I first and foremost like and respect the local Pittsburgh media and love the Post Gazette by far. Last week they were dead wrong in characterizing James Harrison and LaMarr Woodley’s comments. I write to Gene Collier pretty regularly and Ed Bouchette both of which always take the time to respond.
I like Ron Cook and I am sure he doesn’t appreciate being taken to task by a hack like me but I felt it needed to be said. He never responded and I will post his response if he lets me. The local Pittsburgh media didn’t do anything to defend the Steelers last season when there was about a three week period where the refs were flag happy. So we are clear I was a journalism student so in no way do I feel they should have “cooked” a story or made something up. I just think the facts got lost in the shuffle and even though this blog is meant to report facts we understand it is skewed towards the Steelers. We never pretend it isn’t.
I do think the facts though warrant what we were saying.
Here is the letter I wrote recently on behalf of BWG NY:
Mr. Cook,
You are 100% right in that you can’t fight the NFL as the players are about to find out in an all too painful way. But, having your opinion and expressing it was 100% right of Harrison and as of this second he has no obligation to the NFL as he is a locked out employee not receiving any type of compensation from the org. While his choice of words was not something I would have chosen, I have no problem with him expressing it.
I emailed Gene Collier last year and as the local media I thought you guys should have “protected” Harrison in every possible way without losing journalistic integrity. There were at least a dozen more hits more ferocious than Harrisons that weren’t flagged for 100K. Half of his fined plays didn’t even draw a penalty! How would you not feel persecuted.
Also, let’s be honest everyone knows that this rule has something to do with Harrison. If you are denying that you are kidding yourself. The most fined player in the league obviously had something to do with this. AKA the Hines Ward Rule, Mel Blount rule.
You were way off about the Super Bowl too, in no way can you lay that blame at Harrison’s feet or Woodley, for that matter and I contend that they were the two best linebackers on the field in that game! The stats prove that to be true. If the Steelers could have held onto the football they would have won. Heck one less turnover and they would have won. A healthy Troy Polamalu and they would have won.
There were several weeks that the refs over officiated the games. Go back and watch the films. (It’s not like we will have anything else to do soon.)
I respect your writing and I admire it very much. But you are dead wrong here! DEAD WRONG!
Sincerely,
(BWG NY)
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As for Calling it the Steeler Rule or the Harrison Rule, you know what, we wear that as a BADGE OF HONOR!!!!