James Harrison on leaving Steelers: 'I didn't sign up to sit on the bench'
James Harrison had his turn Friday to explain his departure from the Steelers, crafting a lengthy statement that he released on his Instagram account.
The 39-year-old linebacker signed with the New England Patriots on Tuesday, just three days after the Steelers released him. Harrison's swift transition to the defending Super Bowl champions was met with swift and fierce criticism from teammates, notably center Maurkice Pouncey and outside linebacker Bud Dupree.
In his statement, Harrison said he refused to be a "cheerleader" and didn't sign a two-year contract with the team to "sit on the bench." Harrison also indicated he was mislead about his playing time and said he asked to be released by the Steelers on numerous occasions.
At one point, in apparent response to Bud Dupree's assertion that Harrison refused to mentor his younger positional teammates such as Dupree or rookie T.J. Watt, Harrison wrote, "I didn't help Bud or TJ? Ask TJ if I helped him."
Watt was asked by a reporter, both if he read Harrison's post and if Harrison "helped" him. Watt quickly answered, "I'm not going to talk about him."
Multiple other players likewise declined to publicly react to Harrison's post, although there was no edict from coach Mike Tomlin or any other superior to avoid doing so.
Below is the full Instagram post.
