James Harrison spent 14 years in Pittsburgh where hating Tom Brady was a right of passage. Brady posts a career record of 8-3 against the Steelers and 3-0 in the postseason, with Harrison on the receiving end of a loss for two of them. Before joining the Patriots in 2017, James Harrison wanted to poop in Tom Brady’s mouth, metaphorically speaking. I hope.
Now, the five-time Pro Bowler adores his short-lived quarterback.
Harrison has admitted that Brady is “the ultimate teammate and person.” Back in July, on FOX Sports’ “Undisputed,” he had this to say about Brady:
“I wanted to hate this dude,” Harrison said. “The whole time I’m playing in Pittsburgh I’m like, I hate Brady. Everyone’s like ‘oh he’s such a great guy, he’s such a nice guy.’ We got LeGarrette [Blount] and I’m like ‘what’s up with Tom Brady?’ He’s like ‘oh man he’s such a great guy’ and I’m like “stop lying to me.”
This week, Harrison returned to Undisputed to speak endearingly about Tom Brady once again. For Patriots fans, you may want to grab a tissue and some lotion.
James Harrison on cold-weather and Tom Brady, and on wanting so badly to hate Brady when he signed with New England late last year. #EverythingWeGot pic.twitter.com/FsfgYGVo7e
— Patriots 7th Ring 🇺🇸 (@Patriots7thRing) January 15, 2019
After talking about how Brady braved a blizzard for a practice while his teammates we’re cowering away, Harrison had this to say:
“Believe me, I wanted to hate this dude with a passion. And then I get there and I’m like, dude you’re the ultimate teammate. You know how you watch him and you’re like ‘Yeah he’s just putting on a show’? The practice squad dude, he’s treating like he’s been there 10, 12, 15 years.”
Skip: “Is Tom Brady the truth?”
Harrison: “He’s the truth, I’m not going to lie. He’s the truth.”
Shannon Sharpe: “How much he paying you to say that?”
Harrison: “He ain’t pay me nothing. I told him in the locker room, he was getting taped, and finally I was like, “You know I wanted to hate you when I got here. He just started laughing.”
Pats fans: Are you aroused? My sweatpants got a bit tighter.