By Ed Bouchette, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
http://www.post-gazette.com/sports/
Linebacker James Harrison termed his Tuesday meeting with Roger Goodell in New York City "semi-productive," but Steelers teammate Troy Polamalu sounded off on the NFL commissioner.Polamalu, a five-time Pro Bowl safety, said that Goodell has too much power and that paranoia is rampant in the league after a crackdown on hits two weeks ago in which the league fined three NFL defensive players a total of $175,000 -- the largest to Harrison of $75,000 -- for what the league called illegal hits.
"It's football, you know. If people want to watch soccer, then they can watch soccer," Polamalu said during a lunchtime interview. "But, honestly, overseas when people are attracted to this game, they're going to see the big hits, they're not going to care about touchdowns and different things. So you're also taking apart what attracts people to this game."
Goodell summoned Harrison to New York to have a meeting of the minds, as he has done with players in the past.
"As we have done on occasion with other players, James Harrison was given the opportunity to meet with Commissioner Goodell, Ray Anderson and Carl Johnson [Tuesday] to discuss the rules that relate to illegal use of the helmet and hits to the head and neck," NFL spokesman Greg Aiello explained in an e-mail. Anderson is the NFL's vice president for football operations and Carl Johnson is director of officiating.
Harrison is appealing his $75,000 fine levied by the league against him for what it called an illegal hit that knocked Cleveland wide receiver Mohamed Massaquoi from the game at Heinz Field Oct. 17. No penalty was called on that play that day. Tuesday's meeting was not part of Harrison's appeal of that fine. That will take place next Tuesday.
"I came away with a better understanding, and I guess they got a better understanding of how I see things," Harrison said.
The Steelers linebacker also said he has not been fined, at least not yet, for a roughing-the-passer penalty on him Sunday night for hitting New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees late.
"You have to adapt to some things," Harrison said of the new crackdown on such hits this season. "It's not really that much of a change. The only thing I have a real issue with is trying to adjust to an adjustment that an off [offensive] player has already made. That's where I have an issue with there being a consequence and repercussions that you no longer can control. If a guy ducks his head at the last minute right as you're about to hit him, you can't control that, you can't adjust to that.
"Their response was I'm a defensive player and I'm responsible for what happens -- who initiates the contact, that's my responsibility. I don't know -- hopefully, we'll get a better understanding."
Polamalu, though, was not so understanding. He said he would not have wanted to meet with Goodell to air his opinions, as the commissioner gave Harrison a chance to do.
"Sometimes I think it just falls on deaf ears," Polamalu said. "I think a lot of players have said a lot of things and I guarantee you he heard everything everybody said.
"But, you know, he's got all the power; that may be part of the problem, that there needs to be some type of separation of power like our government. There should be some type of players involved in decisions over how much people should be fined or what they should be fined for, as well as coaches, as well as front office people.
"I don't think it should be just totally based on what two or three people may say who are totally away from the game. I think it should be some of the players who are currently playing."
Asked if he thought officials were "paranoid" about calling penalties since the crackdown began two weeks ago, Polamalu said he was not sure.
"I don't know about the referees' decisions to maybe need to throw a flag, but there is definitely a paranoia that is unneeded. Just because we had that weekend a few weekends ago which there were, I think somebody said, five hits out of 1,000. Yeah, I think there is too much paranoia."
Polamalu obviously does not agree with the NFL's crackdown.
"Do players need more protection? I don't know. I think in certain instances, yeah, but I don't think you can just completely make every type of hit obsolete, from horse-collar tackling to whatever kind of tackling it is. You just can't control some of these factors."
Polamalu, echoing Steelers coach Mike Tomlin's sentiments a few weeks ago, said there is no confusion among the players as to what the NFL wants.
"No, I don't think there's any confusion. I just think the problem is that they're wrong."
Harrison called his meeting with Goodell an opportunity "just for them to hear my side of the understanding of the rules and for them to give me an understanding of exactly what the rules are as far as it concerns helmet-to-helmet and helmet-knee contact and all that stuff."
"Yeah, I spoke my mind; they said what they had to say," Harrison said. "We had a semi-productive meeting, I guess."
Harrison said he would understand if the league did fine him for his late hit on Brees.
"It may have been a little late. I could understand and see if I was fined for that."
Some fans have established a Facebook page -- Pay James Harrison's Bogus Fine -- asking people to each send a dollar bill to Goodell to help pay the $75,000 fine from his hit in the Cleveland game. As of Wednesday evening, the page had 13,697 members.
"It's great," Harrison said, "but it's really not about the money; it's about the actual act of fining me. It's not the amount that's at issue; you're fining me for what I felt was not an illegal hit."
Ed Bouchette: ebouchette@post-gazette.com. Sports writer Gerry Dulac contributed.
Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/10308/1100536-66.stm#ixzz14JJtfd5s
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