Steelers’ Harrison to magazine: Goodell a ‘devil’

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NEW YORK (AP) — Heavily fined Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James

Harrison calls NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell a “crook” and a

“devil,” among other insults, in a magazine article.

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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.

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“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.”

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His other descriptions of the commissioner include an anti-gay

slur, “stupid,” “puppet” and “dictator.”

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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?”

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Harrison also criticizes other NFL execs,

Patriots-turned-commentators Rodney Harrison and Tedy Bruschi

(“clowns”), Houston’s Brian Cushing (“juiced out of his mind”) –

and even teammates Rashard Mendenhall and Ben Roethlisberger for

their performances in the Super Bowl loss.

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Harrison calls the running back a “fumble machine” for his

fourth-quarter turnover. Mendenhall said on Twitter on Wednesday he

didn’t have a problem with what Harrison said “because I know him.”

But he also included a link to his stats from last season, which

show he didn’t have a pattern of fumbling.

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Of the quarterback’s two interceptions, Harrison says: “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.”

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Steelers President Art Rooney II said in a statement that he hadn’t

seen the article or talked to Harrison.

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“We will discuss the situation at the appropriate time, when

permitted once the labor situation is resolved,” he

said.

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Harrison also questions whether a black player is punished more for

a hard hit on a white player than the opposite. Beyond the insults,

Harrison makes some serious points about what he believes are the

league’s misguided attempts to increase safety.

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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.

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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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