Steelers' Pouncey, teammates blast Harrison: 'He erased his own legacy'

Pittsburgh Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey was blunt when asked about James Harrison on Wednesday, saying his former longtime teammate tarnished his reputation by signing with the New England Patriots.

"He erased himself," Pouncey told Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "He erased his own legacy here. Let's be serious. I would think so, as a fan. (It's) crazy. It blows my mind."

Related - Watch: Steelers fans burn, throw away Harrison jerseys

The details of Harrison's release from the Steelers have been sparse, though it was said to be a mutual decision. Pouncey disagrees, telling reporters Harrison forced the team's hand.

"He wanted that. It wasn't like the team said, 'We're going to let go of James Harrison.' James Harrison wanted that ..." Pouncey said. "It's not like they got together and said, 'Oh, we're going to go cut James.' No, that's not what happened. And he needs to come out and admit that."

Linebacker Bud Dupree, one of the young players to earn an expanded role in Harrison's place, also ripped into the departed veteran.

"I don't want the media to portray that we're the reason he left," Dupree told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. "That ain't the reason. He chose to leave. He made certain decisions, and his actions got him to this circumstance."

"I don't know how many secrets about the playbook Harrison could give to (the Patriots) because I never saw him in meetings," he added, according to the Post-Gazette's Paul Zeise.

Steelers safety Mike Mitchell didn't discuss the situation at length, but admitted he was surprised by the decision. "I'm not going to assassinate his character," Mitchell told Bloom, "but I wouldn't have done it for $59,000 (the reported value of the one-year deal)."

After back-to-back seasons of productive football in 2015 and 2016, Harrison's role with the Steelers was greatly diminished this year due to the play of young linebackers T.J. Watt and Dupree. He's Pittsburgh's all-time sacks leader (80.5) and owns two Super Bowl rings and five Pro Bowl selections.