Steelers respond to James Harrison's claim that Mike Tomlin handed him 'an envelope' after violent 2010 hit

[polamalubeast]

James Harrison recently stirred the pot when he said that he received an envelope from Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to supposedly cover a fine that he had received from the NFL back in 2010. Harrison, the Steelers' all-time career leader in sacks, had been fined $75,000 for a hit on former Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi. On Thursday evening, Steelers president Art Rooney II responded to Harrison's claim.

"I am very certain nothing like this ever happened," Rooney said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. "I have no idea why James would make a comment like this but there is simply no basis for believing anything like this."

Harrison's longtime agent, Bill Parise, echoed Rooney's sentiments when asked about Harrison's claim.

"Absolutely not. Never happened," Parise told the Tribune-Review. "I would have known that. It didn't happen."

read more

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/steelers-respond-to-james-harrisons-claim-that-mike-tomlin-handed-him-an-envelope-after-violent-2010-hit/

[Mojouw]

Translation: this totally happened but it’s super illegal and a violation of league rules so let’s all agree that it didn’t happen so the NFL doesn’t bitch slap any of us.

[43Hitman]

Translation: this totally happened but it’s super illegal and a violation of league rules so let’s all agree that it didn’t happen so the NFL doesn’t bitch slap any of us.

Yeah, I think you're right. I mean the guy's been really open about how he feels about things pretty much his whole career.

[Craic]

Translation: this totally happened but it’s super illegal and a violation of league rules so let’s all agree that it didn’t happen so the NFL doesn’t bitch slap any of us.

Yep. Nothing like the coach taking care of the player. I wonder what the commissioner thinks about Harrison's deal with wide receivers from other teams paying his fines because he agreed not to go low on them. To me, that's even more interesting.

[stillers4me]

Anybody else getting tired of this fool throwing shit all over the team that gave him the chance to become the player he was after being cut multiple times from other teams???????

[polamalubeast]

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[86WARD]

I mean it’s pretty much confirmed if Colbert was really acting the way Harrison said he was.

This happens in all sports. I’ve witnessed it first hand in hockey so it’s nothing too over the top news breaking.

But there’s nothing to say what was in the envelope. Could’ve been the league fine letter (which was bullshit)...lol

[Six Rings]

Translation: this totally happened but it’s super illegal and a violation of league rules so let’s all agree that it didn’t happen so the NFL doesn’t bitch slap any of us.

I agree it happened. The question is, what does the NFL do about it? Tomlin has already cost his team draft status by sliding down in a round. This time the NFL might take a draft pick.


I really don't care much if the organization, Tomlin or Rooney gets fined, because that doesn't diminish the team's chances. Losing draft status does.


The Steelers need to be very careful here. Harrison seems to be reversing his story now, but if another X Steelers who was disgruntled joins in, the optics will look really bad.


Covering players fines for hit could be viewed as a type of bounty. How deep this rabbit hole goes is unknown.

[polamalubeast]

I agree it happened. The question is, what does the NFL do about it? Tomlin has already cost his team draft status by sliding down in a round. This time the NFL might take a draft pick.


I really don't care much if the organization, Tomlin or Rooney gets fined, because that doesn't diminish the team's chances. Losing draft status does.


The Steelers need to be very careful here. Harrison seems to be reversing his story now, but if another X Steelers who was disgruntled joins in, the optics will look really bad.


Covering players fines for hit could be viewed as a type of bounty. How deep this rabbit hole goes is unknown.

James Harrison's agent said it didn't happen ... Just read in the open thread.

[cold-hard-steel]

Who cares ? I know i don't .

[polamalubeast]

1261270302174195712

[st33lersguy]

Dude already ruined his legacy and now he just wants to double down on slinging mud. Remember when he was interviewing AB shortly after the 2018 season and reveling with AB in his desire to get traded?

[fansince'76]

If it really happened, I see absolutely no reason for Harrison's (presumably now-former) agent to deny that it did and insinuate that his (presumably now-former) client is a liar by doing so. :noidea:

That being said, the fine in question WAS absolute bullshit (see: the NFL online store continuing to sell pictures of said hit even AFTER the fine was handed down (https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2010/10/19/league-is-selling-photo-of-james-harrisons-illegal-hit/)) and was a direct result of a heavy-handed and absolutely incompetent boob of a commissioner trying to assuage the media as opposed to attempting to make the sport safer.

[polamalubeast]

James Harrison on IG

jhharrison92
Wow y'all really comparing what I said to BOUNTYGATE?!? Mike T. Has NEVER paid me for hurting someone or TRYING to hurt someone or put a bounty on ANYBODY! If you knew the full story of what happened back then you'd know that BS fine for a Legal Play wasn't even penalized during the game. The league was getting pressure because the first concussion lawsuits were starting and they had to look like they cared about player safety all of a sudden. Before that they had been SELLING a photo of THAT SAME PLAY FOR $55 on the NFL website with other videos of the NFL'S GREATEST HITS that the league Profited On back then. When the league had to start pretending like they cared about player safety they took all those things down off their website and they started fining guys ridiculous amounts for the same plays they used to profit off of. EVERYBODY knew it - even these same media people and all the fans that were sending money to me and the team to cover the fine. AGAIN AT NO TIME did Mike T. EVER suggest anybody hurt anybody or that they'd be rewarded for anything like that. GTFOH with that BS!!!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CANlKgGAztt/?igshid=1p5z96drxrfsx

Click on this link to have more info...

