Super Bowl Media Day went smoothly despite the severe weather conditions in Dallas with both teams facing an 
onslaught of questions from thousands of media members from around the world. Players from the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers provided a few quotes worth mentioning and here they are.
Leadoff hitter James Harrison of the Steelers took the opportunity to respond to being the most fined NFL player this season after vicious hits on opponents that the league considered out of bounds.
“Lay pillows down where I tackle them so they don’t get hurt when they hit the ground, Mr. Goodell.”
Not to be outdone, teammate Hines Ward who has a mouth as big as Harrison took the podium. In response to a question related to the league’s push to add two more games to the regular season schedule and their professed concern about brain injuries.
“You know this game is a dangerous game. If you care, why would you add two more dangerous games for a long career in a violent sport? You’re contradicting yourself.”
“All money is not good money,” Ward continued. “You may get paid more, but all you’re doing is driving more injuries. Leave it like it is. It’s great as it is.”
On the opposite sideline, the Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was sharing stories about his mentors at his position and you know who wasn’t mentioned while two other respected slingers, Kurt Warner and Steve Young were. Staying on topic, Rodgers mentioned a former Green Bay quarterback and it wasn’t Brett Favre, it was Bart Starr.
“Bart has been incredible to me, in the last three years especially, with the e-mails and conversations that I’ve been able to share with him. He’s an incredible man and a guy I’d love to model my career after.”
When asked about Brett Favre and whether he had heard from him the answer was as brief as one would use on the stand in a courtroom, “No.”
BTW, the guy you would have expected to get grilled due to his off the field problems, Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger, fielded questions like a Golden Glove winner. His time went smooth as he cut up with the reporters and took time to sit a young kid on his lap and sign an autograph for him. When asked if he had experienced anxiety while anticipating getting grilled he responded, “I don’t know about anxiety. I tried to be prepared.”
Used with permission of the author.
Paula Duffy is a national sports columnist for Examiner.com and the Huffington Post and regularly comments on sports/legal matters for radio affiliates of ESPN and Fox Sports. She founded the sports information site, Incidental Contact, is the author of a line of audio books designed for sports novices and in her spare time practices law in Los Angeles.
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