Rodney Harrison was one of the dirtiest players in the NFL during his playing days, so it’s not surprising he’d have a devious plan to try and stop Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers from winning the Super Bowl.
If Harrison were playing against Newton this upcoming Sunday for the chance to win the Lombardi Trophy, this is how he’d stop the quarterback:
"I would go right at his knees. I would try to hurt him. That might be difference between winning and losing a Super Bowl." – Rodney on Cam
— Andrew Perloff (@andrewperloff) February 3, 2016
Speaking with Newsday, Harrison added:
“If I see Cam Newton running the ball and he’s a quarterback and I’m on defense, I’m trying to hurt him,” Harrison said. “I’m trying to knock him out of the game.”
While Harrison does offer some unique insight into the game in his role as an analyst for NBC Sports, these comments cross the line of propriety in a major way. Not only does it indicate a significant lack of judgement on his part, it shows he hasn’t changed a bit since his playing days, when he infamously took Tom Brady out for a season with a shot to the knees.
Another thing that is disturbing is that Harrison would rather take the Tonya Harding route to victory, rather than winning fair and square.
NBC can do whatever it likes and people will still tune in to watch the NFL games it offers. However, these comments warrant consideration for a suspension, or worse.