To Hate the Media, or Not Hate: Tommie Harris Walks the Fine Line

I have always been a fan of Tommie Harris for both his on-field play and his personality. He calls it like he sees it to the media, and he's not afraid to let them have it if they mess with him. In an interview with Mouthpiece Sports, he clarified some of his stances.

First of all, he's not one of those guys who just hates the media and doesn't think any good can come from them. He admits than when you sign huge contracts and play a sport that makes you famous, dealing with the media comes with the territory. He also mentions how he likes to use the media because he runs charitable organizations, so he sees the good.

He also doesn't mind when the media trashes the on-field play of him or his teammates. That's part of their job as well, he opines.

The problem he has?

If they said "he didn't perform," or "he hasn't been playing like he used to," that's water under the bridge. But, when you come out and say, "Tommie Harris says that it was not the D-line's fault, but it was the secondary, that's the difference.

The reference Harris is making is when a report in the Chicago Sun-Times could easily be read to construe that Harris was placing blame for the defense's poor pass defense on the coverage, not the pressure. Harris supposedly said the defensive front guys were "not Superman" and that Kerry Collins was throwing the ball quickly all game in the Titans victory at Chicago. That's an insinuation that the DBs weren't guarding their guys tough enough from the outset, and it's an implication Harris is emphatically denying having said.