With all those helmet-leading tackles, James Harrison appears to have truly lost it. Not that much doubt existed about this after his rant last year about how he simply wants to "hurt people" when he makes plays on the field. This time he fired off on Commissioner Goodell calling him a "crook," and a "devil," among other insults.
He also inexplicably attacked his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, and running back, Rashard Mendenhall. I'm not entirely sure why Harrison decided that now was the appropriate time to call out Big Ben for his Superbowl performance. Or why he felt that Mendenhall needed to be told that he has to do a better job not fumbling the ball (only two fumbles in 324 attempts in 2010). Both teammates claimed that they took no issue with what Harrison said about them, but I get the feeling that locker room stands at its whit's end from Harrison's motor mouth.
But the bigger part of this story is obviously his comments about Commissioner Goodell. The sad part about the whole situation is that Harrison actually made good points about the NFL's current safety policy with players. Unfortunately, because of all those body-crushing hits Harrison has laid across the league, he decided that an impassioned tirade, highlighted by the his declaration that if "[Commissioner Goodell] were on fire and [Harrison] had to piss to put him out, [Harrison] wouldn't," would be more effective than a calm and rational response.
Nobody should act surprised though. Calm and rational are words that have never been associated with Harrison. Immensely talented and a physical force no receiver or running back wants to cross, Harrison has failed once again to show control with his words.
James Harrison is in a position of unique power. He's definitely renowned, whether for positive or negative reasons, and with that notoriety comes a bigger pulpit to preach from. The press will pick up and run with what he says because of his history of outrageous comments and football skills. His criticisms of the NFL's policies are valid; but they aren't when he sounds like a raving lunatic discussing them.
Harrison may as fork over a portion of his paycheck each week from now on, because Roger Goodell isn't going to forget these comments. And he is exactly the type of man who would punish a player simply out of spite. Harrison didn't do anything to help labor negotiations through this interview. He probably didn't hurt them either. But he continues to damage his reputation, the team's, and the league's image in the eyes of the fans.
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