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
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) May 14, 2020
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.