James Harrison is a Pro Bowl outside linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Cedrick Wilson is a backup wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Both assaulted women, yet one is still on the team.
Now, there are a few things that need to be stated before anything else is said in regards to Wilson and Harrison.
I do not condone assaulting anyone, especially women.
I'm also a fan of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Now with that out of the way, is anyone really surprised the Steelers cut Wilson?
The same guy who complained about not getting the ball despite playing behind guys like Hines Ward, Santonio Holmes, and Antwaan Randle El?
The Cedrick Wilson who has disappeared at random times during the season, only to reappear for one game and catch five balls for over 100 yards and a touchdown, all after Ben Roethlisberger had to tell him, "I'll get you involved."
I fully expected Wilson to get cut anyway, the assault charges just made the wish of Steeler Nation come true.
Surely though, the Steelers are looking awfully bad right now considering they didn't make a move after Harrison was arrested for the same type of actions.
About a week or so ago, Harrison was pulled over by cops and arrested for allegedly breaking down his girlfriend's door, snapping her cell phone in half, and smacking her across the face.
Dan Rooney stood pat. They don't condone it, but, no, we aren't going to do anything to him.
Now someone a little less important does the same thing, probably a little bit worse. And low and behold, it's time to drop the axe.
Wilson allegedly pushed his girlfriend in the shoulder, and then slugged her on the left side of her face.
I'm not about to analyze the difference between an open fist and a closed one. But I do want to take a look at the reasoning provided by the Rooney family that was released in a statement Thursday night.
"In no way do we condone domestic violence of any kind. Each incident must be considered on a case-by-case basis. In the situation with James Harrison, he contacted us immediately after his incident and has taken responsibility for his actions."
Certainly then, that makes sense. Harrison did apologize immediately and took responsibility.
Wait. So did Cedrick Wilson, as told to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
"I'm very apologetic. I shouldn't have done it. I hold myself to a higher standard than that. I just want to apologize to Lindsey, her family, the NFL family, and the Pittsburgh Steeler nation. I let them down."
So certainly there must be a reason here.
Oh, that's right. Harrison made the Pro Bowl, and he is arguably the team’s best linebacker.
Of course, as Dan Rooney said, this is a case-by-case basis. Certainly, the real reason the Steelers released Wilson and not Harrison was not due to Harrison wanting to baptize his kid.
Guys like Chris Henry and Adam Jones stick with their clubs through a multitude of offenses because their skill set is very good.
So, yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers look awfully hypocritical today as one guy charged for assault is kicked off the team, and the other is not.
But they are simply following the scary precedent set by the rest of the NFL. If he's good on the field, that's good enough for me.
I don’t particularly like Wilson, but he seems upset over the boneheaded mistake he made. I don’t know if he will find work this year, but, so far, he’s said all the right things.
I wish him well on his quest to redeem himself.
Harrison, on the other hand, also has to redeem himself, but he has to worry about playing football, too. I want him to do both.
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6 months ago
Lets not forget Harrison was a backup a year ago. Granted he's talented, but lets not forget he plays for the best defensive coach in football. Pittsburgh makes linebackers, not the other way around. I think the point Rooney was trying to make was its over and done with, I've had enough. It was a statement and its unfortunate that Wilson was a bonehead and followed AFTER Harrisons. Someone has to take the fall when its getting out of hand (no pun intended).
6 months ago
I think it's also obvious that after Cedrick dropped the PFA and went back with Paulat (after she shot up his house and almost her own mother), that there was a pattern of dysfunction there. Probably always will be. I think his whole situation AND the fact that he doesn't produce much on the field convinced them to do this.
Remember they cut Bam Morris and he WAS a starter.
6 months ago
I don't care James Harrison hit a person. He's our best linebacker and our leading sacker from a defense that only had 36 sacks. Cedrick Wilson is the 4th WR and we don't need him and makes more room for the salary cap to sign special teamers. Harrison had 8.5 sacks out of 36 by the defense so you need to keep him. You always keep youur good palyers unless they kill someone or something more major than hitting a woman.
6 months ago
I don't think there's any excuse for it. I think one incident could be an accident. Two is just a continuous problem.
If James gets in trouble again, I think they will cut them, and they should. LBs are a dime a dozen. The Steelers have been good at finding good ones.
There isn't any excuse for hitting a woman. He's a big man. Keep it on the field!
6 months ago
I don't think there's any excuse for it. I think one incident could be an accident. Two is just a continuous problem.
If James gets in trouble again, I think they will cut them, and they should. LBs are a dime a dozen. The Steelers have been good at finding good ones.
There isn't any excuse for hitting a woman. He's a big man. Keep it on the field!
from 6 months ago
I agree with this..
I do think though even if this was Cedrick's first "thing" with the law that he would be gone though. He isn't important enough to keep around. James is and this is his first flare up.
6 months ago
Nino, If you are going to write an article based on facts that leads you to conclusions, at least list all the facts. Ced was involved in a neighborhood shoot out in January. Not quite the same as James.
from 6 months ago
What opinion do you exactly think I have on this issue?
All I'm really trying to say is this.
James Harrison wasn't cut because of the standard set in the NFL.
Had Adam Jones gotten cut after he allegedly hit that stripper, I don't know maybe James Harrison wouldn't be a Steeler right now.
Do I think the Steelers should cut him? No..
Do I think the Steelers should cut Cedrick? Yes. I think they should have cut him long before he had any sort of legal issue.
6 months ago
I meant assumptions, not conclusions.......oops
6 months ago
There is definitely a double standard being played out, and it most certainly has to do with on-field production. Although this double standard plays out at every level in every sport from high school to professional leagues, that does not make it right. The Steelers have always been one of the classiest organizations in professional sports, but on the surface this does appear to be an error in judgment by Rooney. We may never know what happens behind closed doors, but the most logical conclusion is that Harrison remains a Steeler because of his value to the team, and Cedrick Wilson is gone because the Steelers were looking for an excuse to release him.
And in response to the anonymous post above: In my book, killing someone and hitting a woman are equally vile offenses.
6 months ago
Rooney had to put his foot down somewhere with these guys.Wilson is obviously the scapegoat. Sorry to see him go,but we can't end up being like the the Cinncy Bengals with all their criminals! Hopefully we can pick someone up inthe draft that can back Hines and Santoio up.
6 months ago
Only reason Harrison is still a Steeler is he led the team in sacks and is a pro bowl LB. Wilson is the 4th WR and is useless. What James Harrison did is wrong and if it happens again don't expect him to be in the BLACK & GOLD.
6 months ago
In mortal Kombat Harrison would kill Wilson and the whole steelers team with one swipe of the fist. Remember you always have to think about who would win in Mortal Kombat
from 6 months ago
I don't know about that.. Casey Hampton would just have to lower his buttock on someone and would instantly kill them.
6 months ago
Yeah, it's glaringly obvious why the Steelers opted to keep Harrison while sh**-canning Wilson. One is All-Pro and the other is an also ran. But that's not really the issue. The issue is how professional leagues and the individual teams deal with athlete criminals. How can there be an across the board zero tolerance lifetime ban policy for GAMBLING, but steroid use gets a blind eye (or a wink and a nod), domestic abuse is buried under contrition and pleas to honor privacy, and basically anything short of murder is brushed aside? It seems insane that gambling is held as a more grievous crime than say assault.
6 months ago
I have no love for players that break the rules off on on the field.
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