Former Pro Bowl safety Rodney Harrison is under fire for comments he made during NBC’s Sunday Night Football postgame show about Jets quarterback Zach Wilson.
Harrison and the rest of the NBC crew had Chiefs star defensive lineman Chris Jones on set, and the conversation quickly got to Wilson, who had a surprisingly strong performance in the loss to Kansas City.
The questions from Harrison about Wilson were very harsh though, seemingly trying to bait Jones into being critical of the former No. 2 overall pick. First, Harrison asked if Wilson was better in the game than what Jones had anticipated based on the film. And after Jones responded that Wilson had been improving and that the Chiefs “knew it was going to be a battle,” Harrison doubled down.
“But watching that tape, you’ve got to look at this dude and say ‘oh, he is garbage, we should really tear him apart,’” Harrison asked Jones.
And after one more defense of Wilson by Jones, who called the QB special, Harrison pushed back yet again.
Here’s the footage of the awkward interaction:
Rodney Harrison tried to bait Chris Jones into saying something bad about Zach Wilson
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) October 2, 2023
Chris Jones instead used the opportunity to praise Zach Wilson for his performance tonight.
Respect to Chris Jones.
(@stefanskifan)
pic.twitter.com/bwhhGFS88X
The way Harrison went out of his way to attack Wilson felt personal, and it rubbed plenty of NFL fans the wrong way. It was particularly surprising given Harrison is a former player, and former players traditionally attempt to defend those competing on the field.
Rodney Harrison completely tearing down Zach Wilson last night was completely unprofessional. Embarrassing for him and to the network.
— Brandon Tierney (@BrandonTierney) October 2, 2023
Chris Jones being a true pro here.
— Jeremiah Sirles (@Sirles71_HSKR) October 2, 2023
Idc who you are, if you start a game in the NFL you are SPECIAL! Especially at QB and go toe to toe with Mahomes.
The hate of Zach Wilson from Harrison here is sad. He should know better. https://t.co/Iazy2yggkn
As someone who talks on a microphone for a living I know the way Rodney Harrison acted is 100% wrong. It’s one thing to build a storyline but it’s another to blatantly try to have a player trash someone else. Shame on you! https://t.co/qV2NPKXrBq
— Kimberly Cantoni DiRoma (@kimberlycantoni) October 2, 2023
man the weird stuff like this makes me want to root for him https://t.co/ovYaCxzKcA
— cam dancy (@CamDancy) October 2, 2023
Rodney Harrison should be embarrassed after this. So unprofessional. There’s a difference between honest football commentary and disrespect, and this is immature and disrespectful. pic.twitter.com/SQYeISNjeo
— David Nevil (@DNevil09) October 2, 2023
Rodney Harrison has always been super disrespectful.
— Aaron Quinn (@AaronQuinn716) October 2, 2023
This is BS and a former player shouldn’t talk about other players this way.
Guys in the NFL aren’t “garbage” and talking like that on TV is super irresponsible and not actually good analyst work at all. https://t.co/czGaXD8tN9
As an analyst, it’s perfectly acceptable to give an opinion that is supported by facts.
— Jayson Snyder (@Spydes78) October 2, 2023
However, Rodney Harrison trying to dissuade a player from taking the high road by calling his opponent “garbage” is just sound byte journalism. Disgusting, egotistical, & unprofessional. https://t.co/NUckGy1vtg
