As many know by now, Steelers linebacker James Harrison suffered a fractured right orbital bone on Sunday against the Houston Texans. Texans tackle Duane Brown slammed helmet to helmet into Harrison on an attempted block and it caused the forehead pad in the helmet of Harrison to slide down and ultimately do the damage to his face. You can see the video of the hit here. Harrison missed several plays with blurred vision but ultimately returned to the game. He had successful surgery on Wednesday and seems to be in pretty good spirits despite having to sit out the next several weeks.
Many in Steeler Nation have been calling for Brown to be fined for the hit just because they want an eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth due to the many times that Harrison has been fined unjustly. I gave my thoughts the other day and said I did not think Brown should be fined and I bet Harrison thinks he shouldn\’t be fined as well. Turns out I was right as I asked Harrison just that last night on Twitter and he responded back, “No. It was a legal hit and it wasn\’t his fault, it was more of a equipment failure issue cause the helmet moved.”
Football is a violent sport and hits like this are going to happen from time to time, but it is also why I love the sport. The injury was a result of equipment failure as Harrison said and I do not believe it was malicious at all or an intentional hit to hurt. It was what it was and Steeler Nation needs to take off their black and gold glasses and look at it objectively. If the league ends up fining Brown for that hit, it will be an unwarranted decision. We should know by Friday if Brown gets fined or not.
