Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison caused a bit of a stir after hinting that head coach Mike Tomlin helped him pay a fine for a big hit. Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

Steelers president: James Harrison envelope story never happened

By Zac Wassink | Last updated 5/14/20

Former Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison made headlines on Thursday after not-so-slyly suggesting during an appearance on the “Going Deep” podcast that head coach Mike Tomlin once assisted him with the payment of a fine.

One in-the-know individual responded to that story by echoing a famous meme: That never happened.

In the fall of 2010, Harrison received a $75,000 fine for striking a defenseless receiver in the head and neck area after the NFL reviewed a hit he delivered to Cleveland Browns wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi:

Harrison told "Going Deep" that Tomlin "handed me an envelope after that. I ain’t going to say what, but he handed me an envelope after that."

While Harrison never directly said what was inside the envelope, his story went viral among football Twitter, which led to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reaching out to the Steelers for comment.

Team president Art Rooney II denied Harrison's tale:

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

Ulrich added:

The #NFL has declined comment. https://t.co/cnyX6F6Yyd
— Nate Ulrich (@ByNateUlrich) May 14, 2020

Fans have joked over the years that Roger Goodell is the commissioner of the "No Fun League," so it makes sense anybody connected with the Steelers would want to dissociate the club from Harrison's claims.

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