New England Patriots newly-signed veteran linebacker James Harrison unleashed on his former team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, on his Instagram account as he gave his side of the story leading to his release recently. In a series of posts, the 39-year-old Harrison also clarified accusations made by some of his teammates, particularly fellow linebacker Bud Dupree, per Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal.

Harrison played 14 of his 15 NFL years with the Steelers, where he signed as an undrafted free agent in 2002. He left the Steelers as the all-time franchise leader in sacks with 80.5.

He also played one year with the Cincinnati Bengals. Harrison signed a two-year deal in the offseason despite the fact that he would go up against younger pass-rushers, like Dupree and rookie TJ Watt, who beat him for a starting spot this season.

Harrison didn’t want to be a cheerleader

In his post, Harrison stressed that he didn’t sign a two-year deal to sit on the bench and be a cheerleader. “I was clear about it when I signed,” said Harrison, adding that he asked for reps in camp, but he got none. The Steelers told him that he didn’t need reps as they were aware of what he can do on the field. When it was clear to him that he didn’t have a role anymore with the Steelers, Harrison said he asked for his release, but the team refused.

In one instance, Harrison assumed that he would be playing after having a solid performance in practice, but when he arrived at the stadium, his locker was empty and nobody told him that he was inactive. After that, he again asked for his release, but the Steelers answered “no.”

Harrison asked for release three times

Two weeks later, Harrison said the Steelers had him dressed for a game, but he got zero reps and “stood on the sideline the whole game.” For the third time, Harrison asked for his release, but he was turned down.

Days after, the Steelers released him. “I was never told I would be back,” Harrison said, adding they never heard from the Steelers even after he cleared waivers. Then, Harrison received a call from the Patriots. “At the end of the day, they made a business decision, and so did I,” said Harrison, who signed a one-year deal with the Patriots.

At the same time, Harrison refuted claims by Dupree that he didn’t visit injured teammate Ryan Shazier and he was never a mentor to him and Watt. Harrison told people to ask Ryan “if I came to see him in the hospital” and ask “T.J. if I helped him.”
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