[EzraTank]

Deleted my response because I just read polamalubeast's post and agree.

[JnK]

Well, one thing's for certain. If Tomlin gave JH an envelope full of money that money definitely didn't come from the Rooney's.
They're too cheap. :stirthepot:

[teegre]

Well, one thing's for certain. If Tomlin gave JH an envelope full of money that money definitely didn't come from the Rooney's.
They're too cheap. :stirthepot:

:applaudit: WINNER!!! :applaudit:

[43Hitman]

Well, one thing's for certain. If Tomlin gave JH an envelope full of money that money definitely didn't come from the Rooney's.
They're too cheap. :stirthepot:

Point. Set. Match. :toofunny:

[FrancoLambert]

The envelope didn’t come from Tomlin.
It came from Steeldude.

[teegre]

The envelope didn’t come from Tomlin.
It came from Steeldude.

/thread :applaudit:

[DesertSteel]

Whether Tomlin did or didn't, Harrison shouldn't have thrown his HC under the bus. Just more selfish behavior.

[smokin3000gt]

Whether Tomlin did or didn't, Harrison shouldn't have thrown his HC under the bus. Just more selfish behavior.

Agreed.. why bring some heat down on Tomlin then try and defend him?

[fansince'76]

The envelope didn’t come from Tomlin.
It came from Steeldude.

I don't care who ya are, that's funny! :rofl2::rofl2: :rofl2:

[Mojouw]

The envelope didn’t come from Tomlin.
It came from Steeldude.

This needs to be preserved for all future folks to see how to internet.

[HollywoodSteel]

I think Harrison probably didn’t quite think through the ramifications of saying this stuff, but if you read all of it in context you’ll see that he was NOT trying to throw Tomlin or the organization under the bus. If anything he was making amends and stating how good Tomlin and Colbert were to him. He was paying Tomlin a compliment, not insinuating that Tomlin ever encouraged anyone to hurt players.


I actually gained respect for Harrison after reading the interview.

I no longer care what salty fans think of him. Harrison is a straight up bad motherfucker and a Steeler for life. He should be welcomed back with open arms by the organization and any true fan who has any respect for what it means to play like a Steeler.

In fact I respect him more now than I do Troy who is still kind of acting like a baby over the Steelers seeing that he could no longer play at a high level and told him that he should probably retire so they didn’t have to cut him.

At least Harrison is now giving respect to the organization that helped make him what he was.

[polamalubeast]

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[BlackAndGold]

1261611489535778817

yet, he is ratting on his former coach which also can hurt the Steelers as a whole.

Harrison only cares about himself. I would not let that man near the team again.

[polamalubeast]

It is true that Tomlin should have put in the rotation for the 2017 season and it was a mistake but at the same time Harrison need to move on from that .... I appreciate what he did on the field for the steelers and after Polamalu, he is probably the best player of the steelers in defense in the last 20 years, especially at his peak but Harrison should rather thank the steelers and Tomlin for giving a chance to be a starter.

I mean, when Tomlin became head coach, one of the first decisions was to release the very good Joey Porter and give Harrison a chance .... Harrison should thank Tomlin on that.It's just disappointing right now

[HollywoodSteel]

It is true that Tomlin should have put in the rotation for the 2017 season and it was a mistake but at the same time Harrison need to move on from that .... I appreciate what he did on the field for the steelers and after Polamalu, he is probably the best player of the steelers in defense in the last 20 years, especially at his peak but Harrison should rather thank the steelers and Tomlin for giving a chance to be a starter.

I mean, when Tomlin became head coach, one of the first decisions was to release the very good Joey Porter and give Harrison a chance .... Harrison should thank Tomlin on that.It's just disappointing right now

I think that’s exactly what Harrison is doing. He’s thanking Tomlin and saying that he appreciates him. He OBVIOUSLY wasn’t trying to get Tomlin in trouble or he easily could.

Was it a mistake to mention the envelope? Sure, but he clearly wasn’t looking at it kind that in the context of the quote. He said it was a totally G move of Tomlin.

When I first read the quote it never occurred to me that it might get Tomlin in trouble. It obviously wasn’t a bounty placed on anyone beforehand. It was Tomlin saying that it was a bullshit call. I’ve heard of owners paying fines for players before. Why should this be different?

[Six Rings]

James Harrison's agent said it didn't happen ... Just read in the open thread.

