James Harrison: No animosity with Steelers

Any bad blood between James Harrison and the Pittsburgh Steelers appears to be a thing of the past.

"There were a lot of things said, and I think a lot of guys said things because, hey, they were hurt, and when you're hurt you say things you may not normally say," he told Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Wednesday, two days after announcing his retirement from the NFL.

A longtime and celebrated member of the Steelers, Harrison orchestrated his release from the club late last season before signing with the rival New England Patriots to finish the campaign. The move was met with resentment, to say the least, from fans and ex-teammates in Pittsburgh.

"If you go now, you see players say how James Harrison 'helped me so much, I wouldn't be the same player,' etc," Harrison said. "You have to look at the situation, what happened, then you have to understand who is saying what, and the fact no one else is coming out and agreeing with it."

When he was released by the Steelers last year, Harrison said he harbored no ill will toward the franchise for which he holds the all-time sack record.

"I have no problem with the Steelers family," he reiterated Wednesday. "I have no problem with the Rooneys. They made a business decision that was best for their organization. I made a business decision that was best for me and family at the time. We went our separate ways.

"Fans get mad because they're stuck with a team, one team, that's their team. At the end of the day, it's a business. Yes, you have loyalties to teams, but when it comes down to it, it's a job, and when your job fires you, you need to find another job."

Harrison will celebrate his 40th birthday in May. He said Patriots coach Bill Belichick talked to him about playing another year, but the strain of being away from his family for another extended period of time led him to opt for retirement.