In case you didn’t hear the news, Steelers monstrously popular linebacker James Harrison–along with many other professional football players– is facing a fine by the NFL for participating in a charity arm wrestling contest at a casino in Las Vegas a couple of weeks ago.
Since the 2010 season, when James Harrison was hit with over $100,000 in fines for multiple late hits and shots to opponents’ heads, the “James Harrison was just fined for this (insert something silly–like Colin Kaepernick not standing for the national anthem–here)” jokes have been all over the Internet.
- When you first heard the news surrounding James Harrison’s latest fine, you may have had to check several online sources to see if this was another funny joke at No. 92’s expense.
Nope.
Not only is James Harrison casino arm wrestling escapade likely to earn him another NFL fine, but, like many in the past (anyone ever actually consider he may have been in the wrong with many of those hits?), he probably deserves to.
According to NFL.com, the league has a standing policy against players participating in promotional events at casinos, and that is exactly what James Harrison and many of his colleagues–as many as 30, all told–did when they agreed to arm wrestle in the name of charity.
Obviously, it’s pretty easy to understand why the league doesn’t allow its players to engage in promotional events at casinos–and that’s because of the often shady reputation of bookies and gamblers, and the fear that they might get their claws in one or several players, causing them to throw or otherwise alter the outcome of a football game.
James Harrison at AFC Championship game in New England. Photo Credit: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Of course, in today’s day and age, it’s a little harder to picture a professional football player–the minimum annual salary in the is over $400,000–being corrupted by gambling influences.
But that’s neither here nor there, and in the case of James Harrison and other NFL stars involved in the arm wrestling competition, there (a Las Vegas casino) was some place they weren’t supposed to be.
Sure you can argue, as MMQB’s Andrew Brandt has that the NFL’s policies about gambling are more than a little hypocritical – and this was even the case before the NFL decided to allow the Raiders to move to Las Vegas. That’s true, just as its true that there’s perhaps some hypocrisy on its policies about substance abuse and pain killers.
- But the rules are nonetheless clear.
And the James Harrison casino arm wrestling escapade is a violation of that rule, just as Martavis Bryant’s continued use of marijuana is a violation of his of the rules.
So be it. Add arm wrestling to your arsenal of silly “James Harrison was just fined for this” jokes, but just know that, in this case, he doesn’t have a leg to stand on.