Was his agent there to see it happen? How would his agent even know? He's probably trying to keep Harrison out of hot water. Right now, I'm just hoping if it did happen, that Tomlin used CASH. A check deposit at the time of the fine close to the amount of the fine would look very fishy. The NFL has good investigators. Tomlin has had some issues with fines before. I don't want to lose a draft pick or suffer from moving down again. That was the penalty for the sideline incident, I think

[polamalubeast]

Was his agent there to see it happen? How would his agent even know? He's probably trying to keep Harrison out of hot water. Right now, I'm just hoping if it did happen, that Tomlin used CASH. A check deposit at the time of the fine close to the amount of the fine would look very fishy. The NFL has good investigators. Tomlin has had some issues with fines before. I don't want to lose a draft pick or suffer from moving down again. That was the penalty for the sideline incident, I think

read post 14 now...

[Six Rings]

I think Harrison probably didn’t quite think through the ramifications of saying this stuff, but if you read all of it in context you’ll see that he was NOT trying to throw Tomlin or the organization under the bus. If anything he was making amends and stating how good Tomlin and Colbert were to him. He was paying Tomlin a compliment, not insinuating that Tomlin ever encouraged anyone to hurt players.


I actually gained respect for Harrison after reading the interview.

I no longer care what salty fans think of him. Harrison is a straight up bad motherfucker and a Steeler for life. He should be welcomed back with open arms by the organization and any true fan who has any respect for what it means to play like a Steeler.

In fact I respect him more now than I do Troy who is still kind of acting like a baby over the Steelers seeing that he could no longer play at a high level and told him that he should probably retire so they didn’t have to cut him.

At least Harrison is now giving respect to the organization that helped make him what he was.


I agree. Harrison played the game the way it used to be played and the NFL changed the rules because of him. Forget Ray Lewis, Harrison was a bigger bad @ss. He could knock anyone out of a game. A fantastic player, and one who probably made the key play to win our last Super Bowl. Harrison feared no man on or off the field and called it like it was. I think this happened. I also think Harrison agent said, James you want to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and cash out on it, you're going to need a good relationship with the owner. So he reversed his story.

- - - Updated - - -


read post 14 now...

Oh, I agree there was no bounty. But I think Tomlin gave Harrison something to cover for that the Steelers felt was a legal hit. The way to make a fine or suspension worse to speak out against the NFL. The Steelers didn't want him sideline, so giving James something extra to make him feel better, possibly paying the amount of the fine in cash.

[pczach]

Was his agent there to see it happen? How would his agent even know? He's probably trying to keep Harrison out of hot water. Right now, I'm just hoping if it did happen, that Tomlin used CASH. A check deposit at the time of the fine close to the amount of the fine would look very fishy. The NFL has good investigators. Tomlin has had some issues with fines before. I don't want to lose a draft pick or suffer from moving down again. That was the penalty for the sideline incident, I think



Were you there to see it happen?

I'm pretty sure his agent talked to Harrison a hell of a lot more than you did.

I don't pretend to know what happened.

Listening you push this stupid agenda against Tomlin and this bullshit about losing a draft pick or "moving down again" is hilarious.

You are doing this crap in every thread and saying the same stuff over and over again. Did Tomlin knock your ice-cream cone out of your hand or something?

[hawaiiansteeler]

I think this happened. I also think Harrison agent said, James you want to make the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and cash out on it, you're going to need a good relationship with the owner. So he reversed his story.


I suppose everyone is entitled to their opinion, but you have no idea whatsoever if this is true.

just pure unfounded speculation on your part...

[HollywoodSteel]

None of us can know what really happened, and I think we can all agree that Harrison should have thought this through before mentioning any envelopes.

That said, my interpretation of the interview was not Harrison trying to get Tomlin or the Steelers in trouble. He was making the point that the NFL treated him unfairly, but he’s grateful that Tomlin and the Steelers organization had his back.

Maybe the envelope just had a thank you note in it. It’s not for the NFL to throw any accusations at Tomlin at this point without evidence of wrong doing. And to Harrison’s credit, he has not said that any money changed hands. He did explicitly say there was never any bounty placed on injuring players, nor was it ever encouraged.

If Harrison wanted to throw Tomlin under the bus he totally had the opportunity to do so in the aftermath of all this, but he absolutely chose to back Tomlin and be very careful not to say anything else incriminating about him.

I’m giving Harrison’s intentions the benefit of the doubt here.

[teegre]

That said, my interpretation of the interview was not Harrison trying to get Tomlin or the Steelers in trouble. He was making the point that the NFL treated him unfairly, but he’s grateful that Tomlin and the Steelers organization had his back.

Indeed :nod: That certainly was the tone of the interview.

That said, it also came off like Jimmy the Gent saying that Henry Hill wasn’t all that bad... because, they’d “painted a few houses” together.

[HollywoodSteel]

I forgot until just now that I’ve been using a picture of that $75,000 hit as my avatar ever since it happened. I downloaded this picture back when the NFL was still selling it on their site.

Harrison is 100% correct that the NFL were total hypocrites about player safety and were using him as the scapegoat to make it seem like they were doing something about it. I would have handed him that envelope myself if I could have.

And there is a HUGE difference between paying for a player’s unfair fine and actually paying a player to injure someone.

Just like it’s wrong to pay someone to commit murder. But it’s not wrong to pay for the defense of someone you believe was wrongly accused of murder. I think it’s disgusting that many fans and people in the media are conflating the two.