James Harrison made no secret of his displeasure over the fact he wasn't playing much for the Steelers this season in an interview with DKPittsburghSports.com two weeks ago, saying if he had known what his role was going to be, he would have signed somewhere else.
Apparently, he didn't keep those feelings to himself in the locker room.
A day after the 39-year-old linebacker was signed by the Patriots, several Steelers essentially said it was good riddance for the team's all-time sack leader to no longer be a member of the team -- even if that meant he signed with their biggest rival in terms of making a trip to the Super Bowl.
Harrison's agent, Bill Parise, told DKPittsburghSports.com Tuesday the linebacker just wanted a chance to play, but hadn't asked for his release. His former teammates, however, said that was not the case.
"He wanted that," said center Maurkice Pouncey. "James Harrison wanted that. It wasn't like the team came out and said we wanted to cut James. He wanted that. He needs to come out and admit that. It's funny to read the stories. This is something he wanted to do. ... He erased his own legacy."
Pouncey was asked if that was what he had heard about the situation.
"That's coming from what I know," he said.
The Steelers granted him his request Saturday when they activated offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert following a four-game suspension for PED use.
"He chose to leave," said third-year linebacker Bud Dupree. "He chose to leave and he did."
Everybody acting like Debo a victim y’all need to fall off a cliff or get the facts!
— Big Bud (@Bud_Dupree) December 27, 2017
Harrison had appeared in just five games this season, playing 40 total snaps. He recorded three tackles and one sack, all of which came in a 19-13 win at Kansas City. His sack came on fourth down on Kansas City's final offensive possession and sealed the victory.
But Harrison had played in just two games since then and wasn't happy, even though he told DKPittsburghSports.com that he understood the team's decision to play rookie T.J. Watt and Dupree -- both first-round draft picks -- ahead of him.
“They want to go younger. It’s obvious," Harrison said. "The guys are playing well. There’s no need to change them.”
That, however, didn't mean that Harrison served as a mentor to the younger players, at least according to Dupree.
Dupree said on his weekly radio show on 93.7-The Fan Wednesday night that Harrison showed no interest in mentoring him or Watt. In fact, Dupree said that Harrison was largely unapproachable.
"I don't know how many secrets about the playbook Harrison could give to (the Patriots) because I never saw him in meetings," Dupree said
So despite the fact the Steelers wanted him to be someone the young linebackers could follow, Harrison's obvious frustration level made that difficult for him.
"If you look at everything except my age and look at all the other numbers from last year, I think I’m around there with some of the best," Harrison told me earlier this month. "But the only number they can seem to look at is the age right now.”
Harrison didn't hide his displeasure then. And that's something that is irking some of his former teammates about this situation. They feel he is allowing the Steelers to take the fall for something he wanted.
"Don't make it look like it's the team's fault or the organization's fault," Pouncey said. "You think the team wanted to get rid of James Harrison? C'mon. The team didn't do anything. If you didn't want to be here, just come out and say it. It's not the team and the organization."
Pouncey even went as far as to question Harrison's manhood over the situation.
"If I wanted out, I wouldn't let the team take the blame for it. I'd tell you I want to be gone," Pouncey said. "I'd say I want to be cut. I'd be a man about it. I'm not going to run from it."
All of this could raise the heat in a potential rematch with New England in the playoffs. The Patriots defeated the Steelers in last season's AFC Championship and edged them 27-24 two weeks ago at Heinz Field.
The two could easily meet again in this season's AFC Championship. They currently sit atop the standings in the AFC with identical 12-3 records, though New England holds the No. 1 seed, meaning that game would come at Gillette Stadium.
"If he's playing, it is what it is," Pouncey said. "This is a very mature team. We don't care. Go out and have fun."
