My Letter to James Harrison

Epic beard on the far right but it is tough to see. Look up Brett Keisel if you want a better look. Oh, James Harrison is in this picture as well. 

I tried to get this letter to James any possible way I could think of. I tweeted it to him, posted on Facebook and even sent his agency an email with this enclosed. Maybe if I am lucky we can get some feedback.

If you are not aware of his recent comments, read this before reading what is below.

Dear Mr. Harrison,

   I, Chad Underwood, am an avid Steelers fan and a huge fan of your work. I wore your jersey for most of the games last season and was proud to wear it when you ran back a 100-yard interception in Super Bowl XLIII. I want to keep being proud to wear that jersey.
   Your recent comments to Men's Journal have shown me that maybe you do not want to wear a Steelers' uniform anymore. You took unnecessary shots at your team's leader (Ben Roethlisberger) and a young running back (Rashard Mendenhall) and decided to try to get Roger Goodell angry too. Well here are some comments I have for you:

   1. You are a hard-hitter, James. Everybody knows it. You pride yourself on destroying people and that is fine. I like the way you play football because it has led to some success for my favorite team. But your style of play is dangerous. It puts others in fear, but it also puts your wallet in some too. Goodell-less or not, the league is changing rules because they want people to be safe. It is up to you as a professional to adjust to those rules.  Blaming the commissioner for all of your problems makes you look weak, James. Just like everyone else in this world, you have a boss and you have rules to follow. Just because you make more money than most does not mean you have anymore of a say about how your job is structured. If you do not like it, get a new employer.

   2. Super Bowl XLV was tough on all of us. I feel your loss and wish there was something I could do about it. Sometimes you win and sometimes you lose and that is the bottom-line at this point. You have been privileged to have three cracks at football glory and you should be very thankful for that. That being said, taking shots at Ben Roethlisberger will not heal this. He is at Peyton Manning's level of play, he even has one more championship then him. Rashard Mendenhall might say the wrong things sometimes (like yourself, James) and yes he did fumble away a key opportunity in the Super Bowl, but to bash him will never bring team unity. You seem to act as if you are flawless and did nothing to hurt our chances at winning last season. Remember this phrase: "Win as a team, Lose as a team."
   Was it not just a decade ago that you could not even get drafted? You played in NFL Europe and on practice squads because people claimed that you were not "intelligent" enough to play in this league? How about you remember where you came from and what it took to get there instead of ripping other people for their imperfections.

3. The Rooney Family will not put up with your garbage, James. Go ahead and blab to five more magazines and pose for pictures with pistols and what not. Right now, you are on a team that could definitely make another run at a Super Bowl next season and that is as good as it is going to get.
   I am not sure what these actions even mean. Maybe you and Goodell will have a talk when the lockout ends and he can give you some well deserved punishment and you can try to urinate on him. Your comments are out of line and absurd and I can speak for anybody who cheers for the Steelers when I say this: If you don't want to be here, then leave, because we don't want you either.


   I hope that this is resolved and you apologize to your teammates and the fans that care about you for being so out of line.

Sincerely,

Chad Underwood