James Harrison Suspended 1 Game for Hit on Colt McCoy

The NFL has decided to suspend Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison for one game, which shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone who knows his history. 

ESPN's Adam Schefter tweeted the breaking news, and it's something most were expecting. 

Harrison has to sit out the Steelers game against the San Francisco 49ers this Monday night, which is a huge game for both teams.

Harrison is likely to appeal the suspension, meaning he could play on Monday, but then again, the NFL may be quick with their decision. 

Both the Steelers and the 49ers need a victory, and this game will be a true test for each squad. Pittsburgh needs Harrison out there, especially since Lamar Woodley is recovering from a hamstring injury. 

Unfortunately, Harrison must pay the price for his actions. 

Oddly enough, the hit on McCoy was the first roughing the passer penalty of the season, which is progress considering he was fined three different times for crushing blows to different players last year.

If you haven't seen the hit, check it out. 

He's cleaned up his game some, but there's no denying he plays with great fire and intensity, and that has sometimes led to what the NFL now deems an illegal hit. 

CNBC's Darren Rovell tweeted how much money this will cost Harrison. 

That's one of the reasons he's likely to appeal, but hopefully it's not the main reason. Fans would like to think that Harrison actually wants to get back onto the field and help out his team, not that he is just worried about collecting a paycheck. 

Harrison didn't believe he should have been suspended, according to to the CBSSports.com Chuck Finder. 

"I don't think it's suspension-worthy. I don't think it's worthy of anything, but that's just my own personal thoughts." 

Clearly the league took note of those statements when they made their decision, and now Harrison got exactly what he didn't want. 

Of course Harrison had to have a response to this news, and like all athletes these days, he took to Twitter to do just that. 

It's understandable that Harrison would find this funny because of how the league has dealt with him in the past, but this really isn't that funny of a subject.  

His hit on McCoy was dangerous, and since he works for Rodger Goodell and the NFL, he has to play by the rules. Nobody has the perfect work place, even professional athletes. He didn't abide by the rules and now he must suffer the consequences.  

Goodell certainly won't like that tweet, and it wouldn't be a surprise if he has a discussion with Harrison about it. 

We don't know for sure that he's laughing out loud about the suspension, but it's not that hard to decipher. 

Given Harrison's history and how the NFL handled the Ndamukong Suh incident, you had to know a suspension was coming.