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James Harrison rips Roger Goodell
ESPN.com news services


NEW YORK -- Heavily fined Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison calls NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a "crook" and a "devil," among other insults, in an interview with Men's Journal.

He even rips teammates Rashard Mendenhall ("fumble machine") and Ben Roethlisberger for their performances in the Super Bowl loss.

"Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again. Or hand the ball off and stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain't that and you know it, man; you just get paid like he does," he said, referring to Roethlisberger's two interceptions in the game.

The 2008 AP Defensive Player of the Year hasn't been shy about ripping the league after he was docked $100,000 for illegal hits last season. In the August issue of Men's Journal, his rants against Goodell reach another level of wrath. Harrison told ESPN that the interview took place "in April or May sometime."

"If that man was on fire and I had to ... to put him out, I wouldn't do it," Harrison told the magazine. "I hate him and will never respect him."

His other descriptions of the commissioner include an anti-gay slur, "stupid," "puppet" and "dictator."

If the Steelers had defeated the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, Harrison said, he would have whispered in Goodell's ear during the trophy ceremony: "Why don't you quit and do something else, like start your own league in flag football?"

Harrison also questions whether a black player is punished more for a hard hit on a white player than the opposite.

"I slammed Vince Young on his head and paid five grand, but just touched Drew Brees and that was 20," Harrison said. "You think black players don't see this s--- and lose all respect for Goodell?"

Harrison also criticizes other NFL execs, Patriots-turned-commentators Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi ("clowns"), Houston's Brian Cushing ("juiced out of his mind").

Beyond the insults, Harrison makes some serious points about what he believes are the league's misguided attempts to increase safety. He explains how non-guaranteed contracts make players more likely to hit high, because in the short term, a torn knee ligament is more costly than a concussion.

And Harrison suggests the real way to prevent head injuries is to shorten the season to 14 games, start offseason workouts later and trim the length of training camp so "we're not bangin' heads so much in August; that's where the brain trauma comes from."

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.
http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/676482...azine-interview

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Me thinks them Stillers need this lockout to end.

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And Harrison suggests the real way to prevent head injuries is to shorten the season to 14 games, start offseason workouts later and trim the length of training camp so "we're not bangin' heads so much in August; that's where the brain trauma comes from."

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LOL,, what a dope this guy is. I bet that if the league shortened the season to 14 games, shortened the off season workouts and trimmed the length of training camp, he'd still demand an increase on his next contract.

what a freakin jackwad....

If anyone is into twitter please keep us updated on the moron.. for entertainment purposes.

Not mentioned here, is the pictorial of him holding two pistols with the title labeled "Hit Man"

And I love how he mentioned what he "would have said" IF the steeler had won the Super Bowl... Nothing like a true hypothetical to get the blood going...

He could be one of the best players in the NFL, but there is just something wrong in that mans head... seriously...

He's a clown. Pay no attention to him. I figure Roger will lighten his wallet after this.

Harrison needs to count his blessings. If it weren't for the NFL he'd be flipping burgers in a fast food restaraunt.

Sure seems like he's a guy who hates everything about his job except collecting the paycheck. Maybe he should leave the NFL and take up MMA.

If I'm in Kent State's PR department I'm doing everything I can to disassociate myself with this guy.

Harrison played football with my nephew at Coventry HS. My nephew passed away suddenly ten years ago. Guess who has stayed in contsant contact with my sister, always wishing her well with kind words even through his success? Yep, its the classless James Harrison.

His stuff can be a bit outrageous but so can some of the opinions (operative word) on here.

Good point. Thanks for adding that in there.

I think what rubs everyone the wrong way isn't that he feels this way, we all have some ill feelings towards our careers/boss/job/role/paycheck....but we aren't whining to 45 million people about it.

Seems like he should count his blessing, cash the checks, and only whine to his family and friends when he's hosting a BBQ (or in the locker room). Otherwise, shut up! We'd all enjoy to trade places with him and be disrespected by Roger for a few million a year.

Oh well....grass is always greener.

I would expect nothing less out of this guy. He has been a creep and a jerk his whole career, why change now?

And still he's a hero to the steeler faithful, much like their patron saint big Ben.

hey, leave Ben out of this. he's only a few short weeks away from having successfully navigated an offseason without a rape charge for the first time in 3 years.

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His other descriptions of the commissioner include an anti-gay slur,

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anyone know what he said?

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"I slammed Vince Young on his head and paid five grand, but just touched Drew Brees and that was 20," Harrison said. "You think black players don't see this s--- and lose all respect for Goodell?"

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could it be, because you are a habitual offender!

No let's pull the race card in true gang bang'er fashion

of course, if he was the 50th man on the roster, the owner would put up a huge stink about how their organization can't stand for such things and make a huge deal out of cutting him

J/C

If it were my choice, I would do just what he fears most....take out his knees. This guy is a POS in the true sense. If he played for another team Steeler fans would hate him just as most do. He says his hits are all legal, BS. To him nothing is a cheap shot. His attitude about hurting people is not the same as most players in the league, and I include Ray Lewis in that statement.

Harrison is just another in a long line of Steeler LB's that find success in LaBeau's defense because of a great front three and scheme. If he is traded, he will be just another Kendrell Bell, Joey Porter, and many other LB's that had success due to their scheme.

I wish I had the money, because I would put a huge bounty on this arses knees. Take him out like the trash he is. His disrespect for his own teammates just goes to show that he is just a thug.

its obvious he would be in the landscaping business.. lol.

