James Harrison offers explanation for not standing with Patriots during anthem
When it comes to the list of NFL players who insist on kneeling, sitting, or other protesting during the national anthem, New England Patriots linebacker James Harrison has never been on it.
He’s been about as ardent of a supporter for standing during the anthem as anyone in the league.
So it came as a bit of a surprise when, in his first game donning a Patriots uniform, Harrison was seen doing something odd during the national anthem prior to the Patriots game against the New York Jets.
Harrison was standing at full attention during the anthem, but he was clearly not standing with the rest of the team.
Was this a political statement? Perhaps an issue with his new team had already bubbled up? Was it an act of defiance?
Alas, it was none of the above. The answer turned out to be much more benign.
Apparently, Harrison simply didn’t know the Patriots’ protocol for alignment during the national anthem.
“I did not know what was going on,” Harrison said, per NESN.com. “I was not clued — [the team] did not tell me about that.”
Harrison didn’t seem too concerned with the optics.
“It don’t matter. That’s where I normally stand. I’ve been standing for, I don’t know, 15, 16 years,” Harrison said.
The evidence certainly backs it up. Before signing with the Patriots, Harrison spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and was never seen kneeling or sitting during the anthem.
Despite the sideline snafu prior to the game, Harrison seems to acclimating himself to his new team on the field.
During his Week 17 debut against the Jets, Harrison notched a pair of sacks.
James Harrison gets the SACK! #GoPats https://t.co/eyiTRFYNir
— NFL (@NFL) December 31, 2017
His second sack, with :37 seconds left in the game, put Harrison’s career sack total at 84.5.
Harrison has 80.5 with the Steelers, which is the franchise-record.
The Steelers ultimately cut Harrison for alleged disputes with the team over playing time. The Steelers were moving forward with younger linebackers such as Bud Dupree and T.J. Watt.
The lack of playing time for Harrison in Pittsburgh was stark this season. He only saw action for 40 snaps with the Steelers. His two sacks on Sunday tripled his season total, bring him from a single sack to three.
The Patriots secured the top overall seed in the AFC with a 13-3 record and the tiebreaker over the Steelers.
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