Massaquoi is one of the greatest receivers in Georgia history. From Charlotte, North Carolina, he came to UGA in 2005. By the time he left in 2008, he had 158 catches for 2,282 yards and 16 touchdowns, which ranks seventh best in school history.
Massaquoi’s 58 receptions and 920 yards in 2008 is good enough to rank him No. 4 in most receptions in a season and No. 5 in most receiving yards in a season in UGA history.
Bulldog fans may remember Massaquoi most for catching the game winning touchdown versus Georgia Tech in 2006, which, following the successful 2-point conversion, secured the upset over the then No. 16 ranked Yellow Jackets.
Picked in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Massaquoi played four seasons with Browns. He left Cleveland after the 2012 season, and in August of 2013, he was released by two teams – the Jaguars and the Jets.
He finished his NFL career with 118 receptions for 1,745 yards and seven touchdowns.
NFL LB James Harrison talked 2010 hit on Cleveland Browns Mohamed Massaquoi, a UGA football great. Not a good look for Pittsburgh Steelers.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison was one of the hardest hitting players in the game during his 15 year NFL career.
He delivered a number of cringe-worthy hits, but maybe none worse than his 2010 helmet-to-helmet one on former Georgia wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi, who was playing for the Cleveland Browns at the time.
You can watch a replay of it here.
That hit resulted in a $75,000 fine from the NFL.
On May 6, Harrison told Barstool’s “Going Deep” podcast that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin handed him an envelope following the hit.
“Listen, everything I love, on my daddy’s grave, I hit that man with about, max, 50 percent of what I had, and I just hit because I wanted him to let loose of the ball. If I had known they were going to fine me $75,000, I would have tried to kill him. Dude, I’m telling you, 75?
“I ain’t going to lie to you. When that happened, right? The G-est thing Mike Tomlin ever did, he handed me an envelope after that. I ain’t going to say what, but he handed me an envelope after that.”
The comment led to plenty of speculation from NFL fans that Tomlin had a system similar to the Saints’ “Bountygate” in place.
The hit actually did not get flagged in that game and the $75k fine was eventually reduced to $50k. As for Massaquoi, he suffered a concussion on that play.
On Friday, Harrison posted on Instagram to clarify that Tomlin never paid him for that hit.
“Wow y’all really comparing what I said to BOUNTYGATE?!?,” Harrison wrote. “Mike T. Has NEVER paid me for hurting someone or TRYING to hurt someone or put a bounty on ANYBODY! If you knew the full story of what happened back then you’d know that BS fine for a Legal Play wasn’t even penalized during the game.”
In response to the story, Steelers president Art Rooney II disputed Harrison’s initial claim.
Reached out to #Steelers regarding James Harrison saying on a podcast coach Mike Tomlin “handed me an envelope” after NFL fined Harrison $75,000 in 2010 for big hit on former #Browns WR Mohamed Massaquoi. This is the response: pic.twitter.com/WioCansaFX
Massaquoi is one of the greatest receivers in Georgia history. From Charlotte, North Carolina, he came to UGA in 2005. By the time he left in 2008, he had 158 catches for 2,282 yards and 16 touchdowns, which ranks seventh best in school history.
Picked in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft, Massaquoi played four seasons with Browns. He left Cleveland after the 2012 season, and in August of 2013, he was released by two teams – the Jaguars and the Jets.
He finished his NFL career with 118 receptions for 1,745 yards and seven touchdowns.
Steelers’ James Harrison claims Mike Tomlin gave him an envelope for his illegal hit on Browns WR Mohamed Massaquoi
Former Pittsburgh Steelers defender James Harrison claims that longtime coach Mike Tomlin gave him “an envelope” of an unspecified nature after Harrison was fined for a vicious hit on Cleveland Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi in a 2010 game.
In a podcast disseminated by Barstool Sports, Harrison admitted to former Steelers teammate Willie Colon that Tomlin gave him something to help ease the sting of the $75,000 fine from the NFL for the hit.
Colon asked Harrison what the biggest fine he ever got in a game was, and the intense former EDGE immediately brought up the hit on Massaquoi.
Or, in Harrison’s words: “Yeah. Dude, how are you going to fine me? Dude, listen, listen, listen, listen, listen, everything I love, on my daddy’s grave, I hit that man with about, max, 50 percent of what I had and I just hit him because I wanted him to let loose of the ball. If I had known it was going to fine me $75,000, I would have tried to kill him.”
He continued,
“Dude, I’m telling you. 75 (thousand)? And I ain’t going to lie to you, I ain’t going to lie to you, when that happened, right, and the G-est thing Mike Tomlin ever did, he handed me an envelope after that. I ain’t going to say what, but he handed me an envelope after that.”
Steelers ownership vehemently denied any knowledge of the alleged envelope incident.
