Steelers' Harrison rants on Goodell; teammates downplay comments
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Steelers linebacker James Harrison.
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Pro Bowl linebacker James Harrison stepped up his verbal assault on National Football League Commissioner Roger Goodell, calling him a "crook" and "devil" among other insults, and also criticized quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for throwing two interceptions in the Super Bowl XLV loss to the Green Bay Packers.
Harrison, who was fined $100,000 by Goodell for late hits in 2010, made the comments in the August issue of Men's Journal magazine. His attack on Goodell reached a new venomous level when he said of the commissioner:
"If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn't do it," Harrison told the magazine. "I hate him and will never respect him."
Bill Parise, Harrison's Pittsburgh-based agent, tried to downplay the severity of the comments this morning when contacted by the Post-Gazette.
"A lot of it is bravado," Parise said. "I think people have to be careful not to read that and think those statements are anything more than expressions of feelings, particularly in regard to the commissioner. The commissioner fined James $100,000 last year. What do you want him to say, he's my best friend? James is a tough individual and that's the type of language he uses."
Parise denied a request to talk to Harrison.
Steelers President Art Rooney II issued a brief statement in response to a request for comment: "I have not yet seen the article in Men's Journal nor have I spoken to James Harrison about his comments. We will discuss the situation at the appropriate time, when permitted once the labor situation is resolved."
Likewise, NFL spokesman Gerg Aiello said "we are not commenting on any aspect of the story."
In the article, Harrison uses an anti-gay slur to describe Goodell, and also refers to him as "stupid," "puppet" and "dictator."
If the Steelers had defeated the 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?"
"I don't think we should get caught up in his cultural language," Parise said. "I think people will read that for what it is and move on. I don't think anyone truly believes James thinks the commissioner is the devil."
First Published July 13, 2011 8:42 am
