PITTSBURGH — Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison has carved out a niche as one of the NFL's most feared defenders over the last five years by straddling the line between clean and dirty play.
After one dangerous hit too many, the league apparently has seen enough.
The NFL suspended Harrison for one game following his helmet-to-facemask hit on Browns quarterback Colt McCoy last Thursday, making Harrison the first player to miss game time as a penalty under the league's revamped policy on such collisions.
Harrison's agent Bill Parise said Tuesday afternoon Harrison has already filed an appeal and expects it to be heard later this week by Art Shell or Ted Cottrell, jointly appointed by the NFL and the players' association to hear such cases.
They'll have to determine Harrison's intent when he laid out McCoy late in the fourth quarter of Pittsburgh's 14-3 victory. The 2008 NFL Defensive Player of the Year was penalized for roughing the passer on the play and said Monday he believed the hit didn't warrant further punishment.He's been quiet this season following a turbulent spring in which he took shots at NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, calling Goodell a "crook" and a "devil."
Harrison later apologized, saying his comments were "inappropriate," though both he and his teammates have been critical of the league's crackdown on what it considers dangerous and overly aggressive play.
The Steelers were the only team in the league to vote against the new collective bargaining agreement in August, citing the lack of a proper appeals process regarding fines and suspensions as one of their main concerns.
Now Harrison will need to rely on that process to have his suspension reduced. The odds of a successful appeal are small. Shell declined to reduce the two-game ban given to Detroit Lions nose tackle Ndamukong Suh after Suh stomped on an opponent's arm last month.
Though there has been an emphasis to play by the rules, the Steelers have been fined at least 13 times for illegal hits this season. Safety Ryan Clark was fined $40,000 after being flagged for helmet-to-helmet hits in successive weeks.
Tomlin refused to take issue with the fines or the penalties and doesn't believe it will affect the way the NFL's second-ranked defense plays the game.
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