Harrison: Tomlin Handed Me “Big…Tasty…Mhmhm… Mouthwatering Envelope” After Concussion Hit

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker, James Harrison, raised some eyebrows with the comments he made on Bar Stool’s “Going Deep” podcast. Harrison claimed Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin “handed him a big…tasty…mhmh…mouthwatering envelope” after his devastating hit on Mohamed Massaquoi in 2010. Harrison gave Massaquoi a concussion and the linebacker’s contact with the receiver was later deemed by the NFL as unnecessary roughness by means of “targeting a defenseless receiver.” The hit turned out to be devastating for the Harrison’s wallet, as well. The NFL slapped the former Steeler with a $50,000 fine for the play. The hit was Harrison’s second violation of the league’s unnecessary roughness policy, which made him eligible for a more substantial fine. However, Tomlin’s allegedly generous gesture eased the pain of the financial hit.

“Let’s just say, I got some good meals out of that. I almost forgot about the $50,000 fine entirely,” the retired headhunter told the podcast hosts.

Harrison refused to explicitly mention everything that was in the envelope, but he did confirm that there was a handwritten card from the head coach.

“It was like one of those lame-ass Etsy cards. It said on the front ‘Thank you for the ___’ and then below it had a bunch of different checkboxes that said things like ‘thoughtful gift’ or ‘lovely evening’ or ‘delicious meal’ etc. And Mike, I shit you not, had the nerve to fill in the checkbox next to ‘Good laugh.’ That’s one cheeky bugger, I’ll tell ya. And inside the card he wrote:

‘James, that was a helluva football play, don’t let anyone tell you otherwise, especially the NFL. If they had their way, you’d be tugging off other dude’s flags… I’ll be honest, I had to put my play sheet in front of my mouth I was laughing so hard when I saw Massaquoi squirming on the ground like a worm after you LAID THE WOOD on him. I bet if you got close enough you could hear those dial up connection sounds coming from his brain as it tried to reconnect to reality. Too funny. Anyway, sorry about the fine. I appreciate what you bring to the team and hope this helps alleviate some of pain. Eat well my friend, but always stay hungry.

Best,

MT’”

The linebacker again declined to specify what in the envelope was intended to alleviate the pain but implied that it was a “delicious surprise.” One of the Bar Stool hosts then jokingly asked if the envelope contained gift cards to Outback Steakhouse, to which Harrison replied, “This interview is over,” before tearing off his mic and storming off set.