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In the lead-up to Super Bowl 52, James Harrison was a hot-button topic with Pittsburgh Steelers fans. Some had no problem with him leaving. After all the Steelers didn’t use him. But others saw his departure as a sign of treason, never to be forgiven.
But a lot has happened since then. Yes, Harrison played in the Super Bowl for the Patriots, but New England lost to the Philadelphia Eagles. This shouldn’t matter in how the black-and-gold fan base views Harrison, but it does.
When Harrison was asked at a media session about his legacy in Pittsburgh, his answer was:
“Ask Franco [Harris].”
Franco Harris finished his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks, not the Steelers, but never played in a Super Bowl for Seattle and never had teammates bad-mouth him publicly about the behavior he exhibited prior to his departure.
Art Rooney II spoke about Harrison in his season-ending chat with local reporters, and he had the following to say about ‘Deebo’:
“We had discussions about James over the course of the season, and I’ll just say it was a disappointment,” Steelers president Art Rooney II told Bob Labriola of the team website. “James’ career here, I would have hoped to have it end a different way, so it was a disappointment that it turned out that way. I’ll say that there is probably blame on both sides of the fence on that one, but it’s the way it turned out. In terms of him going to New England, when you make a decision to let a player go, you know somebody can pick them up. You can’t sit here and worry too much about where he might go from here once you’ve made the decision. You are better off moving on.”
The Steelers moved on and so did Harrison, but has the fan base moved on? If Harrison decided to retire, would you embrace your No. 92 jersey with affection, or leave it in the closet never to be seen again? Would you cheer for him if/when he came back to be honored, or would you boo him for betraying the team and the fan base?
Harrison has said he doesn’t want to retire yet, stating he would like to play two or maybe three more seasons. No one knows where his next job will be, but how do you view Harrison’s Pittsburgh legacy right now? Vote in the poll below, and let us know in the comment section below!
Poll
How do you view James Harrison’s Steelers legacy?
This poll is closed
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27%
I’m fine with it. He was let go.
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42%
Hate how he left, but will cheer him when he retires.
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16%
He is dead to me, burned too many bridges.
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13%
Who cares...