James Harrison's words dull his point

Steelers LB's language in ripping Goodell overshadows his criticism of commissioner

Ashley Fox
ESPN.com



James Harrison does not look tough. He does not look like the meanest player in the NFL, the hardest hitter or the most feared defender.

He looks like an idiot. And he looks very, very bad.

I'm not sure what is the most offensive part of the spread on Harrison in the August issue of Men's Journal, out on Friday. The picture with the guns? The anti-gay slur? The utter disrespect for NFL commissioner Roger Goodell? Or the calling out of two of his Pittsburgh Steelers teammates?

James Harrison posed with two of his handguns for this photo that appears in Men's Journal.
It is all bad, and it overshadows the fact that Harrison does have a valid criticism, shared by other players in the NFL, of how Goodell went about fining players for illegal hits last season. There are players like Harrison who think Goodell unfairly targeted African-American players and fined certain players more than others. There are players like Harrison who think Goodell issued harsher fines for illegal hits on white players than for hits on black players. And there are players like Harrison who think Goodell had it out for certain players.

Harrison is the perfect person to speak on this subject, because Goodell took $100,000 out of his pocket last season, fining Harrison more than any other player. But because of his inflammatory language, Harrison lost any opportunity to make his point about the fairness of Goodell's system or to try to persuade Goodell to change it. He ripped Goodell, which was not breaking news, but he did so by using an anti-gay slur to describe the commissioner.

Using an anti-gay slur is just as unacceptable as using a racial slur. You don't have to be in support of gay marriage, but you cannot be intolerant. Gay slurs are not slang. They are hurtful, and the use of them has to stop.

Harrison also called Goodell "stupid," a "puppet" and a "dictator," and said that, "If that man was on fire and I had to ... to put him out, I wouldn't do it. I hate him and will never respect him."


Harrison can hate Goodell all he wants. He can think Goodell is out to get him, is unfair and is unjust, but he needs to show Goodell respect, just as he needs to show his head coach, Mike Tomlin, respect and his position coach respect and the person who makes his lunch in the Steelers' cafeteria respect.

Playing football under a six-year, $51.175 million contract does not mean Harrison isn't still an employee. He is. There are rules, and there are consequences for breaking those rules.

Harrison said that if the Steelers had defeated the Green Bay Packers in the Super Bowl, he was going to whisper in Goodell's ear during the trophy presentation: "Why don't you quit and do something else, like start your own league in flag football?" Now that would have been classy, but Harrison did not get that opportunity. The Steelers did not win. Harrison did not take responsibility for losing the game, even though he had only one tackle the entire game, a sack of Aaron Rodgers where Rodgers essentially ran into him. He did not apologize for getting dominated most of the game by Packers tackle Chad Clifton.

Instead, Harrison ripped his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, who did take responsibility for the loss after throwing two interceptions in the game.

"Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again," Harrison said of Roethlisberger. "Or hand the ball off and stop trying to act like Peyton Manning. You ain't that and you know it, man; you just get paid like he does."

Harrison also called Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall a "fumble machine."

Rule No. 1 of being a good teammate is you do not publicly criticize a teammate -- ever. You keep that in house. Publicly throwing a teammate under the bus, particularly the quarterback, only serves to divide a locker room, and divided locker rooms do not produce championships.

Tomlin is a master at managing star players and their monster egos, and he will have his hands full with this one whenever the lockout ends. Harrison drew a line down the middle of the team, offense on one side, defense on the other. Tomlin will have to fix that.

The photo accompanying the article shows Harrison shirtless with his arms crossed holding two of his guns, reportedly an FN Five-Seven pistol and a Smith & Wesson 460V revolver. It is a ridiculous image for kids to see. Harrison is a professional football player and therefore, unfortunately, a role model for some children. In the picture he is promoting guns, as if he has never been to inner city Chicago or Detroit or Philadelphia and seen the devastation gun use causes.

Harrison is not some character in a video game or a movie. He is a name and a number and a man with influence and sway on young people. We don't need more young people on the streets with guns. We need less.

If he wants to own a gun, fine. That is his right. But don't pretend that a gun makes you tough. It does not. It makes you dangerous. There is a difference.

No one has ever questioned Harrison's toughness. But it is now fair to question whether he has a clue.


Ashley Fox covers the NFL for ESPN.com.

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So.. Am I a bad guy for enjoying this tremendously? LOL..

the owners have said that the conduct policy is in place even though the players are locked out. it will be interesting to see if they actually try to follow through on that because the players would have a lawsuit I think they would win (unless they agree to this in the CBA)

I wonder if our opinions would be different if he came to Cleveland when he was a free agent a few years back?

As long as he keeps himself out of legal trouble and wouldn't bad mouth Cleveland I want him.

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I wonder if our opinions would be different if he came to Cleveland when he was a free agent a few years back?

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I might look at some of hits with my brown and orange glasses on and try to defend some of them but my overall thoughts on his image and personality would probably be about the same.. he would be a lot like KWII... a potentially great player but I'm not sure its worth keeping him on the team. I often wonder if he played for a team that didn't win like the Browns or the Lions if the national impression of him would change.

According to Greg Aiello, the Personal Conduct Policy is not a part of the CBA.

Then probably encountered this link as well, which is where I got my source:

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/NFL-plans-to-enforce-personal-conduct-policy-after-lockout.html