PITTSBURGH (AP) Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James
Harrison is finding ways to make headlines in his retirement as
easily he did during his productive but volatile career.
Harrison, a five-time Pro Bowler and the 2008 NFL Defensive Player
of the Year, raised eyebrows Thursday when he strongly hinted
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin reimbursed Harrison for a fine the
NFL levied on Harrison for a helmet-to-helmet hit on Cleveland wide
receiver Mohamed Massaquoi in October, 2010.
Appearing on a podcast hosted by former Steelers teammate Willie
Colon, Harrison said Tomlin approached him and handed him an
envelope during the aftermath of the hit, which left Massaquoi with
a concussion. Harrison declined to specify what was in the
envelope. Team president Art Rooney II denied any involvement by
Tomlin.
”I am very certain nothing like this ever happened,” Rooney said
in a statement. ”I have no idea why James would make a comment
like this, but there is simply no basis for believing anything like
this.”
Harrison, a frequent critic of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and
of the league’s player safety initiatives during his 15-year
career, took to social media Friday to stress that whatever Tomlin
did, it was not to reward the hit.
”Mike T. Has NEVER paid me for hurting someone or TRYING to hurt
someone or put a bounty on ANYBODY!” Harrison wrote in a lengthy
Instagram post that alleged the NFL only fined him because it was
under pressure due to concussion lawsuits filed against the league.
The timing of Harrison’s story comes more than two years after he
retired following a career in which he morphed from practice squad
player into one of the NFL’s most feared defenders. He enjoyed his
greatest success in Pittsburgh, winning a pair of Super Bowl rings
in the process. His tenure with the Steelers ended acrimoniously in
late 2017 when he pouted his way into being cut. The New England
Patriots signed him, and he played extensively in a loss to
Philadelphia in the Super Bowl in what became his final game.
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