.

Yeah. There wasn't near as much Zack/Windy arguing as I was expecting.

[Brownage 7]

Is anyone even surprised by this?

 

I'm not. This is what happens when you give morons face-time and media attention.

[Packers Dynasty 2010 116]

Honestly, the NFL needs to stop fining James Harrison when he ends up in hits that he couldn't control. The fine for the Massaquoi hit was completely ridiculous.

What? It wasn't even close to being out of his control, he leads with his head on so many hits and that play wasn't any different. He could have easily delivered a nasty blow below the shoulders, instead he launched into Massaquoi's head.

Edited July 15, 2011 by Packers Dynasty 2010

[Krawnka 282]

Yep, when I played we were taught to put our facemask in between their numbers...too bad I was more interested in being a "rebel" than I was in actually playing football.

[Favre4Ever+ 4,476]

Harrison issued an apology. This is from NFP.

 

"I’ll start by offering my apologies for some of the words that I said during the four days in May that Men’s Journal was invited to my house to discuss what the NFL has recently been portraying as their attempts at ‘player safety’ rules and regulations, and to cover my everyday workout routine."

 

"I did make comments about my teammates when I was talking about the emotional Super Bowl loss, but the handful of words that were used and heavily publicized yesterday were pulled out of a long conversation and the context was lost. Obviously, I would never say that it was all Ben’s or Rashard’s fault that we lost the Super Bowl. That would be ridiculous. Both Ben and Rashard are great players and great teammates. Clearly the entire team bears responsibility for the loss, me included. It was a team effort and a team loss. My teammates know me well, and hopefully understand the things I said were not meant to accuse them of the loss. We all have discussed several things that went wrong in the Super Bowl since that day. What I do apologize for and take full responsibility for is for speaking in such a candid manner to someone outside the team."

 

"I also need to make clear that the comment about Roger Goodell was not intended to be derogatory against gay people in any way. It was careless use of a slang word and I apologize to all who were offended by the remark. I am not a homophobic bigot, and I would never advocate intolerance of gay people."

 

"As far as the photo that was shown on air yesterday, collecting guns is a hobby of mine, and I advocate the responsible use of firearms. I believe in the right to bear arms. I like to go to the shooting range. I like to hunt. I like to fish. I could just as easily have posed with my fishing poles but it obviously wouldn’t be an interesting picture for the magazine. I am not promoting gun violence by posing for that photo. There are also other photos in the magazine story that were not shown on air yesterday – including me with my sons, with my mom and as a kid."

 

"Unfortunately, the above items and other comments have detracted from the original purpose of the story – a position I have been advocating for some time now. If player safety is the NFL’s main concern, as they say it is, they are not going about it in an effective manner. There’s nothing about extending the season or issuing exorbitant fines on defensive players that makes any shift toward the prevention of injury to players.

 

"I believe that the league may have been feeling increasing pressure about injuries and concussions last year, and that they panicked and put rules in place that weren’t fully thought out. I’m not advocating more flags and fines, I’m just saying that the current rules are not completely fair, and I don’t believe in the way that the league is handling their position as overseer of the NFL and the well-being of its players.

 

"As far as the character and reputation hits I may suffer as a result of my comments in the article, I’ll take those hits and more if it brings increased attention to the re-examination and installation of rules and regulations that would create a real impact on player safety."

[KiLaSix9+ 398]

I'm surprised a man of his ego actually issued this type of apology but I guess the shit storm was too great. That or someone from front offices or his agent advised him otherwise.

[BigBen07 285]

Who negged this post? Seriously.

 

The Steelers have Lawrence Timmons ready to step right in and they got rid of Santonio Holmes for doing less.

 

Zack negged the post lol.

 

If it was his agent who told him to apologize, good thing he took the advice.

Edited July 15, 2011 by BigBen07

[FSUViking 184]

Harrison issued an apology. This is from NFP.

 

Yeah, HE wrote that like I wrote the fucking Gettysburg Address.

[NaTaS+ 958]

You're making an idiot of yourself, lol. You first tell me to stop talking for posting a valid point. Then you get on your soapbox and begin preaching about open-mindedness. Now you're back to calling me an idiot.

 

 

If this were Drew Brees everyone would be on his side, spouting things about how the media are fiends and they do anything to get a story.

 

 

Your defense of Harrison is that 'if this was Drew Brees'? Bullshit. This strawman isnt going anywhere. What Harrison said and did was shit. I've met the kids mom and actually watched him play in HS (My buddy who played for the Bearcats coached him). He has always been kinda flakey.

 

Players talk - I ignore them. I would take Harrison in a heart beat as long as he didnt create problems in the locker room. With his comments here, I gotta wonder what his teammates are thinking.

 

*Edit, should mention that the coach will probably smooth all this over. Shouldnt be a big deal once football gets going.

Edited July 16, 2011 by NaTaS

[NaTaS+ 958]

What? It wasn't even close to being out of his control, he leads with his head on so many hits and that play wasn't any different. He could have easily delivered a nasty blow below the shoulders, instead he launched into Massaquoi's head.

 

Part of the blame is on the Colt for leading MoMass into that zone like that. These guys are so fast and so athletic, I doubt he had time to think about where he was hitting him. The fines are all about trying to create an awareness.

[Turry 755]

Harrison is a fucking baffoon and always has been. The Lawrence Timmons Era is going to begin a lot sooner. LB's are plug & play in Pittsburgh and Harrison is gonna be on a fast train out of town sooner rather than later.

 

- He rips Big Ben for throwing a pick...yet he had ONE tackle in the Super Bowl.

 

- He wants Ben to hand off to the guy he just called a "fumble machine"....despite Mendenhall only fumbling twice all season.

 

- And then his comments about HIS BOSS. Regardless of what you think about Goodell, these comments cross the line. They're so far over the line, you need Hubble to even see it.

 

The Rooney's have long stood for class when it comes to the NFL. Let's see if they still have any.

 

And someone explain to me how Goodell can be both a puppet AND a dictator? If he's a puppet then he's essentially calling out the Rooneys then, too. Oh and if you hate him that much......then GTFO. Quit. Go pump gas for a living then and don't make millions in the communist NFL anymore.

 

 

Timmons is and ILB. Jason Worilds will be Harrrison replacement but not for another season or two.

 

The Sports Xchange's Len Pasquarelli believes the Steelers will move on from OLB James Harrison in another season or so.

Harrison is 33 and although he hasn't shown a decline in effectiveness yet, it's inevitably coming. He has a base salary of just $3.67 million this season, but is owed nearly $19 million between 2012 and 2014. The off-field distractions, highlighted by last week's comments in Men's Journal, obviously don't help. Pasquarelli sees the Steelers locking up LaMarr Woodley to a long-term deal and grooming Jason Worilds to be Harrison's eventual replacement.

Related: Jason Worilds

Source: Sports Xchange

[PackIsBack 124]

I don't think his apology is heart-felt and I think he's going to feel the affects of his actions when/if we have a football season. You can't call out your teammates like that without holding yourself to those same standards and still maintain all the respect you had before that. It's important to be a physical and demanding force on the football field, but it's still his career and he needs to learn to be professional off the field as well. Especially when you're in the public eye like football players are, it's crucial to watch what you say. And if you have personal problems with your teammates, deal with them directly instead of talking about it with the media where it will definitely cause drama. This was just a pile of horrible decisions from Harrison.

 

Not to mention...how could any of that me misconstrued? Just seems like he was covering his ass.

Edited July 19, 2011 by PackIsBack

[BC 331]

Baller status.