Steelers LB James Harrison Criticizes Roger Goodell and Big Ben

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison has never been one to bite his tongue. In his latest outburst of words, Harrison took aim at the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and his own quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The harsh criticism will appear in Friday’s issue of Men’s Journal.

“My rep is James Harrison, mean son of a b*tch who loves hitting the hell out of people,” Harrison says. “But up until last year, there was no word of me being dirty — till Roger Goodell, who’s a crook and a puppet, said I was the dirtiest player in the league. If that man was on fire and I had to piss to put him out, I wouldn’t do it. I hate him and will never respect him.”

When speaking of Goodell, Harrison calls him a “crook” and a “dictator.” He also goes on to use the words devil, stupid, puppet and reportedly throws out an anti-gay slur. The most troubling part is that Harrison’s criticism of Goodell is not the worst part of the interview. He has even taken aim at his own quarterback.

Harrison was discussing Ben Roethlisberger’s two interception performance in the Super Bowl and blasted his quarterback.

“Hey, at least throw a pick on their side of the field instead of asking the D to bail you out again,” Harrison said. “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.”

Wow. Harrison crossed the line. He has clearly lost his mind.

Some thoughts should be kept to yourself, especially when they are relating to your team’s offensive leader and quarterback. The man who has helped bring in two Lombardi Trophies in his short career. Roethlisberger may not always put up stellar statistics, but the man can win. One poor performance in a Super Bowl does not warrant Harrison’s criticism.

Harrison needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut. It is okay to speak your mind, but when you are blatantly disrespecting your own teammates you have gone too far. These are the type of comments that can cause division in a locker room and ruin team chemistry.

These are the kind of comments that Terrell Owens has been heavily criticized in the media for. Harrison is no better.

He better be happy the NFL players are currently locked out so that he can not be fined. If the comments weren’t enough, he appears in the magazine holding his hand guns — an image that Goodell can not be too fond of. It would not surprise me to see Harrison suspended if the lockout is lifted soon.

Then again, if Harrison gets suspended, he will probably threaten to retire again. At this point, retirement may be his best option. His mouth will only continue to get him in trouble and he will lose a lot of his teammates trust out of his latest outburst.

Harrison is a fantastic player, but his big mouth has stolen the spotlight from his big hits.