Vet ‘Didn’t Agree’ with Najee Harris Taking Parting Shots at Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth was unhappy about the shots taken by running back Najee Harris after his exit from the organization this spring.
Freiermuth, appearing on teammate Christian Kuntz’ podcast on Thursday, said that he and Harris talked after the running back took a couple of shots at the Steelers’ facilities after signing a new deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
“I didn’t agree with the way he went out,” Freiermuth said. “And I called him about it, and we talked.”
In his introductory press conference with the L.A. media, Harris went out of his way to talk up the Chargers’ new team facility, and though he didn’t specifically mention the Steelers, he made it clear he was talking about the only other NFL team he’s played for in comparison.
“It’s a great weight room, first of all,” Harris said. “Even the facility, is all great things. A lot of things that they provide here you can take advantage of. I was telling them, it’s not like this everywhere, man. This is a special thing right here. It reminded me of college at Alabama, all the resources that we have. So just getting the chance to take advantage of all these opportunities is a blessing. And I was telling him, y’all have a great thing going on right now. It’s not like this everywhere. It’s not. Man, yeah, I’m just happy to be here.”
Freiermuth and Harris are close, coming to the Steelers together as the first- and second-round picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, and Freiermuth said he’s going to miss having Harris on the team.
“He’d come over every single week for dinner,” Freiermuth said. “Not having that routine and tradition and stuff … sitting on the plane after a tough loss. Talking, venting. Experiencing the highs and the lows. Me and him both experienced a lot of highs and lows so far in our career. So just going through that with him. But I’m happy for him and his new opportunity.”
The Steelers graded poorly overall in the NFLPA survey of team facilities, ranking 28th out of the 32 NFL teams.