King: Steelers' Ryan Clark's Controversial Defense Of James Harrison Still Mind-Blowing In 2024

The Pittsburgh Steelers are well known for their hard-hitting defenses. The Steel Curtain of the 1970s and the Blitzburgh defense of the 1990s are two of the most famous. This means that they also fielded some of the toughest defenders in football. That includes Jack Lambert, a linebacker who was known for knocking opponents out cold and being proud of it, and defensive lineman "Mean" Joe Greene who terrified offensive linemen because he was known to punch players before the ball was even snapped. But it wasn't just the players yesteryear that were fearsome. Linebacker James Harrison, who played for the Steelers three different times in the early to mid 2000s, is well known as one of the scariest players of all-time. 

During the 14 seasons Harrison played for the Steelers, he held their all-time sack record. T.J. Watt finally passed his record in 2023. Harrison also helped Pittsburgh win two Super Bowls, was selected for five Pro Bowls, and was a three-time All-Pro. Not to mention a former AP Defensive Player of the Year in 2008.

But there is also a darker side to all of the violence of football. The league has begun to recognize the impact of concussions and head injuries on players, but is not acting quickly enough according to some. This has led to a reexamining of how we idolize some of these players. That includes NBC Sports' Peter King lashing out at Harrison's former teammate, Ryan Clark. 

Steelers' Ryan Clark's Comments Are Still Making Peter King Frustrated

King's beef with Clark started back in 2010 when King did a column about damage found in the brains of deceased football players. The NFL had just come out with new rules against helmet-to-helmet hits, that would lead to fines and then suspensions for continued violations. 

The first weekend that the rules were in effect, the league handed out $175,000 in fines to just three players, which included a fine of $75,000 on Harrison for a hit on Cleveland Browns wide receiver, Mohamed Massaquoi. To educate players, the NFL showed all 32 teams a four-minute video that showed what a "bad hit" looked like. 

The majority of players did not respond well to the video or the change in rules. Players were booing, throwing things at the screen, and catcalling. It led to Clark making the comment that infuriated King.

"It's a sad day for the sport," said Clark, who was a safety for the Steelers and a union representative. "The league has made James Harrison a villain for playing exactly the way he played to earn the Defensive Player of the Year Award [in 2008]. I think what we're seeing is a knee-jerk reaction to the result of the hits, not a thoughtful reaction to the reality of the hits."

Now, 14 years later, King is bringing Clark's comments back up, noting that the years in between have only made them appear more insensitive. In King's regular 40-for-40 column, where he discusses topics that have come up during his 40 years of covering the NFL, he revisited that column that talked about Harrison's hits.  

"This was October 2010, when Rutgers player Eric LeGrand was paralyzed from a hit in a game in New Jersey, when the NFL had just issued new, strict prohibitions on helmet-to-helmet hits and issued huge fines to James Harrison of the Steelers and Brandon Meriweather of the [New England] Patriots for flagrant hits on ballcarriers. The players were ticked off at the league, big-time. Pittsburgh safety Ryan Clark called it 'a sad day for the sport' that the league was turning Harrison into 'a villain.' Those comments have not aged well. In 2011, ex-Chicago safety Dave Duerson killed himself with a shot to the chest so his brain could be studied; CTE was found. In 2013, Junior Seau also died by self-inflicted shot to the chest; CTE was found in his brain, too."

The rules were different back then, so it feels unfair to villainize Harrison for doing something he was previously allowed to do. He has been quite open about his gameplay, his teammates would send him out to put an opponent "to sleep." Harrison always said his goal was to hurt the player enough to knock them out of the game, not a permanent injury, just a temporary one. 

The game has certainly changed a lot since 2010, and offensive players, especially quarterbacks, are more protected now than they ever were. It has thrown off the equilibrium of the game a bit, with defenders feeling like there is no safe way for them to tackle anymore. Some even suggest that the league is compromising defenders' safety to keep offenses safe and to make it easier to score. 

Harrison's former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger recently shared that nearly every quarterback he spoke to was afraid of him. Roethlisberger said that the team would send Harrison after their opponent's best players to intimidate them and make them uncomfortable. The future Hall of Famer said he was even scared of Harrison on the field, and he was his teammate. But off the field is another story. Harrison is well known for being a big teddy bear.  

He has been a semi-finalist for the NFL Hall of Fame for the past two years, but never makes the list of finalists. As time continues to pass, it feels less and less likely that he will. The game has passed Harrison by and the once-revered player is now a polarizing figure. That doesn't change his incredible story or his stats. He really made a name for himself in his second season by forcing a league-high seven forced fumbles along with his 16 sacks. He won the AP Defensive Player of the Year Award and was nominated for Most Valuable Player. However, Harrison is probably best known for intercepting Kurt Warner of the Arizona Cardinals during Super Bowl XLIII and running the ball back 100-yards for a touchdown, helping to secure Pittsburgh's victory. 

The game is different than it was when he joined the team the first time in 2002, it is different than when he left football altogether in 2017. Maybe the fact that he was practically named as a catalyst for change in the league is why he is not afforded the same respect as Greene or Lambert. Regardless of the reason, Harrison was adapting to an evolving NFL the best he could and his teammates, like Clark, saw the way he gave his lifeblood to the team every Sunday.