Pittsburgh Steelers Star James Harrison Backs Off Harsh Comments in Men’s Journal

Pittsburgh Steelers' star James Harrison has clarified the controversial statements he made about some of his teammates and  NFL commissioner Roger Goodell in the August edition of Men's Journal.

In the interview, which took place during the lockout, the oft-fined linebacker refers to Goodell as a "crook" and 'the devil" and uses a gay slur to describe him.  Harrison also criticizes teammates Ben Roethlisberger and Rashard Mendenhall for performing poorly during last season's Super Bowl loss to the Green Bay Packers.

On the same day the article become public, Harrison wrote on his Facebook page that "the comment about Roger Goodell was not intended to be derogatory against gay people in any way. It was careless use of a slang word and I apologize to all who were offended by the remark."

As for calling out Roethlisberger and Mendenhall? "Obviously, I would never say that it was all Ben’s or Rashard’s fault that we lost the Super Bowl," Harrison clarifies. "That would be ridiculous. Both Ben and Rashard are great players and great teammates. Clearly the entire team bears responsibility for the loss, me included."

According to the Facebook posting, these will be the only comments Harrison makes on the article.

[WTAE]