Steelers’ James Harrison’s Comments Par For the Course With Him

By Joe Pietaro
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Updated: July 18, 2011

If there were any people surprised or shocked by the recent comments made by James Harrison, not having football in the forefront has obviously effected you greatly. The Pittsburgh Steelers may be ashamed of it, but, they too, are probably shaking just their collective heads.

The standout linebacker hasn’t exactly been an altar boy, even dating back to his high school days when he was suspended for two games after challenging an assistant coach to a fight. His NFL career began with constant struggle before Harrison came into his own in 2007 after going undrafted and bouncing around for three years.

Numerous off-the-field incidents and fines for hits between the lines have dotted what has become a very successful career for Harrison. Perhaps his biggest moment came at the end of the first half in Super Bowl XLIII when he changed the game by picking off Kurt Warner at the goal line and returned the football 100 yards for an unlikely touchdown. (See photo.)

Part of his game is to be bordering on out of control, so Harrison calling NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a “faggot” is just part of his persona. Ripping teammates Ben Roethlisberger and Rashaad Mendenhall may sound like the type of comments that can destroy a locker room, but both of these guys have been around for a few years now and know that Harrison is just talking out of his ass.

For Harrison to get ready to do battle, he has to work himself up into a frenzy. With the NFL lockout going on, he must be beside himself. Sure, he did backtrack some with a bullshit apology, but Harrison is just setting the bar for when training camps finally open.

The guy means business and he isn’t exactly shy about it.