James Harrison's Agent On Alleged Envelope: Absolutely Not. Never Happened

In response to the explosive claim of former Pittsburgh Steeler James Harrison about head coach Mike Tomlin, his agent Bill Parise was asked about it by Joe Rutter of the Tribune Review.

James Harrison, former Pittsburgh Steelers pass rusher, alleged on Willie Colon's podcast, "Going Deep" that Mike Tomlin handed him an envelope after Harrison delivered a hit that knocked Cleveland Browns receiver Mohamed Massaquoi out of a game in 2010. He didn't say what was in the envelope.

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— Ken Carman (@KenCarman) May 14, 2020

Joe Rutter of the Tribune Review asked Bill Parise, Harrison's agent if he had ever mentioned it to him.

“Absolutely not. Never happened. I would have known that. It didn’t happen.” - Bill Parise, James Harrison's agent

Parise continued, “James and I are still together. We were really close during our 18 years. He would have said something along the way.”

Interestingly enough, Parise defended the hit, saying “James’ hit was unquestionably brutal, but it was absolutely legal.”

It's impossible to know with true certainty if Parise would know for sure if Harrison received something from Tomlin or not. It just raises more questions about the situation.

If Harrison is inventing this story, why? Is the intent to hurt Tomlin? And if it is, what's the motive? Meanwhile, if Harrison is telling the truth, why now? There was no shortage of questionable hits that flirted with the line throughout his career, including just against the Cleveland Browns. The specificity of it being this particular hit and adding it to a story that then involves his meeting with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

Because it's a hit that is ten years old, this all may be entirely theoretical in terms of what anyone is actually able to prove or the willingness of the NFL to even consider looking into it. And yet the story has already had New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton on it, potentially escalating it to a point where the NFL can't pretend it simply doesn't exist.

Steelers President Art Rooney II released a statement Thursday night about the Harrison claim, denying the allegation: “I am certain nothing like this ever happened. I have no idea why James would make a comment like this, but there is simply no basis for believing anything like this.”