Steelers RB Najee Harris Taking Honoring Franco Harris Personally
PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers will still retire Franco Harris's number and celebrate the incredible career and life of the late Hall of Fame running back during their Week 16 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders. And with the sudden passing of the city's legend, the team is taking it personally to represent him.
Both T.J. Watt and Najee Harris spent their media availability saying the team is playing for Harris this weekend. And while both are going to bring extra motivation to the field, for Harris, this game is about honoring someone who meant a lot to him, his mindset and his position.
"Me being in this position, first of all, it's a blessing to be able to play football but to be able to be a Steeler at that and know the history of the position and to be a Steeler is even more exciting," Harris said. "But just to know that that is the guy right there really that set the tone and standard of it and I got to meet him and got to be really close with him and his wife too. For me to come here and play in this game against the Raiders where he made one of the best plays in NFL history, for me to be in there, and for me to be playing the position and me being a Steeler you know, it's something that I will obviously take into the game and hold dearly to me. It's a big game, not only for this Steelers organization but Franco, we're all gonna play for him. He's gonna be in all of our minds."
Franco and Najee become close over the last year, bringing the same love for the game of football but also for bettering the community.
"We had a really good relationship. We would talk to each other a lot. He'd text me. Him and his wife were really all welcoming. You know, they supported me so much throughout this process of me being here," Harris said. "And this little amount of time I'm here, he told me how important it is, not only just playing the game, but how important is to give back to the community and to Pittsburgh. He was really big into that. But also I was big into that. So for me to see, you know, some similarities in that area, that's what stood out the most. Obviously, when you walk in and you see the big Franco Harris statue in the airport, it shows you how much love that he had here for the city."
The Steelers will continue with the retirement of Harris's number at halftime and hold different celebrations throughout the game to honor the Hall of Famer.
The players have not held back about the added meaning to celebrate Harris with a win, and for Najee, it's even bigger. From one good-hearted running back to another, the Steelers Pro Bowl runner is looking forward to representing the position that night.
"Me watching this Pittsburgh Steelers, the runningback is always an important position, even when some people say it's a dying position. Here for the Steelers, it's a really big important position," Harris said. "I think it all started from him, really. He was the role model. He was obviously the icon here. He was more than just the athlete. He was a really important person for just the organization. He turned around so much stuff. He's the standard of what we all talked about of what it is to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. But not only that, but he's a standard of what it is to be a human being."
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