James Harrison Talks Steelers Release, Says Team Made 'Business Decision'

James Harrison spent the majority of his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but the past week has seen an ugly divorce with the linebacker eventually landing with the New England Patriots.

The 39-year-old took to Instagram on Friday to discuss his side of the story in a series of posts, via Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal:

Harrison noted that he "didn't sign up to sit on the bench and be a cheerleader," although he only played in five games in 2017 for Pittsburgh.

Harrison had played 14 of his 15 years in the NFL and accumulated 80.5 of his 82.5 career sacks in Pittsburgh. He signed a two-year deal in the offseason to return to the team despite the presence of younger pass-rushers on the roster like Bud Dupree and rookie T.J. Watt.

However, his lack of playing time after appearing in 15 games last season led to his asking for a release several times during the season.

When he finally got cut and signed with the Patriots, a lot of disgust emanated from the Steelers locker room. Maurkice Pouncey said Harrison "erased his own legacy," per Elizabeth Bloom of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Dupree was one of the harshest critics, via Paul Zeise of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

He also told Zeise that Harrison refused to mentor him and Watt.

Harrison addressed these allegations directly, telling people to "ask Ryan if I came to see him in the hospital" and "ask T.J. if I helped him."

The veteran will now presumably earn a key role with New England for Week 17 and the postseason, although the teams appear to be on a collision course for the AFC championship as the two top seeds in the conference.