James Harrison is happy in retirement. So much so that he’s completely separated the football chapter of his life, one that spanned over 20 seasons college and pro, from the one he lives now. Today, he’s James Harrison the father, bearded dragon owner, and occasional guest analyst. The only thing he misses about football has nothing to do with sacking quarterbacks or forcing fumbles.
“I miss nothing about the NFL, dude,” Harrison said Thursday during an interview with Up and Adams’ Kay Adams. “Only thing I miss is just hanging out with the fellas. That’s it. And I still hang out with a lot of them.”
Harrison’s answer is common among ex-players. The NFL grind isn’t something most players yearn to return to. Early mornings, late nights, the physical toll it takes on your body. For someone who played the game with such a physical edge like Harrison, and spent hundreds of thousands of dollars keeping himself in-shape, those aren’t the moments he misses.
The special bond, however, is hard to replace. Harrison played in an era when teammates were truly close and the Super Bowl units he was a part of were considered unique. The 2008 defense wasn’t just a collection of great talents but through-thick-and-thin friends, making their collective impact even larger. Exiting the NFL means losing that. A team fighting toward a common goal, the triumphs and adversity, and the pride in playing for one another.
Harrison thinks his successful career helped him miss the game less than those who didn’t reach his longevity or peak.
“Nobody really that played enough and got what they wanted out of it, really misses the game itself,” he told Adams. “At least the guys I talked to, you miss just the stuff in the locker room. The situations where you’re joking around, playing, whatever it may be. Nobody misses the game. Dudes don’t wanna go out there and bang themselves against somebody. As hard as I hit people and hurt people or whatever it may be, I feel that, too. I don’t wanna feel that no more.”
It took until he was nearly 30 to become a full-time starter but he played for 15 years, 2002 through 2017. Cut multiple times, James Harrison even cut his teeth in the former NFL Europe before sticking with the Steelers. He paid his dues, made his plays, won a pair of Super Bowl rings, and largely went out on his own terms. Most players don’t get to retire at age 39 and Harrison even noted the chance to play in 2018, offered by Bill Belichick but turning down the chance in order to be with his family.
Conducting the interview during one of his son’s football games, it’s clear Harrison is more than content with his life after football.
