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James Harrison 'hates the Steelers now,' according to Bengals DE Carlos Dunlap

With the Bengals' reported interest in former Steelers LB James Harrison going from hot to cold, Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap said Harrison now "hates the Steelers," therefore, would make a good addition to Cincinnati's talented front seven.

By Neal Coolong

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Gregory Shamus

Bitter much?

Former Steelers linebacker James Harrison was offered a 30 percent paycut to stay in Pittsburgh for the 2013 season, not exactly unreasonable considering his hefty price tag ($5.72 million) and recent rash of injuries. He was also offered the chance to make that money back with incentives.

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Harrison declined, and was released. He hasn't since signed a contract anywhere else.

Most recently, though, he's been in talks with the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that would be benefited by Harrison's ability as well as his toughness.

Apparently, there's another driving force.

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According to Bengals defensive end Carlos Dunlap, as quoted by Cincinnati Enquirer reporter Joe Reedy, "He hates the Steelers now, and that's somebody we need on our side of the football."

Talks between the two sides are apparently breaking down now, after a weekend in which it seemed likely Harrison would end up with the Bengals - a team that's second in the NFL in sacks over the last two years.

Sure, there's always the desire to prove a team wrong. Harrison wigged out and had one of the best defensive performances in league history against Baltimore in 2007 because, as he said, he had to prove them wrong.

Perhaps he does hate the Steelers now. The Steelers are one of 31 teams that haven't given Harrison the money he feels he should be making, and with the draft approaching quickly, he may be running out of options.


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