James Harrison must like being fined

Yeah, I'm with D-3 Fan on this one. None of this has anything to do with Goodell. James Harrison is stupid and likes to attack people, both physically and verbally. The end.

Oh, and nice timing, by the way. Like the Steelers organization isn't dealing with enough shit due to another big-name player. What an asshole.

 

Really - the guy is a football player, a good one, - but why should we care when he pops off? Do we take him seriously? Give what he said weight? That's what I don't get.

 

No, you're holding him responsible. If you ignore it, you reward him for it. He's not stopping either way. Might as well make light of it so people know what he's about. Eventually, he'll pay for being such a dick.

 

Some of it I don't care about. He hates Goodell? That ain't exactly news. Wouldn't piss on him if he was on fire? Bet he wrote that one down so he wouldn't forget it.

But accusing the league of doling out bigger fines for hits on black quarterbacks than hits on white ones probably deserves at least another fine. So does saying the league plays favorites when it decides who to fine. He said Goodell lets Troy Polamalu do what he wants because he likes the guy.

Taking potshots at his own teammates is also an issue, though an internal one for the Steelers. I really wish he had done this after the lockout was settled just to see how Mike Tomlin would have handled it.

 

Speaking of Mike Tomlin, he's not doing a bang-up job as a leader of men. Has anyone brought up the idea that however he's running things, it's contributing to Harrison's continued nonsense?

 

To be fair, the sources of trouble off the field were on that team when he arrived. Roethlisberger had already demonstrated a tendency toward idiot behavior (the motorcycle for instance) and Harrison has had issues going back to his high school days.

Of course, you could also argue that they are two of the three best players on the team. So what exactly do you do when two guys who are absolutely crucial to your team's success are complete jackasses?

 

Tomlin certainly knew a lockout was impending and should have told his players to keep this stuff in-house.

God, are you a fucking Steelers apologist sometimes.

 

He'll find out the hard way about the effects of head-hunting when he's shitting in a diaper and requiring someone to spoon-feed him apple sauce before he turns 50.

 

Yes, holding Harrison accountable for his own actions is being an apologist. Saying this is the worst group of assholes in team history is being an apologist, too.

Oh, and the times I have ripped them for their history with concussions and steroid abuse.

I am more than happy to criticize the team when they deserve it. I'm just not sure this one is Tomlin's fault.

 

NOLU: I wasn't even thinking about Harrison's playing style when I wrote that. I was referring more to the assault on his girlfriend.

 

Harrison and these sorts are a big turnoff. Hope the lockout lasts a while longer.

 

I sort of like that James Harrison is a goddamn crazy person. I don't want a sterilized NFL, full of robots who "Keep their mouths shut." It's a mad, violent game, and I'm perfectly comfortable if it's filled with its share of loons, misfits and madmen. I think if I were the Steelers, I would just shrug my shoulders. James being James. He's an angry dude who would probably be breaking thumbs for money if he wasn't so good at delivering violent hits in the open field. Boxing has always been full of colorful punks like Harrison, and while the sport can't have too many of them, I don't really mind if there are a few. Violent acts away from the field are one thing. No one can condone that. But a crazy mutherfucker who hits too hard and runs too fast and says he'd rather keep walking that piss on the commish if he was on fire? Yeah, that's just the NFL to me. If would be kind of a boring place if they were all choir boys like Peyton Manning.

Goodell, I'm sure, will need to do something to save face, but he truth is, a lot of the players hate his guts. It was interesting to hear Paul Solotaroff (who write the piece) on SportsCenter say that a handful of NFL players have called him to say off the record how much they agree with Harrison on Goodell. In their eyes, he's just a haircut with a square jaw in an expensive suit.