The Pittsburgh Steelers are an organization that has always been known for its defense. The Steel Curtain ran the NFL during the 1970s, and the Pittsburgh defense during the 2000s also helped carry the team to multiple Super Bowl victories. One of the main figures on Pittsburgh's defenses during the late 2000s and early 2010s was outside linebacker James Harrison, who won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year Award at the end of the 2008 season. Harrison struck fear into offensive players, and he was one of the hardest hitters of his generation.
Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images
The Steelers 2010 defense, led by James Harrison (#92), Brett Keisel (#99) and James Farrior (#51) in Super Bowl XLV against the Green Bay Packers.
Harrison is well known for his electrifying touchdown before halftime of Super Bowl XLIII, but he is also known as one of the hardest hitters the league has ever seen. He was fined multiple times for the way he hit ball carriers, and this was back before the player safety initiative. One of the bigger hits of Harrison's career came during the 2010 NFL season when the Steelers were playing the Cleveland Browns. Mohamed Massaquoi caught a shallow crossing route, and Harrison delivered a strong hit on him.
The former Steeler certainly led with his head on the hit, and a flag came in on the play. Harrison wound up getting fined $75,000 by the league, and he spoke with his former teammate Ryan Clark about the hit on The Pivot.
"I hate to say this right now because I'm a saved man," Harrison said. "But back then, if I had knew they were going to fine me $75,000, dude I would have did everything I could to try and make that the most grotesque hit that the NFL had ever seen. I only gave him 30-40 percent."
This is not the first time that Harrison has spoken about wishing to be more violent in the NFL. He recently talked about how he would play if he were in today's version of the league, and he shared that he would have injured a lot more people. His reasoning was that in order to avoid fines, you have to aim low when tackling a ball carrier, so he would cause a lot of leg and knee injuries.
Eileen Blass / USA TODAY Sports
Former Steelers outside linebacker James Harrison collapses in end zone after Super Bowl record 100-yard interception return.
The NFL was not as sensitive when it came to player safety during Harrison's career, but he still managed to rack up a decent amount of fines. According to Spotrac, Harrison was fined six times during his career. All six of those fines came from 2008 through 2010, and they came to a total of $150,000.
James Harrison hit on Mohamed Massaquoi. #Steelers #NFL pic.twitter.com/gRUFeIgZW6
— That Blitz Guy (@ThatBlitzGuy) October 10, 2020
This hit came up again in 2020 when Harrison accidentally let it slip that Head Coach Mike Tomlin gave him an envelope after the big hit that took Massaquoi out of the game. It sounded similar to the Bounty Gate situation that happened with the New Orleans Saints, but the NFL never investigated the claim.
Chaz Palla / Trib Live
Steelers' Nick Herbig stands next to James Harrison during training camp in 2024.
Steelers Legendary Linebacker Still Aggressive In Retirement
Harrison is still a fixture in Pittsburgh. He made multiple appearances during training camp ahead of the 2024 season, and he was at Acrisure Stadium for a few home games. He has said he has no interest in becoming a coach in the NFL, but he was seen coaching up Nick Herbig and some others ahead of the 2024 season.
The aggression has never left Harrison, as he and former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco have been scheduled to get in the octagon to fight one another. The fight was initially supposed to be before Super Bowl LIX, but Harrison was recovering from a knee injury. It is supposed to still be on, although a new date has not been released.
What do you think about Harrison's comments? Let us know below!
#SteelerNation
